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Introduction

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My name is Zsófia Antal, I am from Budapest, Hungary. On the 1st of December I started my one-year volunteer service at the Volunteers Center Zagreb, in Croatia. Among other reasons, I chose Zagreb as the city to volunteer because I found it really exciting that Hungary and Croatia have a significant piece of common history and I hoped that I would enjoy discovering a culture that has some relevance to my own one. For the same reason, during my service within the framework of a project I am devoting myself to improve the realtionship between Hungary and Croatia by calling Croatian young peoples attention to Budapest, the capital of Hungary, and encouraging them to spend their EVS volunteer service in the city. This site is the most important means to carry out my project and do my best to involve more and more people into building bridges between the two countries. I am convinced that it is more important to learn about the culture of the neighbouring countries than to focus on distant countries in the West, whose culture and history have little or no relevance at all to my ones.

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I created this page with the aim to help those who are interested in volunteering in Budapest through EVS with useful bits of information and advice, furthermore to make them sure that their choice will be worth their time and energy.

This page was primarily designed for prospective volunteers with Croatian background, since my main ambition is to make some steps on the way to bring the Croatian and Hungarian culture closer together by motivating youngsters to come to the capital, meet Hungarian culture and "take home" what they liked. Despite this fact, anybody interested in volunteering in Budapest is welcomed.
I hope that on the site you will find all the information that you need to make your decision. Being an EVS volunteer in Zagreb, I tried to answer all of the questions bothered me before leaving. These were mostly put about the nature of my job, accomodation, travelling, food prices, langauge learning, possibilities of entertainment. I was also concerned about cultural issues, and I was also very greatful for any pieces of advice about how to make friendships and accomodate myself to the new environment.

On the site you can find a list of hosting institutions situated in Budapest and its surroundings, and a great deal of information about their activities and the conditions provided for volunteers. All the information is at first hand, since I got into contact with all of the institutions listed above and I visited each of them personally.

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Index

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Babuka Ltd. - education, child-care

Csoport-téka Association - counselling/education: employment

Egyesek Youth Association - youth action/ youth care

Messzelato Egyesulet - environment

Multiculture Association - social issues: migration

PILnet - legal issues, law

Shelter House Foundation - social issues: homelessness, family care

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