Volunteering is one of the strongest elements that contribute to the development and establishment of democratic changes in every society.

The City of Rijeka fosters volunteering by supporting numerous projects promoted by civil society organizations and particularly by awarding prizes to the best volunteers and organizers of volunteering in cooperation with SMART, Association for Civil Society Development from Rijeka.

As a voluntary activity, volunteering is, first of all, a free choice, and freedom is the fundamental aspiration of human civilization, and a feature of democracy. Volunteers have the opportunity to help others and also indicate problems and needs around us.

Under the auspices of the Primorje – Gorski Kotar County and the City of Rijeka, on 5 December SMART association – Volunteer Centre Rijeka, marks the International Volunteer Day by awarding the prize “The Volunteer of the Year” which aims for greater visibility and recognition of volunteers and volunteering.

In addition to individual awards, SMART association – Volunteer Centre Rijeka independently assigns the best practices award for including volunteers, “The organizer of volunteering” in order to promote good and quality volunteer programmes.

SMART association established the Volunteer Centre Rijeka which operates as the volunteer resource centre of the Primorje – Gorski Kotar County, the Lika-Senj County and the Istria County and part of the Karlovac County, in order to promote the value of volunteering and integrate it in the development of local communities, strengthen the associations which include volunteers in their activities and motivate more people to volunteer.