Volunteer Orientation – Serve the City Brussels

Welcome to our Online Volunteer Orientation!

Thank you for signing up to be part of our team of volunteers!

This orientation course will take approximately 20 minutes. Once you have completed the guide, you will be armed with everything you need to become a Serve the City volunteer!

But first, let’s get the admin part behind us…

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

If applicable, use the same email address than with your ServeNow account.

Mobile Phone(Required)

Birth date(Required)

For insurance reason

A bit about us

Serve the City is a global movement of volunteers showing kindness and providing support to people in need in cities around the world.

We are a non-profit organisation
We connect volunteers to people in need to build communities that support each other
We empower local charities

It’s about everybody volunteering!

History

Serve the City started in Brussels in 2005 with a Big Volunteer Week.
It grew from a single event to monthly and weekly serving opportunities.
The movement expanded to over 50 cities around the globe, which led to the creation of Serve the City International, of which STC Belgium is a member.
In Belgium, Serve the City is active in Brussels and Leuven and starting in Wavre.

Funding

Serve the City’s funding comes from various sources. Here is an overview of the different revenue sources that we have.

Private & Corporate Donations

Donations from both individuals and corporations are Serve the City’s main source of financial support. Thanks to this support, we can create projects that provide regular services to beneficiaries all over Brussels, addressing their most basic needs.

As we are a recognised non-profit, donations of 40 € or more per year are tax deductible up to 45%.

Grants & Subsidies

Some of our projects and initiatives have received the support of foundations such as the UPS Foundation, the Toyota Mobility Foundation, the Z Zurich Foundation and the King Baudouin Foundation. We have also received support from FeBi.

More information can be found in our annual report.

Corporate Volunteering

Our team building events are a great opportunity for corporate teams to build relationships while catering for the needs of the most vulnerable in our community. Would you like to support our projects while working your team skills? Our team buildings are for you! Contact: csr@servethecity.be

European Solidarity Corps

Serve the City Belgium is part of the European Solidarity Corps program. Volunteers from across Europe can join our projects and explore Brussels while making a difference in the local community!

Fundraisers

From pub quizzes to book sales, we organise regular fundraisers to support one or more of our projects. Check our website for active fundraisers and fundraising events!

European Solidarity Corps

Serve the City Belgium is part of the European Solidarity Corps program. Volunteers from across Europe can join our projects and explore Brussels while making a difference in the local community!

Fundraisers

From pub quizzes to book sales, we organise regular fundraisers to support one or more of our projects. Check our website for active fundraisers and fundraising events!

STC in the World

As mentioned earlier, Serve the City spread to over 50 cities around the world. Here are a few cities where Serve the City is active:

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Berlin, Germany
Brussels, Belgium
Coimbra, Portugal
Cork, Ireland
Detroit, USA
Dublin, Ireland
Galway, Ireland
Geneva, Switzerland
Hannover, Germany
Krakow, Poland
Leuven, Belgium
Limerick, Ireland
Lisbon, Portugal
Luxembourg-Ville, Luxembourg
Maastricht, Netherlands
Oeiras, Portugal
Paris, France
Peninsula, USA
Port au Prince, Haiti
Porto, Portugal
Pristina, Kosovo
Rotterdam, Netherlands
South Jersey, USA
Tilburg, Netherlands
Utrecht, Netherlands
Wavre, Belgium

For more information about Serve the City around the world, check Serve the City International’s website: servethecity.net

Cross the Line

We are all familiar with areas of the city that we just don’t go to. These are areas that we consider to be dirty, dangerous, or frequented by ‘undesirable’ types of people… These invisible lines in our cities reflect the social and ethnic inequalities, separating the rich from the poor, the privileged from the underprivileged…

As long as we don’t cross these lines either way, the gaps between communities grow bigger. Spatial segregation can lead to prejudice, misunderstanding and sometimes even social unrest. What if you were to consider that the people living in these areas are people with the same needs and emotions as you?

Think about the areas that you know. Where are the lines in your city?

Serve the City builds communities of volunteers who cross the line!

We accompany volunteers on projects that aim to erase these lines, to create communities that get to know and help each other. At Serve the City we believe that many people doing small things together can make a big difference.

Are you prepared to cross the line in your city alongside other volunteers to help make a difference?

Who we serve

Documentary Photography by Daniel Osorio (Dani Oshi). Brussels, Belgium, 2014

The homeless

An estimated 6000 people are currently homeless in Brussels. They are either in temporary shelters for the homeless, in squats or sleeping rough on the city’s streets. With no shelter, they also have no access to food, electricity or running water.
Our projects not only help to provide the homeless with clothing and blankets, hot drinks and nourishing meals. We also provide a smile, conversation and a listening ear.

Asylum seekers & refugees

Every year, thousands of refugees come to Belgium to seek international protection. Among them men, women, families and, increasingly, unaccompanied minors. The asylum procedure can be lengthy, and during this period many experience stress, loneliness, integration issues and psychological trauma. Others fall between the gaps in the system, and also experience hunger and homelessness.
Serve the City seek to alleviate the daily pressures of refugees and asylum seekers in Brussels (including trans-migrants) through social exchange projects with volunteers, games, language learning and food outreach.

The elderly

For many, growing old in urban areas means diminished social contact with friends and family. In Brussels, hundreds of over 65’s find themselves in care homes far from their loved ones. Others, who are more independent, live alone, and the day can pass by with no one to talk to.
Serve the City projects aim to bring joy to Brussels‘elderly, not only through games, music and social contact but also by lending a helping hand to the centres that care for them on a daily basis.

Persons with disabilities

People with physical and intellectual disabilities are often excluded from the full experience of cities. They face barriers in terms of social participation and mobility, yet their basic needs are just the same as other citizens’ – to stay well, to be active, to have meaningful relationships with others, and to be part of the community.
Serve the City supports organisations working with persons with intellectual disabilities through companionship and social support activities. This includes social exchange with volunteers, playing games, assisting residents with group activities and accompanying individuals on walks/ outdoors.

Victims of abuse

Their needs are urgent, but victims of abuse are often hidden. The vast majority of victims of abuse in Brussels are women who are in need of practical solutions to help them break away from the cycle of violence and trauma that they are experiencing on a daily basis. Various organisations in Brussels specialise in key areas to provide psychosocial care for victims, accommodating them in safe places.
Serve the City works closely with professional organisations and centers that provide refuge for women and children who have been trafficked or abused, and who are in need of urgent shelter and care. Actions are aimed at response, information and awareness raising, building victims’ skills set, and general moral support.

Children in need

Various organizations and institutions in Brussels work hard to improve the lives of children in need to offer them a better future. There are children from broken homes, under-privileged families, or children who are left all alone and live in centers. Brussels is also seeing a rise in the number of unaccompanied minors from migrant backgrounds who are on the streets and therefore extremely vulnerable.
Serve the City works alongside several institutions in Brussels to help children in need with homework, language, social integration and play, to give them a brighter home.

Persons with disabilities

People with physical and intellectual disabilities are often excluded from the full experience of cities. They face barriers in terms of social participation and mobility, yet their basic needs are just the same as other citizens’ – to stay well, to be active, to have meaningful relationships with others, and to be part of the community.
Serve the City supports organisations working with persons with intellectual disabilities through companionship and social support activities. This includes social exchange with volunteers, playing games, assisting residents with group activities and accompanying individuals on walks/ outdoors.

Victims of abuse

Their needs are urgent, but victims of abuse are often hidden. The vast majority of victims of abuse in Brussels are women who are in need of practical solutions to help them break away from the cycle of violence and trauma that they are experiencing on a daily basis. Various organisations in Brussels specialise in key areas to provide psychosocial care for victims, accommodating them in safe places.
Serve the City works closely with professional organisations and centers that provide refuge for women and children who have been trafficked or abused, and who are in need of urgent shelter and care. Actions are aimed at response, information and awareness raising, building victims’ skills set, and general moral support.

Children in need

Various organizations and institutions in Brussels work hard to improve the lives of children in need to offer them a better future. There are children from broken homes, under-privileged families, or children who are left all alone and live in centers. Brussels is also seeing a rise in the number of unaccompanied minors from migrant backgrounds who are on the streets and therefore extremely vulnerable.
Serve the City works alongside several institutions in Brussels to help children in need with homework, language, social integration and play, to give them a brighter home.

…And the environment

As well as serving people in need, projects at Serve the City also target the environment. These projects are about sustainability, the circular economy, and raising awareness to environmental issues and good practices amongst our communities.

We are a values-based movement

Serve the City is a VALUES IN ACTION movement. It’s our magic formula! When volunteers put values into action, projects run smoothly (well, more or less!), and prejudices and other perceived barriers disappear. Volunteers show respect and understanding for those they are serving, as well as for their fellow volunteers.

We ask our volunteers to serve with these six values in mind:

HUMILITY > Listening to others, and putting yourself on the same level
COMPASSION > Wanting to help others
RESPECT > Showing consideration for someone’s feelings, wishes, or rights
COURAGE > Not being afraid to help others
LOVE > Welcoming, and showing emotion and affection for others
HOPE > Encouraging others with the belief that positive outcomes are always possible

With values in action, volunteering projects become transformational and not transactional.

… You’re not just handing a sandwich to someone on the street and walking off.
You’re taking the time to listen to them, and showing them that they matter.

Transforming relations between people who would ordinarily be on opposite sides of a line, changes people’s view of themselves as well as the Other

… You’re not just painting a wall in a shabby shelter for the homeless.
You’re making a home for someone who doesn’t have a home.

Transforming the environment in which someone lives or works can also change their perception of what they hope and accomplish

… You’re not just planting flowers and trees in the local community garden, you’re transferring knowledge and creating a pleasant environment for all

Bringing the importance of our environment to communities helps to transform mindsets, making us aware of the impact that we all have, and that this is a shared concern

With values in action, volunteers build communities. They get to know both those they serve, and those who serve alongside them. Volunteering is about cultivating that feeling of belonging, so that needs are served for all those involved. Its about cultivating a secure environment with warmth, support and a listening ear…

We know them by their needs, what if we knew them by name?

Serve the City offers different activities for volunteers to join as individuals. Even if you are a group, you need to register individually for the project shift.

Volunteers MUST BE OVER 16 YEARS OLD. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult aged 21+ years old.

Are you volunteering on behalf of a company or organisation? Contact us to hear about our corporate volunteering offer.

Our main volunteering opportunities:

Weekly projects

Join one of more than 40 weekly volunteering opportunities in Brussels! Information about our projects is available in our website and in our app ServeNow.

Volunteering events
and open days

We organise regular monthly and annual volunteering events that are open to all! No need to do an information session, just sign up on our app ServeNow, and come along!

Internship &
Volunteering Programme

It gets incredibly busy at times at Serve the City, and we need all the help we can get! Would you like to join our team for a period of 3 months or more? We have positions in communication, project coordination, event organisation and much more!
Interested? Get in touch.

ServeNow

We use our app ServeNow to volunteer. If you don’t have it yet, follow the steps below to get started. If you have it and have activated your account, skip directly to STEP 5!

Step 1

Download

Step 2

Select Belgium as a region and create an account.

Step 3

Activate your account

Check your mailbox (and spam)

Step 4

Log in to your account

Step 5

Check out the Volunteer tab to see our projects

Step 6

Choose a project

Be sure to check the project requirements.
You may be asked to send specific documents.

Step 7

Contact the project leaders if required

Some projects require you to contact the project leaders in order to access the shifts.
All our project leaders are volunteers. Please allow them time to answer your request to join as they also have a day job 🙂

Step 8

Choose a shift and register

That’s it! You are all set for your first volunteer shift!

Need to cancel?

If you do need to cancel, please try cancel your shift in the app as far in advance as possible so that another volunteer can take up your spot.

Cancelling your shift at the last minute puts more pressure on the team as they will have one less volunteer.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm under 16. Can I volunteer with you?

All Serve the City volunteers under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

Am I insured?

All volunteers are insured on site. For more information on our insurance policy please see here.

We would like to volunteer as part of our company. Can we?

If you would like to know more about our corporate volunteering opportunities and services, please contact us here.

More questions? Check our full FAQ here.

Thank you

Thank you for taking part in this orientation module! You are now at the final step and almost ready to volunteer!

Don’t hesitate to check our FAQ or contact us for any questions.

Stay up to date by signing up to our newsletter and following us on social media.

Final steps

Module(Required)

I confirm that I have read through this module carefully and that I understand its content.

Volunteer Agreement(Required)

I have read and agree to the Volunteer Agreement, including Section 5: Volunteer Code of Conduct.

Privacy Policy(Required)

I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy and authorise Serve the City to store my information securely.

Newsletter

I would like to receive news from Serve the City.