Volunteering near you
Volunteering in Düsseldorf
From the Caritas and Diakonie volunteer centres to the city’s own office: how to find a volunteering role in Düsseldorf that fits your life
Contact points
| Contact point | What you find there |
|---|---|
| Caritas Freiwilligenagentur impuls Düsseldorf | Advises people who want to volunteer, places them and supports them during their role. There are dedicated contacts for school pupils, young people under 30, parishes and individual districts. |
| Ehrenamt in Düsseldorf (Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf) | The office for civic engagement in the Lord Mayor’s office advises clubs, issues the NRW volunteer card and organises the Düsseldorf volunteering fair every two years. |
| MachMit, die Freiwilligenzentrale der Diakonie Düsseldorf | Offers advice in person, by phone or online, and a volunteer finder with selected, current opportunities. It also runs a regular training programme for volunteers. |
- State
- North Rhine-Westphalia
Where can I find volunteering in Düsseldorf?
The two main contacts are the Caritas volunteer agency impuls and MachMit, the volunteer centre of the Protestant Diakonie. Both work together under the name „Wir für Düsseldorf“ and are funded by the city. They advise people who want to get involved, find suitable roles for them and support volunteers during their work. Which of the two you choose is more a matter of preference than of what they offer.
At impuls you can get personal advice at the contact point in its social centre, by appointment. There are dedicated contacts for certain groups, such as school pupils in the project „Jugend engagiert sich“, young people under 30 and volunteering in parishes. The districts of Eller, Oberbilk and Rath also have their own named contacts. That way you quickly reach someone who knows your area.
MachMit advises you in person, by phone or online. If you already know the field you want to work in, you can search its volunteer finder, which shows selected and current opportunities. The city itself has an office for civic engagement in the Lord Mayor’s office, and its volunteering page names further organisations. They include the AWO volunteering initiative, Duesseldorf-aktiv.net and the Catholic social service SKFM.
Which areas are there?
The choice is wide, from social services to culture, sport, the environment and animal welfare. MachMit alone lists around 200 activities, from the Protestant food bank to language tandems and telling fairy tales in a nursery. One example from its listings is a theatre bar where volunteers run the service together with women from an employment project. The volunteering catalogue that MachMit publishes regularly gives you an overview.
The city offers its own roles through its office for social affairs and youth. You could support families as a stand-in grandparent, look after a playground as a playground mentor, or accompany older people in the programme „Gemeinsam für Seniorinnen und Senioren“. In the „zentren plus“, for example in Derendorf-Golzheim, older people meet for breakfast, talks, singing and exercise, and volunteers are needed there too.
The city campaign „Düsseldorf engagiert sich“ shows how varied this can be. On posters, in films and in podcasts, volunteers talk about their work. The portraits range from a community garden, a football club and the volunteer fire brigade to the children’s and youth helpline of the child protection association. Looking through them often gives you a first idea for your own field.
How can I get involved in peace and understanding?
A direct route is through projects with and for refugees. At impuls there is a dedicated contact from Aktion Neue Nachbarn, the integration work of Caritas. There are also Welcome Points in Oberbilk and Rath, where neighbours from different countries meet. Places like these make understanding possible in everyday life, without a big programme.
Language connects people too. MachMit arranges language tandems in which two people learn from each other and get to know each other along the way. The centre also offers training for volunteers on empathy, self-awareness and understanding others, and on communicating in challenging situations and conflicts. Prepared like this, you can meet tension more calmly, both in your role and in your own circles.
On W3ltfrieden you can also create your own peace mission or support an existing one. A mission is a verifiable project with a responsible person, and its progress is documented in the mission log. It could be a language café or a project you take on together with a Welcome Point. The mission overview shows you whether there are already missions near you.
How much time do I need to bring?
You agree the time frame with the organisation, and the volunteer centres help you find a realistic amount. Some roles run at fixed times, such as a theatre bar during performances or a food bank on certain days. Others, like a language tandem, you arrange freely. In an advice session you work out what fits your everyday life.
If you have little time, you can start with a modest commitment. The volunteer role of the month, which MachMit presents regularly, gives you a quick idea of what a role looks like in practice. For school pupils and young people, impuls has its own routes that can be combined with school or training. Later you can expand your commitment at any time.
Some time for training is worthwhile too. MachMit publishes a programme of seminars and talks every six months, and you sign up by email. Through its office for civic engagement, the city also issues the NRW volunteer card, and that is where you can find out the requirements. And every two years the volunteering fair shows what new opportunities there are.
Sources
Four steps to volunteering
- Choose a volunteer centreCaritas and Diakonie work together under the name „Wir für Düsseldorf“. You can go to whichever one suits you better.
- Browse the volunteer finderIf you already know what interests you, search MachMit’s volunteer finder directly for suitable roles.
- Book an advice sessionIf you are still undecided, an advice session helps. At impuls you arrange an appointment in advance.
- Start your roleContact the organisation and get to know it. The volunteer centres continue to support you after you start.
More cities
- Volunteering in CologneNorth Rhine-WestphaliaIn Cologne an independent volunteer agency, the digital volunteering exchange of the city and the AWO civic engagement office help you find a role in your own neighbourhood
- Volunteering in FrankfurtHesseFrom the Bürgerinstitut and the city guide to AWO: how to find a volunteering role in Frankfurt that fits your everyday life and your interests
Keep going with W3ltfrieden
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