Actions taken:
Having in mind human resources, one of the main goals of the Red Cross of Montenegro (RCM) is to have adequately motivated, educated and trained volunteers, who respect Code of conduct and accomplish given tasks in a responsible way, which is a necessary precondition for the fulfillment of programme and developmental goals, i.e. mission of the organization in general.
RCM is open for members and volunteers regardless of their origin, race, religion, age, gender or political belief. Volunteers of RCM usually come from two categories, youth and youngsters, and represent the main potential of human resources of the organization. The programme for youth and youngsters interweaves with every other Red Cross programme, since the young people are the carriers and creators of different programme activities and Red Cross actions.
Each local branch has a group of young volunteers that are usually organized in Youth Clubs. All Youth Clubs are coordinated by young people (staff or volunteer). Coordinators of Youth Clubs are connection to the RC staff in decision making process. Youth Clubs follow the plan of activities created by local branch but besides that have possibility to make their own plan.
Young volunteers implement all RC activities including Home care and Healthy Ageing. In last years RCM is especially focused on promotion of intergenerational solidarity and cooperation by gathering and connecting young and older people. Moreover, in local branches where RCM has Clubs for older people, intergenerational events are often organized.
Young volunteers are very committed in providing support to marginalised, and socially-disadvantaged children and youth, representatives of Roma and Egyptian population, as well as asylum seekers. Some of activities that they implement using peer to peer approach are: educational workshop (Prevention of HIV/AIDS, Prevention of trafficking in human beings, First Aid, Healthy Ageing, Promotion of human values etc), support with homework, language lessons, creative workshops and sport competitions. Main goal of these activities is to empower children and young people and enable them to acquire the knowledge and skills they will need in the future as well as in the integration process. Besides that volunteers have role to recognize and train one of the members of that population, who will be the future leader of the group. In many local branches above described activities are now coordinated by young people who used to be beneficiaries.
Young people are being trained and educated for different activities, so that the local Red Cross branches could implement different programme activities. In order to have harmonized and unique realization of the programme activities, many trainings are being organized at the national level, and in that way, volunteers can spread the acquired knowledge in the local community. National trainings for youth that were conducted since 2015: First aid, Psycho-social support in crises, Home care, Healthy Ageing, Youth leaders, YABC, Social inclusion, RFL, Prevention of trafficking in human beings… It is important to emphasize that RCM supported participation of young volunteers on many regional and international trainings.
In 2016 RCM hosted one of the biggest youth events, European Youth Cooperation Meeting, that gathered around 90 young people from Europe and Central Asia NS. In July 2019 RCM hosted XV Atlantis, Mediterranean youth camp organized by CCM. RCM youth representative was member of the European Youth Coordination Committee for period 2016-2018. RCM supported creation of new youth subregional network Southern European Youth Network. Since 2015 RCM was sending youth delegate to all regional and international youth meetings such as: Mediterranean Youth Meeting in San Marino 2015; Mediterranean Youth Meeting in Bosnia and Herzegovina 2019; International Youth Meeting Solferino 2019; Balkan Youth Meeting Bulgaria 2016; European Youth Cooperation Meeting Kyrgyzstan 2018 and many others.
