FAQ
Program
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In 2006 Ladislav Kossár bought a bracelet from some children living in a children’s home for one thousand crowns (about 30€). He wanted to help them more, so they suggested he find a way for them to spend time away from the children’s home.
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First he organised sessions teaching children life skills, so they could find work and accommodation. Soon, though, he and the team realised that the most valuable thing children needed was for someone to give them their time, one-to-one. They realised that to fulfil a child’s individual needs on their journey to independence, a relationship based on trust, individual attention and long-term support was essential.
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The BUDDY program gives children one of the most valuable resources in life: time. When children spend their free time with their volunteer, they can build a relationship based on trust. BUDDY is about this trusting relationship, which heals and is essential on anyone’s journey to independence. The BUDDY volunteer “teaches” children who have grown up in extremely difficult circumstances and who have experienced various traumas to trust adults and themselves once again. Without trust, genuine acceptance, and continuous support and help developing life skills, it is very difficult for them to integrate into society.
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At children’s centres, even the most caring staff are paid for their work. But every child deserves attention and a relationship which is voluntary and based on friendship. This is where the BUDDY volunteer comes in.
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Ideally, all children should grow up in families – that’s why we provide support to those children who, for various reasons, cannot live with their families. BUDDY steps in to complement the foster care system for children and young people.
- We want every child not growing up with their own family to have at least one person they can trust, and for them to lead an independent life with dignity. Because none of us would make it alone without the support of our family and friends.
- We create and continuously support safe relationships between children and volunteers who regularly, voluntarily and over many years give one child their free time and help them expand their potential.
- The program currently operates across all of Slovakia.
- We are currently caring for more than 100 BUDDY pairs, and we have already found a BUDDY volunteer for more than 200 children all over the country.
From receiving the first application to organising a matching meeting with a child takes approximately six months. Initial training for the volunteers is part of this process. At present, we are only accepting applications from Slovak-speaking candidates in Slovakia. To apply in Slovak, please visit here
- Children’s safety and protection is the number one priority for the BUDDY program. Just as carers at centres for children and families have to pass a rigorous selection process so they can work with children, our volunteers also have to pass a demanding selection process so they can start building a safe relationship with the child. Although this type of volunteering doesn’t require a specific education or profession – it looks for stable, patient, empathetic, responsible, flexible adults who can give their time regularly over many years. They have to be ready to guide and act as role models for children with a rather difficult past who need to have a safe adult by their side.
- We offer the volunteers extensive training and workshops focused on child development and on understanding the child’s needs, as well as on their own self-development. At the same time, our expert team of coordinator-psychologists meet with the volunteers on a regular basis and provide them with individual support and guidance. We believe that the volunteers who pass our selection process have what it takes to build a trusting relationship with the child.
- To read about our founder Ladislav Kossar’s motivation, visit here
- The BUDDY program was created by us – it was founded in 2006 by Ladislav Kossár (to read more about Ladislav, visit www.tvojbuddy.sk/en/ladislav-kossar) and his sister, co-founder Lucia Kossárová (to read more about Lucia, visit www.tvojbuddy.sk/en/lucia-kossarova). Together with the team, they have been developing the program for over 14 years. It took eight years to create a model that would complement already-existing organisations, and most importantly would help children growing up in Slovak institutions. BUDDY currently focuses on children aged 12+ who for various reasons are not placed in families and so grow up in groups with other children. We learn and get inspiration from other organisations, including the many mentoring programs around the world. Our program is unique because it works with socially disadvantaged children from the institutional care system, engages with them long-term over many years, and uses a safe trusting relationship as the means for their further development. So rather than “mentoring”, we refer to our model as “buddying”.
Program impact
- We use standardised questionnaires from the USA, developed by Applied Research Consulting (ARC) and University of Pennsylvania, to ask both children and volunteers about a number of aspects concerning their relationship. These answers help us evaluate the quality of a particular relationship, what works and what needs strengthening. At the same time, the quality of each relationship is evaluated by our coordinator-psychologists, as well as the centres for children and families.
- “For the mentoring relationship to have a positive effect on children and young people, they need to be strong and long-lasting. Satisfaction in the relationship is a key indicator of how well the program is meeting children’s needs. If the match is good, the frequency of meetings goes up and so does the probability that the match will last and have a positive effect on the child.” (Applied Research Consulting - ARC). Results of the independent evaluation carried out by ARC in 2019 confirmed that the BUDDY program creates and maintains strong relationships, which then enable the child’s development.
- We know that these children mainly need love, attention, support, safety and certainty, trust, acceptance and stability. At the same time, they need a friend. They need to strengthen their self-esteem and self-confidence. They need help with emotional regulation, motivation, their addictions, or with learning to be reliable and independent. They also need help with financial literacy, finishing school and finding accommodation and a job.
- It’s a lot. But the children’s answers to our yearly questionnaires indicate that BUDDY works: children in the program don’t feel alone and have somebody who they can trust, somebody who will help them with anything in life. They are more resilient and self-confident, and have their own personal accomplishments – in their personal relationships, in their trust in themselves and others, in the positive changes in their behaviour or at school. Many children have said that since having a BUDDY volunteer, everything in their life has changed.
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The safety and protection of children, as well as preventing the relationship breaking down, is our priority. In order to achieve this, we take multiple steps – high quality selection, training, individual care, supervision and systematic monitoring of quality, and impact of the relationships from the point of view of the child, the volunteer, our team and the centre employees. That is why our selection process takes 3 to 6 months, during which we verify that volunteers are motivated and suitable for this type of volunteering. At the same time, we organise continuous training and development activities for our team, as well as our volunteers. Coordinators provide regular psychological support and care for all pairs, and are in regular contact with children and centres. If there were a need to stop working with one of our volunteers or for any reason to end a BUDDY relationship prematurely, we would prepare the child for the end of the relationship, in order not to cause them any harm.
- Yes, overall, we have changed the lives of over 200 children (and their volunteers’). The BUDDY pairs spend on average 7 to 10 years in the program. Each year, the program supports around 30 young adults aged 18 to 25. Around half of them are young adults who have already left the centres to lead an independent life, and the other half are taking advantage of the possibility of staying in their centre in the housing offered for young adults. Of those young people who have left the centres, 90-100% have been able to find housing, and 90% have either found work or are studying (which is also a success) or are on maternity leave. It appears that young people who remain in the program are gradually managing to successfully integrate into society.
- Our goal is for the children to become more independent and resilient. We use a licensed, evidence-based tool, The Outcome StarTM, to support and measure change in children’s lives, so we can help them on their journey to independence and resilience in key areas of their lives: health, how they feel, decision-making and behaviour, people and support (relationships), money and rent, accommodation, work and education, and practical life skills. Children move from a point where they don’t even realise they have a problem to accepting help or advice, then slowly on to a position where they can manage difficult situations with help and, ultimately, on their own. This is how it works for all of us in our lives, although we don’t use a specific tool. It is likely that we will always find some areas more challenging that others, but the goal is that we continuously move forward and cope with various life situations with more ease and independence.
BUDDY and child
- Yes, every child in the program has one volunteer. It is a one-to-one relationship.
- No, the volunteer cannot choose, although they always have a chance to express their opinion and preferences about the proposed match. After completing the selection process and initial training, our team of professionals manage the whole matching process with a particular child, in a particular centre at a given time. Our coordinator-psychologists know the children and their needs, life stories and hobbies, and use this as a basis to find the right volunteer for each child. To the extent possible, they take into account the personality and preferences of the volunteer, as well as the child’s. The volunteer has to live or work near the child’s place of residence or school. The pairs are always of the same gender, and there has to be at least a 10-year age difference between the volunteer and the child.
- Yes
- Usually once a week.
- We need them to meet regularly every week at least for a few hours (usually two to four hours), especially during their first one to two years, until a trusting bond is created.
- Yes, they can, but first they have to discuss it with the coordinator and the centre.
- Yes, they can, but first they have to discuss it with the coordinator and the centre.
- Yes, it is probably one of the most demanding types of volunteering. It is a long-term commitment – we require at least three years from the volunteer but ideally the volunteer will stand by the child during their entire life. The intensity of support and care for the child will naturally change over time. That is why the selection process takes longer: so that we have the opportunity to find out if the prospective volunteer has the right motivation, personality and ability to become a BUDDY volunteer, and also so that the prospective volunteer has time to think through whether they can commit to the child and the program. We search for volunteers who are empathetic, patient and responsible. Our priority is not to let down the child, who has had a very challenging childhood with multiple traumatic experiences, and for the volunteer to become a stable rock in the child’s life.
BUDDY support
- Individuals, firms and foundations.
- We have donors who support us monthly or yearly. In order for us to take care of the children regularly every month over many years, monthly and long-term donations are most welcome.
- Yes, we get regular donations from successful entrepreneurs. We receive €100, €200, even €1000 donations on a regular basis.
- Yes, we are grateful for all help. Every drop in the ocean counts.
- Directly by bank transfer, just identify the donation as “Donation BUDDY” and provide the donor’s name.
- You can donate through our page, please visit here: https://tvojbuddy.sk/en/finance
- Yes, you can, as a non-taxable amount. As a firm you can donate once a month or once a year.
- You can donate through our page: https://tvojbuddy.sk/en/finance or https://tvojbuddy.sk/en/2-percent
- Yes, you can. There are various ways. We will be very grateful.
- Please feel free to contact us with your ideas and we will see how we can help you in your efforts (e.g. with marketing materials).
- There are many organisations that are great at what they do. It is important you trust the organisation you decide to support. Most of our donors join us on our path because they trust the founders, our expert BUDDY team, our way of working and quality of work, and our values, vision and mission. They understand that none of us would make it alone in this world. They also understand that caring for a child is a long-term commitment and that the most valuable thing we can give to all children is love and attention, and therefore our time.
- Yes, we have donors who provide us with services our organisation needs. For example, we have donors who give us pro bono legal services, print services or their employees’ time to help prepare and organise events. We have donors who provide us with event venues or catering. Please contact us if you are interested in collaborating.
- Yes, you can. We would discuss with you and our team the type of volunteer work, how often and what expertise you can provide so it is aligned with the goals of the organisation. Please contact us if you are interested in collaborating.
Finance
- Civic association PRO VIDA.
- We are a non-profit organisation that supports children and adults. A significant portion of our expenses are staff costs. Another significant component are campaign expenses for finding volunteers and nurturing donors, including raising new revenue. We predominantly invest our supporters’ donations in high quality professionals in psychology, management and marketing, to ensure we are able to create and maintain the unique BUDDY relationships for children.
- No. Volunteers have their normal employment outside the BUDDY program. Spending time with the child is done voluntarily, without any financial reward.
- Yes, we can. Volunteers can give us 3% of their taxes. For more information visit here
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Financial management takes place at three levels:
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The board of directors of the civic association
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The accountants of the civic association
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An independent professional firm of auditors – KPMG, a renowned consulting company which carries out an audit pro bono.
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- So far, we do not receive regular government funding except occasional grants – we work with the state as we are collaborating with centres for children and families, which are usually publicly funded. We collaborate with them as we provide support to children placed in these institutions.
Prevention is better than cure, as Erasmus may have once said. It is also cheaper. The sooner we can get help to the people who need it, the higher the positive impact on their lives and on society as well. (For example, prevention vs. treatment for an addiction, for cancer or for any other illness). Also, evidence from the Nobel prize winner James Heckman and his colleagues suggests that society benefits from early and targeted interventions to disadvantaged children. So programs that get involved and help vulnerable children early on also have the potential to have the highest positive impact compared to programs which focus on working with people who are already without a home or have serious addictions. The BUDDY program works with children aged 12 to 16, during which time it has a significant impact on their lives. Organisations offering mentoring programs similar to BUDDY, such as Big Brother Big Sister in the USA or Balu & Du in Germany, have calculated the social return on investment and found that for every euro that is invested in such a program, there is a return of between 4 and 18 euros (For details see report here. Our own calculations fall into the same range of return. A trusting relationship between the BUDDY child and their volunteer has a significant impact on the ability of the vulnerable young person to find work and housing, and to build healthy relationships rather than depend on social benefits. It also has an impact on future generations, as the children of BUDDY children are less likely to end up in institutional care again.
Organizational
- We are based in Bratislava. Our registered address is at Strážna 11 and our offices are at Štúrova 3.
- Currently around 20. Some of them work part-time.