VOLUNTEERING INFRASTRUCTURE

1. VOLUNTEERING INFRASTRUCTURECONCEPT DEFINITIONVolunteering in Cyprus reflects a mixture of historic path-dependenttraditions, legacies, norms and characteristics of the “modern” anddeveloped Cypriot society. Volunteering has developed under various forms,norms and perceptions which still interact in a dynamic way to shape thevolunteering landscape in Cyprus. Voluntary activity encompasses a diversearray of informal and formal activities undertaken by individuals, groups ororganisational structures. The legal framework on volunteering in Cyprusalso reflects the strategic concerns and decisions of the Republic of Cyprus,as well as the constitutional rights and liberties of a democratic context.Structurally, the Cypriot non-governmental, non-profit context presentsa rich landscape of organised structures composed of coordinativecouncils, associations, organisations, foundations, networks, federations,confederations, community councils and centres, which serve differentpurposes and tasks in various policy domains. Outside the boundaries ofthe volunteering structure, key stakeholders of the Cypriot society promoteand support volunteering, have specific “for-volunteering” objectives anddevelop collaboration projects with volunteers and voluntary associations inthe implementation of their policies and programmes.In relation to funding opportunities in Cyprus, the Grants-in-Aid andFinancial Support Schemes form the main funding mechanism for voluntaryorganisations. These schemes provide financial support to voluntaryorganisations in order to meet specific national targets and needs andusually cover the expenses of projects or the operational expenses ofprogrammes and organisations. Although state funding provides anenabling environment for volunteering, a number of limitations andnegative outcomes can be observed, which will be discussed later in thischapter.The lack and scarcity of research on the voluntary sector also producesbarriers to building a truly enabling environment for volunteering. Thereis no regular or systematic research on basic volunteering dimensions or itscontributions to the society and the economy.79 Volunteering infrastructure in Europe 6 Cyprus