Persons interested in a FSJ will always hear the terms place of assignment, supporting institution and sector of assignment. We want to explain these terms.
Place of assignment
The voluntary social year (FSJ) is a full-time job. This job is a practical auxiliary activity in facilities for community service. These facilities are legally called places of assignment. Places of assignment can be for example nursery homes, facilities for handicapped persons, rescue services, hospitals, cultural and sports facilities.
During their engagement, the young people get to know the everyday life of the places of assignment and thereby the work with and for humans. The volunteers receive practical guidance in form of introduction, instructions and supervision by a qualified employee.
Supporting institution
The place of assignment is usually assigned to a supporting institution, which is a central body. The supporting institution is responsible for the proper performance of the FSJ. It supports the practical instructors of the place of assignment with the volunteers‘ educational supervision, e.g. by organizing so-called instructor days or conducting consultant conversations with the places of assignment.
Supporting institution and place of assignment as well as place of assignment and volunteer form a triangular relationship based on agreements.
Sectors of assignment
The voluntary social year can be served in the following places and sectors of assignment. The volunteers can work
– with ill people,
– with elderly people,- with children and juveniles,
– with disabled people,
– in the cultural sector,
– in the sports sector as well as
– abroad.
The FSJ can be served in the social sector, in the cultural sector, in the sports sector, in politics, in cultural heritage preservation as well as in the ecological sector as FÖJ and abroad.
The following facilities are possible places of assignments for a FSJ. These may be examples to get an idea of the sectors of assignment during a voluntary social year. Several sectors of assignment can also be combined. Finally, the organizational structure of the place of assignment is important. Here are some examples:
– home for the elderly and nursery home,
– hospital,
– facility for handicapped persons (e.g. workshops for handicapped),
– out-patient social and nursery service,
– cultural heritage preservation office or club,
– sports club, sports association,
– nursery or day-care centre
– medical and rescue service,
– church,
– historical site,
– museum,
– cultural club,
– archive,
– youth club,
– special school,
– all-day school,
– youth fire brigade.