HESTIA, o.s., Prag, Czech Republic

• Profile:

HESTIA was founded in 1993 as a non-governmental, nonprofit organization and became a member of the international volunteer organization IAVE in 1999

• Main aims:

The mission of HESTIA is to support and further positive interpersonal relationships. HESTIA actively engages in research, training, and educational programmes for non-profit organizations, organizes and hosts international and national conferences, and also works as a broker for international and local businesses by organizing corporate volunteering projects. HESTIA National Volunteer Centre (NVC) co-ordinates The Coalition of Volunteer Initiatives in the Czech Republic, which has over 50 members, and also organizes specific volunteer projects

•  Key partners and stakeholders involved:

HESTIA cooperates with many NGO s such as YMCA Praha, SYMPOSION Praha, LATA Praha, Volunteer center Usti nad Labem, RATOLEST Brno, SPEKTRUM Kromeriz , PROSO Olomouc, AGNES Praha, OSF Praha, OSI New YORK, NROS Praha, Nadace VIA Praha and others. In 1998 HESTIA founded the NATIONAL VOLUNTEER CENTER in cooperation with 14 other volunteer centers from Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic countries and Euroasia, which are associated with the VOLUNTEERNET network. HESTIA NVC is a member of the following international associations: BBBS International, IAVE, CEV, and VOLONTEUROPE.

•  Finances:

Programs of HESTIA are financially supported by Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Flint (Michigan), the Foundation of Civil Society Development from Make a Connection Program, the Commission of the European Community for Youth programs and the European Social Fund, BBBS International, the municipal corporation of the capital city Prague, the local corporation of the Prague 5, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Physical Education of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic and  the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic. Partner for media monitoring is Newton IT. The Donors Forum , HESTIA is cooperating with, is  a civic association gathering donors in the Czech Republic (fundations, funds, business donors) for the aim is support and development of philanthropy in the country.

•  Members and staff:

HESTIA works with the slogan: “The volunteer can be everyone of us, no matter which profession we do” .Therefore everybody is welcome to join voluntary action and HESTIA  undertakes the task of finding the right place to work for every interested person

• Tools and methods of delivery:

- striving to impose a positive image of volunteerism in the media;
- carrying out and coordinating activities, projects and programs in the social and health areas, culture, the environment, education and instruction;
- coordinating the activities of the more than fifty members of the Coalition of Volunteer Activities in the Czech Republic;
- creating databases of cooperating organizations and individuals;
- providing counselling on topic issues, e.g. the implementation of the Act on Voluntary Service;
- helping with the insuring of volunteers;
- supporting the setting up of regional volunteer centres and providing of methodological guidance
- publishing specialized publications
- training volunteers and coordinators of volunteers

•  Volunteering projects:

 specific volunteer projects are e.g., Big Brothers Big Sisters (PET P in the CR), Volunteers in Hospitals, Programs for the Unemployed, European Volunteer Service, , the long-term project Engage for enhancing the corporate volunteerism  or the program Make a Connection, that gives young people between 16 – 24 the possibility to develop own projects for helping others

•   Key policies and resources:

  Main objectives are
- to elicit the involvement of the entire community in identifying and addressing its problems;
- to encourage and enable youth to make leadership through service a continuing part of their lives;
- to provide a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves;
- to enable others to participate as volunteers;
- to complement but not substitute  responsible action by other sectors and the efforts of paid workers;
- to enable people to acquire new knowledge and skills and to fully develop their personal potential, self-reliance and creativity;
- to promote family, community, national and global solidarity.

•   Contact:

The National Volunteer Center Prague
Na Poříčí 12 (palác YMCA)
110 00 PRAHA 1
tel.: +420 224 872 075-7
fax: +420 224 872 076
Contact persons: Michaela Jandová, Project Coordinator
email: Michaela.jandova@hest.cz
Hana Kusková, Project Coordinator
email: hana.kuskova@hest.cz