Voluntary social year

The voluntary social year ( FSJ ) is a social voluntary service in Germany and Austria have for teenagers and young adults that meets the full-time obligation and not yet reached the age of 27. In the Evangelical Church is also known as Diaconal year. The legal framework for the FSJ in Germany are regulated by the Youth Volunteer Service Act ( JFDG ).

History

The roots of the voluntary social year is set out in the Protestant and Catholic Churches. Dietzfelbinger Hermann, Head of Diakonissenanstalt Neuendettelsau and later Bishop of Bavaria, called 1954, in the hundredth year of the Diakoniewerkes for volunteers Diakonischen year. This call was aimed at young women who would voluntarily provide a service to the sick and needing care without becoming deaconesses: " You young, healthy people from age of 18, give one years of your life to the service of it ... you! lives not just from earning. You will have your livelihood and pocket money, from which one can live well. Even people waiting on you who want to take you into a community of life from the Word of thanks and praise. "

Gertrud Rückert, initiated in 1962, also in Bavaria, for the Augustinum the " Philadelphian service ". So she wanted a voluntary social year offer high school graduates before studying the possibility of personal and professional orientation. At that time an entirely new concept and a predecessor of the later nationwide statutory voluntary social year. For their social commitment Rückert was awarded the 2003 Bavarian Order of Merit.

Both large churches brought then in cooperation with the Federal Family Minister Bruno Heck the legislative initiative for the voluntary social year on the road and it was signed in 1964 by the Bundestag.

Carrier, mounting position and FSJler

The voluntary social year is performed by a licensed carrier. Open to charities, religious organizations and federal, state and local governments. Other carriers may be authorized. The carrier represents the work site ready, in which the volunteer is making its service. Examples see areas and facilities. Under the umbrella of a carrier many job sites are often coordinated and the media have been included in addition to the place of use in educational, organizational and particular law.

Basis of voluntary social year is to be concluded before the start of the service agreement in writing between the carrier and the volunteers. At The agreement may also use body may be involved if the work site that takes money and in kind for accommodation, food, work clothes and spending money on their own account.

The financing of the support payments and the point of use to the support for the mediation or support of the volunteers are not covered by the agreement, but regulated separately.

Working hours and remuneration

The working time of the service depends on the conditions of the work site, however, is limited by the hours per week arrangements agreed in public tariffs. In general, there are approximately 39 hours per week.

The financial compensation ( "pocket money", catering, accommodation, travel expenses ) varies greatly from carrier to carrier and rarely also between the use of sites within the same carrier. Accommodation and food, if not provided, then financially rewarded ( employment places such as kindergartens have no accommodation or replacement offer ).

In addition, can be obtained according to the Federal Child Benefit Act during voluntary service for under 25 -year-old child support ( § 2 para 2 sentence 1 No. 2d Bundeskindergeldgesetz ). The age limit for child benefit is not - raised for the duration of the voluntary social year corresponding period, but the reference ends with the completion of 25 years - as with community service or conscripts.

An orphan or half-orphan pension is payable later than the completion of the 27th year of the child during the volunteer year ( § 48 paragraph 4, sentence 1, No. 2 c SGB VI).

Educational support

The Law for the Promotion of a voluntary social year provides a pedagogical supervision of FSJ'ler, which is provided by the carrier. In addition to individual supervision of participants, including in particular the seminar work. It will be carried out an introductory, an intermediate and a final seminar, the minimum period is five days. The total duration of the seminar is based on a twelve-month FSJ at least 25 days. The seminar is counted as duty time and participation in the seminars is compulsory. The FSJler interact with the conceptional design and implementation of seminars.

Depending on the application and carrier obtained an optionally education or training. In sports, this is usually a full education program and for use in rescue training for rescue workers or paramedics. These courses are usually paid on a pro rata or fully depending on the carrier, mounting position and length of the FSJes.

Areas and facilities

Possible areas of application are varied and all social- charitable or non-profit. With the amendment of the FSJ Law in 2002, new areas were created. It is now possible to complete a FSJ in the fields of culture, sports, and historic preservation.

• FSJ in the social field
• FSJ in the culture
• FSJ in sports
• FSJ in politics
• FSJ in heritage conservation (short FJD)
• FSJ in the environmental area (short FÖJ)

Specifically can be completed, for example, in the following facilities the social year. This one is not bound to only one of these possibilities, but can, depending on location also connect several together.

• Hospital,
• Retirement and nursing home,
• Outpatient social services,
• Historic preservation authority or club,
• Sports club, sports association,
• Kindergarten / daycare (especially, for example, movement Kindergarten )
• Facility for people with a disability (for example, sheltered workshop ),
• Medical and rescue service,
• Parish,
• Memorial,
• Theater,
• Museum,
• Radio / TV,
• Cultural associations,
• Archives,
• Youth club,
• Special school,
• Day school,
• Young firefighters in the county Firefighters Association

And many more.

Terms of Use

Duration

The voluntary social year takes at least 6 and at most 18 months. The service may exceptionally be made up to a period of 24 months, if it is justified in the context of a particular pedagogical approach. Is a voluntary social year initially concluded for less than 18 months, can be an extension to 15 months in agreement with the institution of the voluntary social year ( when used in Germany ). The voluntary social year can be completed abroad. However, there are since the suspension of conscription for the FSJ abroad no more promotion by the federal government. Until then, it was possible to make the FSJ abroad as an alternative to military service. Instead, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth has launched a new international youth voluntary service to life.

Insurance

Who complete a voluntary social year, receives insurance coverage for illness and nursing care, as well as child support and child allowances (if the total income does not exceed the amounts applicable ). The carrier (or the employment place ) also assumes the entire cost of the Social Security ( employee and employer share ). The time of the voluntary social year is counted for retirement (compulsory insurance in the statutory pension insurance ). The volunteers are legally similarly placed as apprentices.

New legal bases

Since June 1, 2008, the regulations can be found together with those of the voluntary ecological year in youth volunteering Act ( JFDG ). Unless mutual agreement the application of the new law is agreed for existing employment contracts shall continue to be the old law to encourage voluntary social year for this.

Past regulations

According to § 14c Civil Service Law of the Federal Republic of Germany, the voluntary social year was also recognized as an alternative to military service. This provision, however, has no practical relevance due to the suspension of civil service outside the tension or defense case more.

Austria

The voluntary social year ( FSJ ) in Austria is very similar in Germany in many areas. It is offered since 1968 by the " Association for the Promotion of voluntary social services " and is governed by the voluntary law. The association has its seat in Vienna and its secretariat in Linz. Regional offices are located in Graz, Vienna, Innsbruck and Salzburg.

During a FSJ insert adolescents working ten or eleven months with in a social institution in Austria. The areas here are in working with people with disabilities, the elderly, children or adolescents or in another area, such as working with homeless people.

The weekly working time of young people is 34 hours. For their efforts, the FSJ participants will receive a monthly allowance of 225,00 EUR net. It is also possible to regard the family allowance, provided that the eligibility requirements are met. Free accommodation or traveling expenses for public. Transport ( if any accommodation is available) will be provided. Also free, accompanying seminars to reflect the use and training are among the services that the FSJ offers its participants.