The IB (Internationaler Bund) took the opportunity on Youth Day on August 12 to draw attention to the poor funding of voluntary services in Germany. Around 100,000 young people are currently performing a service that is invaluable to society in various formats: Voluntary Social Year, Federal Voluntary Service and Voluntary Ecological Year.
Despite the great success and despite the in the federal government's coalition agreement formulated statement: “We will expand places in the voluntary services in line with demand”, cuts to voluntary services are still planned in the 2025 draft budget. These will significantly affect the number of volunteers and the quality of the services.
The IB calls for a right to voluntary service to enable people from socially disadvantaged families to do so
A long-term goal of thegovernment should be the introduction of a legal right to voluntary service. This would give all young people, regardless of their socio-economic background, the chance to gain this valuable experience. Volunteers work for the IB in various areas: in care, in schools and in childcare, they provide essential relief for specialist staff.
“Voluntary services are a valuable investment in the future. It is crucial that we support and promote these services in order to use the positive influence of young people and thus strengthen social cohesion,” says Thiemo Fojkar, CEO of the Internationaler Bund.
