FISU President Meets Belgrade Volunteers
October 15th, 2008
FISU President Killian speaks to a number of candidate-volunteers
Since, October 12th, members of the FISU staff are travelling to Belgrade, Serbia to prepare the FISU Executive Committee meeting which will take place from October 17th to 18th. Today, October 15th, FISU President George Killian and FISU Secretary-General Eric Saintrond visited the Volunteer Recruitment Centre in the Sava Shopping and Business Centre in Belgrade.
The FISU delegates assisted an info-session for newly recruited volunteers. At the end Mr. Killian addressed the candidate-volunteers. ‘You have a very important task’, the FISU President told them. ‘Because people from all over the world will remember you as the first experience they had with Belgrade and Serbia. You are also vital to the Universiade because without volunteers there are no games. I thank you for offering FISU your free time and wish you good luck with the program.’
‘I Love to Volunteer’
The Belgrade 2009 Volunteer Program ‘I Love to Volunteer’ is run by Damir Stanjer, Head for Recruitment and Natasja Jankovic, Head for Training and Education. ‘The program is directed mainly at students between 18 and 26 years but everybody is welcome’, Damir told FISU Media. The preparatory recruitment work started on January 1st, 2008 and since July 1st a separate department was created. Since October 1st, at the start of the new academic year in Serbia, the recruitment campaign is going full throttle. ‘Every day 300 to 400 volunteers sign up for the Games and so far we have registered 3,550 volunteers we can count on’, Damir said.
Damir Stanjer and Natasje Jankovic show a flag with the new logo for Volunteer Recruitment
‘We want to reach the 10,000 mark’, added Natasja. ‘We are looking for well educated team players who are responsible, like sports and are willing to give us some of their free time. Of course we are also looking for specific skills, such as knowledge of foreign languages and IT for instance. The outcome is quite positive. After the recruitment at the Universities the candidate-volunteers come here for an information session were they see a film about FISU and afterwards they have a talk with a recruiter. So far nobody walked away, so it’s a 100% return, which is fantastic.’
The Volunteers Department is working on a benefit program for the volunteers in collaboration with the city of Belgrade, such as free entrance in swimming pools and other sports venues. And Alfa University, the oldest private university of the city gives ECTS credits to its students who volunteer for the Belgrade Universiade, so does some faculties of the University of Belgrade.
Damir Stanjer meets with FISU Director of Education, Kole Gjeloshaj, FISU President Killian and FISU SG Eric Saintrond
The candidate-volunteers are being informed
FISU President Killian listens attentively to the presentation of the volunteer program
A final interview with a recruitment officer
