Abstract:

Volunteering is an important part of society that contributes to its development and improvement. It makes it possible to collaborate on projects, respond to social problems and share responsibility for what is happening in the world. Thanks to the calls for volunteering by the government of the Czech Republic, most universities also decided to support their students and employees who participated in volunteering or started organizing volunteering themselves.

The aim of the research investigation was to analyse the management, support and implementation of volunteering by students and academic staff of the University of Ostrava and thus prepare the basis for a proposal for a concept for the development of volunteering, which could lead to an improvement in the quality of support for students and academic staff in their involvement in volunteering. The sub-goals were focused on finding motivation for volunteer service, awareness of volunteering opportunities, availability of volunteer service implementation, professional preparation of volunteers for working with different target groups and the importance of practical coordination of volunteers.

The research was carried out through an online questionnaire, in which 294 respondents (N=294) participated. The questionnaire included questions focused on motivation to volunteer, awareness of volunteering opportunities, availability of volunteering services, professional preparation of volunteers and the importance of practical coordination of volunteers.

The results of the research show that the motivation of students and employees of the University of Ostrava to volunteer is primarily the desire to help others, develop their own skills and gain new experience. Our findings show that volunteering plays a key role in the development of social responsibility and civic engagement at the University of Ostrava. At the same time, we have identified several areas that require further attention and support, including improving awareness of volunteering opportunities and strengthening the professional preparation of volunteers for working with different target groups.

The results of this research could serve as a basis for the formulation of strategies and initiatives supporting the development of volunteering in the academic environment. The research results point to a number of opportunities for the development of volunteering at the University of Ostrava.

Key recommendations include:
- Expanding awareness of volunteer opportunities outside the University of Ostrava
- Expanding the range of volunteer activities, especially those focused on working with different target groups
- Increasing support for professional training of volunteers
- Increasing support for the practical coordination of volunteers by the university

These recommendations can help to improve support for students and academic staff to engage in volunteering and to develop volunteering in the university environment.

Keywords:

Volunteering, student, academic worker, management, support, implementation, strategy.