Volunteering in the time of COVID-19. The Polish example for Europe

Abstract

The subject of the article is the analysis of the possibilities of using the volunteering to counteract adverse effects of crisis situation based on the example of the coronavirus pandemic. The authors examine the Solidarity Corps for Seniors’ Support (pl. Solidarnościowy Korpus Wsparcia Seniorów) and the local system Warsaw Supports ( pl. system Warszawa Wspiera) applying the institutional and normative method, and case study method in an attempt to provide answers to the following questions: (1) How and under what rules was the volunteering potential used to support the citizens? (2) Did the actions based on volunteer activity undertaken in Poland efficiently complement the work of public authorities? (3) Is the implementation of the developed solutions and their usage within the European Solidarity Corps structure possible in similar cases in the future? The case study allows to conclude that Polish solutions proved to be efficient and allowed to formulate the proposals of establishing a broader cooperation between the EU Member States concerning experience sharing in voluntary work development in crisis situations.