Culture of Volunteering
Volunteering is the collective term for activities through which individuals contribute, of their own free will and without expecting financial compensation, to the benefit of people beyond their immediate circle, other living beings or society.
A volunteer is someone who rejects discrimination, exclusion and hate speech and contributes their knowledge, experience, time and effort to solving social problems with a sustainable sense of responsibility.
Our Approach
Volunteering at the Yücel Cultural Foundation
What is volunteering?
- It is a space for learning and personal development through training, workshops and projects.
- It is an opportunity to bring ideas to life, express yourself and build self-confidence.
- It is a process of creating new projects and developing creativity.
- It is an experience that strengthens teamwork skills and helps build new social connections.
- It is a relationship between the volunteer and the Foundation based on mutual responsibility and trust.
What is volunteering not?
- It does not mean treating volunteers as unpaid labour.
- It does not mean forcing someone to perform tasks they do not want or have not agreed to.
- It is not an undisciplined or unplanned way of working with unclear responsibilities.
- It does not mean disregarding the volunteer’s time, boundaries or personal development.
Benefits
What kind of experience do we offer volunteers?
Contributing to Social Impact
An opportunity to take responsibility in work aimed at solving social problems.
New Connections and Networks
The opportunity to meet young people, experts and organisations from different fields.
Personal Development
Strengthening communication, teamwork, leadership and project development skills.
Social and Cultural Experience
Participation in events, gatherings and collaborative production processes.
National and International Opportunities
The opportunity to participate in local, national and international projects where appropriate.
Creation and Visibility
The opportunity to turn ideas into projects and share the resulting work.
Ways to Contribute
How can you contribute as a volunteer?
Events and Project Work
- You can take part in local, national and international events and activities.
- You can contribute ideas and content to youth-focused projects.
- You can support the planning, organisation and implementation of activities.
Knowledge, Experience and Collaboration
- You can act as a facilitator in training sessions and workshops based on your knowledge and experience.
- You can contribute to content creation, communication, design, research and digital work.
- You can help develop new collaborations with organisations and communities in your network.
Our Volunteering Strategy
Mutual Benefit and Responsibility
Volunteering at the Yücel Cultural Foundation is not only about contributing to the Foundation. It also aims to ensure that volunteers gain meaningful learning, development, experience and social connections through their work.
Our volunteering strategy is based on respecting volunteers’ time and boundaries, defining responsibilities clearly and carrying out activities in an atmosphere of mutual trust.
From Application to Volunteering
The Volunteering Process
- Application and Preliminary Assessment
- Foundation Introduction and Welcome Meeting
- Individual Interview Where Necessary
- Mutual Agreement on Volunteering Conditions
- Volunteer Agreement and Orientation
- Participation in Volunteer Activities
- Motivation and Capacity-Building Activities
- Certificate of Participation Where Applicable
The process may vary depending on the area applied for, programme needs and the volunteer’s suitability.
Apply to Become a Volunteer
After completing your website membership, you can fill in the Volunteer Application Form with complete and up-to-date information.
Open the Volunteer Application Form