Volunteers are an integral part of major sporting events. It will be the same from 24 to 30 July 2022 in Banská Bystrica on the XVI. summer edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival. The organisers of the multi-sport event under Urpín do not forget this important component, which is to help them significantly cope with the course of the Youth Olympics with 3.600 participants from fifty countries on the old continent
“Volunteering and the willingness of volunteers to participate in the organisation of various events are deeply rooted in the heart of our city. Today we face a great challenge, which is the biggest international sporting event that has ever taken place in Slovakia, the European Youth Olympic Festival EYOF 2022. I believe that residents, youth and athletes will not be indifferent to the event; they will get involved and help us with its organisation. Everyone can get the most important thing - unforgettable experiences, new friends and experiences for priceless,” says the mayor of Banská Bystrica Ján Nosko.
So far, half the quota has been filled, they want to intensify the recruitment campaign
“Our goal is to have 1.500 volunteers. We launched the registration in March 2021 and to this day, we record 983 registrations. Of this number, 745 are confirmed registrations, what means that there are registrations where people interested in volunteering at EYOF 2022 Banská Bystrica have filled in the entire registration form and all the information about themselves. Many of them have already completed individual interviews online. I will reveal that 431 of them are women and 314 men,” the current situation regarding volunteers was presented by their director Júlia Jančíková, who confirmed the plans to intensify the recruitment of volunteers. “We are currently working on it. With a request for cooperation, we addressed the surrounding municipalities, schools, sports associations, various associations, there is an opportunity to record information about volunteering on social networks and we are constantly continuing these activities, as our goal is to reach 1.500 volunteers...”
At EYOF, they count not only on volunteers from Banská Bystrica and the surrounding area. “As this is the largest multi-sport event in Slovakia, the above figures refer to the total number of registered volunteers within not only the whole of Slovakia, but also foreign volunteers. Registration at EYOF 2022 is open to all people who are interested in joining the volunteer program, i.e. also for people from abroad. We already have 165 confirmed registrations of foreign volunteers. To a large extent, these are people with extensive experience in volunteering from other international sporting events. However, we would like Banská Bystrica and its surroundings to be more involved in the volunteer program at EYOF 2022, as it will be the host city,” Jančíková continued.
Experts from among sports associations
Individual national sports federations, together with their members, can also help fill volunteer positions. “The EYOF 2022 will compete in eleven sports sectors. The sports associations in Slovakia themselves are an integral and very important part of this big event, because it is through them that we can reach a large group of professional people and directly place volunteers who are experts in that sport, which is very important in this case,” Peter Hamaj, Director of the EYOF 2022 Organising Committee, commented on the topic of volunteers.
Current figures on volunteers at EYOF 2022
Number of confirmed registrations: 745
Women: 431
Men: 314
Average age of registered volunteers: 28
The oldest registered volunteer: 76 years
Number of registered volunteers from Banská Bystrica and the surrounding area: 169
Number of registered volunteers from Banská Bystrica: 139
Number of confirmed registered volunteers from Slovakia: 580
Number of confirmed registered volunteers from abroad: 165
(note: numbers are current as of November 6, 2021)
Age does not play a role, willingness is important
Each candidate must meet the basic criterion of reaching the age of 16 at the time of the event. “The age limit is not set and the oldest volunteer we register is currently 76-year-old. As this is an international event, language skills are also important, but it is not a priority that we put first. This is a condition for some volunteer positions, but not for all. What we consider most important is willingness itself. I would say that the phrase "I want to help" by a volunteer describes it. They don't have to worry, because what they don't know we will teach them. We have prepared an interesting educational process - a program. And any question, suggestion, whether the problem occurs, we will solve it. The most important thing for us is the desire and interest of the volunteers coming directly from within them, because that is what we cannot replace,” emphasized the head of volunteers at the Banská Bystrica Olympic Festival.
Volunteers as faces of the event
At EOYF 2022, volunteers can choose from 16 sectors. With their help, it is calculated not only during but also before and after the event. “We really need volunteers everywhere. From welcoming guests, through catering, directly on the sports grounds, assistance to Olympic delegations, security, transfer, accommodation, participation in ceremonies, to administrative activities. Volunteering during such a multi-sport event with a high number of participants is irreplaceable and very necessary in any sector not only during, but also before and after the event itself. It is important to note that volunteers at EYOF 2022 are the face of the event and are visible really everywhere. Not only on sports grounds, but also in the whole city and surrounding villages,” explained Jančíková, who also revealed what is most taken into account in the selection: “Motivation and desire. The internal setting and motivational factors that lead the person to volunteer at EYOF 2022 in Banská Bystrica. Experience what he wants to achieve, what he wants to learn and what he wants to take from there. Of course, when choosing, we also take into account the volunteering experience already gained and the language skills of the volunteers.”
Certificate or opening the door at the Olympic Games is part of a wide range of benefits
Each volunteer who participates in EYOF 2022 will receive a limited edition of clothes; during the volunteer service, they will be provided with food and drinking regime, the possibility of rest in the Volunteers Base camp, for volunteers outside of Banská Bystrica organisers offer help with accommodation. “However, apart from the material benefits, they can gain new experiences, experience with organising such a big event in Slovakia, have the opportunity to acquire new skills in communication in foreign languages, the opportunity to meet new people not only from Slovakia but also from abroad, to see and get to know future Olympians. At the end of the event, each volunteer will receive a certificate of completion of volunteering, which can be applied as part of a university application or in the access to employment in the labour market,“ Júlia Jančíková named benefits, according to which the motivation to participate in the volunteer program is individually different. “However, if I were to generalize and summarize, the initial motivation stems from a willingness to help and be part of this great event not only as a spectator, but also as a person who experiences it in close proximity and has the opportunity not only to passively watch the performance of athletes, but also experience it with them. As volunteers at EYOF 2022 have a choice of 16 different sectors of activity, we can say that everyone will come up with their own. Among the registered volunteers we are recording young students whose motivation is to gain new experience in areas such as catering, accommodation, PR communication and media, security, organisation of major sporting events. Another motivation is the opportunity to support the sport that the volunteers themselves do, the opportunity to improve in communication in foreign languages, but also in communication as such. Many young people cite as their main motivation the opportunity to go through the whole volunteering process, i.e. from the completion of the registration form, through the successful completion of the online interview, the educational process and the very course of the event, during which they will deal with various situations in order to gain experience that will help them become independent. Other common motivating factors include the opportunity to make new contacts, meet new people, make new friendships, support the city of Banská Bystrica and Slovakia, and so that we do not forget about older volunteers, their main motivation is socialization in a young dynamic environment and effective use of free time.“
Gaining volunteer experience at EYOF can help these people move into the same role at other major world events. “As we take into account the experience of currently registered volunteers at EYOF 2022, this is also taken into account at other international events. This experience can be one of the factors that will open the door for them, for example, at the Olympic Games,” added Jančíková
