Volunteering — a Matter of Honour

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Germany has a very lively club culture. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, 28.8 million people in Germany dedicate their free time to the common good — around 40 per cent of the population aged 14 and over. “A particularly large number — 13.5 per cent of the population — volunteer in the field of sport and exercise.”⁽¹⁾
In our federal state, too, sport would be barely conceivable without volunteers. The Landessportbund Mecklenburg-Vorpommern reports thousands of volunteers active in around 2,000 sports clubs. “They take on responsibility on boards, coach sports groups of all ages as instructors and trainers, and ensure fair competition as judges and referees. According to the sports development report of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, of the more than 250,000 sports club members in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 11,300 are currently involved at board level and in other functions, and 22,400 as instructors, trainers, judges and referees.”⁽²⁾ You can get involved on a permanent basis as an instructor, or selectively when an event is being organised — such as our annual Divers Day.
But why does volunteering matter so much to so many people? And does society recognise their commitment sufficiently? The motives are of course manifold: maintaining contacts, passing on one’s own knowledge and experience, helping to shape one’s social environment, the desire to take on responsibility, to develop further, or even to benefit professionally from volunteering. Often enough, volunteers themselves grew up in families in which their parents and relatives were active. From childhood they experienced that volunteering creates community. The volunteer team of our Divers Day is the best example of this. 
How can the time and energy invested be adequately recognised? A shared thank-you evening, a club trip or an expense allowance have long ceased to be the only ways to show appreciation. The Hanseatic and University City of Rostock offers the Ehrenamts-Card, which includes discounts on admission to events run by the listed partner companies and clubs. The respective club applies for this card for its volunteers. The requirements can be found on the website of Rostock’s city hall. The dedicated volunteer department can also be reached by phone on (0381) 381-1609. The Rostock Ehrenamts-Card is valid for three years. 
The State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has established its own state-wide volunteer card. The conditions and benefits differ slightly from the city card — for example, volunteers can apply for it or renew it directly online themselves. Information about this card is available from the Ehrenamtsstiftung of the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and at www.ehrenamtskarte-mv.de .
By the way, if you already hold such a volunteer card, you will also receive a discount on the admission price to the competitions of the International Divers Day in Rostock.
Ilona Jerjomin

(1)    https://www.bmi.bund.de/DE/themen/heimat-integration/buergerschaftliches-engagement/deine-gesellschaft-zaehlt/deine-gesellschaft-zaehlt-node.html
(2)    https://www.sportehrenamt-mv.de/sportehrenamt/