Ehrenamt or Freiwilligenarbeit? The words explained simply
If you want to help in Austria, you will soon meet several words for almost the same thing. What they share: you help voluntarily, without pay, for people outside your own household.
Ehrenamt
Ehrenamt usually means a fixed role that you take on regularly and for a certain time – often in an association or institution. Typical examples are elected or assigned roles, for instance on an association's board or in a volunteer fire brigade.
Freiwilligenarbeit
Freiwilligenarbeit (volunteering) is the wider term. It covers any unpaid, voluntary help: helping once at a collection, studying with children every week or helping a neighbour with her shopping.
Formal and informal
- Formal volunteering goes through an organisation, such as the Red Cross or Caritas.
- Informal help happens privately, for example in your neighbourhood.
Many people do both.
What does this mean for you?
When you start, the word does not matter. What matters is what fits your time and your interests. That is exactly what Voluntino helps with: four questions, three suggestions.