The new wave of volunteers

Now in its 5th year, the open-call to become part of the Super-Volunteer Clubs received numerous applications from girls and boys from all over Kosovo. During the 9 months in the Super-Volunteer Clubs, these young people – through educational activities in the clubs – develop their skills, socialize with each other, and at the same time prepare to intervene to solve a practical problem that they themselves identify in their community. So far, the Super-Volunteer Clubs have created over 5,000 volunteers who have carried out over 200 community projects and interventions in their communities, which as a result have improved the lives of over 25,000 citizens of Kosovo.

The Super-Volunteer Clubs, through the “Educational Volunteering” program, have the main goal of teaching and preparing boys and girls (mainly from rural areas) to develop into active citizens, who use their knowledge and will to improve their neighborhoods, schools, or other parts of the community.

Super-Volunteer Clubs are usually led by teachers, psychology or education students, and Super-Volunteers or Super-Citizens over the age of 17. Within 9 months, they prepare, organize and work on various improvements which can be: painting school benches, cleaning and maintaining the city park, creating reading spaces in schools, mental health campaign, building chairs, raising funds for causes important and full of different activities. The financing of the activities of the Super-Volunteer Clubs is done by the non-governmental organization “TOKA”, and often the clubs cooperate and find help in human and financial resources from parents, schools and various businesses. The number of municipalities that wish to have Super-Volunteer Clubs continues to grow every year and now over 50% of Kosovo’s municipalities have had at least one Super-Volunteer Club active.

“Volunteer clubs have built me mentally, and made me more aware of the problems we have and the ways we, as a group, can do something – anything – to solve these problems. Sometimes the solutions are very simple, but all you need is will, communication, and unity. Clubs are places where all this happens” – says one of the Super-Volunteers, as he continues to tidy up his school yard.

“For us as an organization, seeing the will, the energy, the desire of young people who want to improve the place where they live, to help others, is what pushes us forward” – says Hatixe Zeka, leader of the “Service Learning Program” at TOKA.

The Service Learning Program of TOKA aims to involve Kosovar youth in voluntary work, where at the same time, they will acquire new knowledge, values ​​and skills such as critical thinking, communication, problem solving, social skills, decision-making, leadership and increasing self-confidence and awareness for active citizenship.

TOKA constantly offers educational programs for girls and boys to develop their skills, so that tomorrow they will develop into people who will change the Kosovar society. TOKA also provides opportunities for teachers, students, and other educators to learn methods that help students better understand lessons. TOKA cooperates with municipalities, educational institutions, local and international organizations, and is part of international educational networks.

This project is supported by the Office of the European Union in Kosovo, through the European Institute for Democracy and Human Rights – EIDHR, the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sports (MCYS) of the Republic of Kosovo and the Municipality of Prishtina, Kosovo.