ESC: A Year To Empower

Magyar Református Szeretetszolgálat (MRSZ) Foundation is a large non-profit organisation within the Reformed Church in Hungary. The organisation has ca 100 staff members and different offices in Budapest, Debrecen, Vasarosnameny, Cigánd and Ózd. There is a department for youth work in general, organising local voluntary actions for Hungarian volunteers. Önkéntes Diakóniai Év program (ÖDE) is one program from the foundation to support international youth work and voluntary service. We provide quality volunteering opportunities, and we do this by working in partnership with International Voluntary Service Organisations and we are a member of a network Ecumenical Diaconal Year Network (EDYN, www.edyn.org). ÖDE was active with the EVS program, Erasmus+ volunteering and now European Solidarity Corps program as sending and coordinating organisation, now supporting. We have been active and accredited since 2000. We are cooperating with several international partners to send volunteers abroad and also with local hosting projects to host volunteers working with children, disabled, migrants and generally people in need. We have been successfully managed projects every year since 2000, we hosted ca 20 volunteers each year. We also have experience with short term volunteer projects (HO/SE) and one youth exchange and training. Our main aim is to create a learning environment where both the volunteer and the organisation is developing in cooperation in terms of personal growth and development, working and being together with other people in groups, intercultural learning, knowledge, and sensitivity, ecumenical learning, new skills in a new environment. We would like to ensure all groups of young people can be as active and democratic citizens also disadvantaged groups, as well as to develop their intercultural competencies, understanding, and tolerance, to utilize the opportunities and solve different problems. We believe that ESC is an excellent opportunity to grow in these fields. In this current application, we are applying for Quality Label for hosting volunteers in Ózd, and for ÖDE office to be a supporting organisation. We have the valid Quality LABEL until 31.12.2000. As a supporting organisation principally we are focusing on sending volunteers to local communities, where the goal is to support people in need, children and families from minorities or social difficulties, people with disability. Also we are coordinating volunteers and project in Hungary, ca 20 volunteers each year. Through these projects the volunteers can develop their solidarity and responsibility as well. However, we often organise information days in church schools or during different festivals. We submit this application to get the Quality Label as supporting organisation but also as hosting organisation for Ózd office. At the ÓZD office with many different activities: - counseling local people - give donations in many different forms (financial and in-kind support, to help clients to access social services) - to help unemployed and people with housing difficulties, - crisis management - collecting and distributing donations - Cooperation with other civil organizations and churches - programs for children and young people. We would like to invite volunteers to support the Valaszút program which has the following goals: - help step-by-step young people to finish school to get a better education, - to help 120 pupils to have a chance to start at the labor market - to support the whole family - to support young people with seeking to develop the answer to questions: self-knowledge, self-awareness, and self-consciousness. - to support young people with important educational tools; which is important for social cohesion and for maintaining health.