Styrian volunteering

App for volunteers to facilitate coordination

Presentation of the new app (from left): Leopold Neuhold (Professor of Ethics), Sandra Höbel (Managing Director of Land Development Styria), Provincial Councillor Simone Schmiedtbauer (ÖVP) and Tanja Venier (Project Manager Land Development Styria).(Bild: Land Steiermark/Binder)

Styrian volunteers increasingly want to get involved at short notice and without obligation. To jump on this trend, the Zeit-Hilfs-Netz Steiermark is launching an app on the market. The central hub for all initiatives will be available from March 2025.

Which volunteer work interests me? And where can I help out spontaneously? An app will answer these questions in Styria in the future. "The Zeit-Hilfs-App brings people, needs and help together," explains Leopold Neuhold, ethicist at the University of Graz.

Volunteers demand more flexibility
560,000 Styrians are currently involved in voluntary work - for example in associations or emergency organizations. However, not all of them want to be tied to an association; the trend is much more towards spontaneous and project-related commitment. The newly created app from the Province of Styria and Landentwicklung is therefore in tune with the spirit of the times.

App even offers insurance cover
It will be available to everyone from March 2025, including real-time notifications and direct communication options. Volunteers will also be covered by accident and liability insurance via the app. "It is impossible to put a monetary value on the wide range of services provided by thousands of volunteers every day. They deserve the best framework conditions for this - from easy accessibility and communication to reliable insurance cover," says Provincial Councillor Simone Schmiedtbauer (ÖVP).