You're reading: Ukraine needs thousands of volunteers for Euro 2012

If Ukraine wants to impress when it co-hosts the Euro 2012 soccer championship with Poland next year, it’ll take a form of civic engagement that has not yet caught on – volunteering.

With hundreds of thousands of fans expected to flood Ukraine, organizers will rely on nearly 12,000 volunteers to help the tournament run smoothly by helping visitors find their way, assisting journalists and supporting police and medical workers.

Organizers say it is these helpers that will decide whether the tournament is considered a success by fans, even more so than the expensive stadium and road-building projects.

“You can have great roads and stadiums but Europeans are used to this,” said Mykola Vorobiov, coordinator of the volunteers2012.org.ua information portal. “ If we don’t have professional human resources such as volunteers there’s no value in this entire modern infrastructure.”

Unlike in the West, volunteering is not a common practice in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Philanthropists Forum said that one in five European Union citizens volunteer whereas in Ukraine organized volunteering is at an immeasurably low level.

But organizers hope Euro 2012 will help to change that.

“The tournament is a chance to change the mindset of people and give them an understanding of volunteering as an integral part of society,” said Mariya Chubata, senior manager of the Lviv Euro 2012 Agency.

The desire to represent Ukraine as a volunteer appears high. In its first month of accepting applications, Kyiv, one of the eight host cities, more than 3,000 applicants registered, two-thirds of which were women, and 85 percent were students.

Kyiv is looking to recruit 6,000 volunteers. Lviv, another host city, is looking to engage nearly 1,000 volunteers.

The Union of European Football Federations wants to recruit some 2,500 volunteers for each country in addition to the host city volunteers to help with organizing corporate hospitality, logistics and media. It expects to receive up to five or six applications for every availalbe job, according to Andriy Bantser, UEFA’s volunteer manager in Ukraine.

Chubata cited the more than 2,000 non–profit organizations active in the city as well as the high number of educational institutes from where she expects volunteers.

“We have a young and vibrant city,” said Chubata.

With such a large influx of people expected – 1.4 million visitors – hospitality and interpersonal skills will be paramount.

“Volunteers are most likely one of the first people Euro 2012 visitors will meet after passing through passport and customs control,” said Vorobiov.

Volunteers will be strategically stationed at airports and train stations to help visitors find their way. They’ll be located near stadia, fan zones and fan embaassies to assist the media and fans. Others will support police and medical personnel.

Being the face of Ukraine is a demanding task, especially for a nation with a low level of organized volunteering.

But according to Vorobiov’s information portal, 90 percent of the 2,000 registered users on the site stated they have no prior experience.

“As you could see, young people without prior experience are interested,” he said. “They want to see the championship from the inside and we must give young people from across Ukraine this chance.”

Vorobiov hopes Euro 2012 will serve as just the beginning of widespread volunteering in Ukraine.

“We don’t want to stop with Euro 2012. Volunteering is a social part of life and the championship is only the catalyst for volunteers in all of Ukraine,” he said.

Kyiv is already accepting online applications at: http://www.city-kyiv.com.ua/uefaeuro2012/volunteers/registration

UEFA will start accepting applications in June at http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro2012/volunteers/index.html.

Host city/institution

Number of expected volunteers

Union of European Football Associations

5,000 (2,500 in each host country)

Kyiv

6,000

Donetsk

3,000

Kharkiv

1,500

Warsaw

1,200

Lviv

1,000

Gdansk

600

Poznan

600

Wroclaw

600

Source: www.ukraine2012.gov.ua

Kyiv Post staff writer Mark Rachkevych can be reached at [email protected].