Why put addiction prevention into the hands of volunteers? The basic principle that "Addiction concerns us all" implies that everyone has a responsibility. Prevention cannot just be left in the hands of the professionals. It has a place in everyday life. How we relate to each other and give each other help or support are at the very heart of preventive resources. In this connection, voluntary work forms an important link between professional competence and the individual citizen. It can also have an identity-strengthening function when the volunteer can do something for general welfare, health and addiction prevention within the community. In this way the professionals form the backbone for the volunteers in the sense of empowerment .
- European project "Motivation of volunteers in drug addiction prevention":
Under the auspices of a European project the specialized literature was analysed, organisations and volunteers were surveyed, a workshop was set up and the resulting strategies were transfered in the frame of a basic training for volunteers.
- European project "MoQuaVo":
In a follow-up project the gained expertise results in a kind of general guidelines for quality improvement of the volunteering and in a manual for practical use.