Students for Children. A 10-year History of a Volunteer Program. Law Students in the Children`s Home

The “Students for Children” volunteer programme is a unique initiative of the Faculty of Law of the University of Pécs, operating since 2010. Besides the regular weekly classes, students have a weekly “field-work”. Our idea was that students should encounter with families and specifically children affected with family and child protection issues. Meeting these persons under real-life circumstances gives our students the benefit to become acquainted with everyday situations of persons similar to their future clients as solicitors, judges or attorneys. This experience during their studies should affect their attitude towards these families and children and hereby their future work – and especially decisions – concerning their future clients.

In Hungary, lawyers traditionally have a bad reputation among social service professionals. In our observation, this is the result of the lack of social sensitivity, psychological knowledge and communication skills. Our course aims to shape the personality, emotional approach and attitude through their field-work. During our classroom meetings, students have the opportunity to discuss their experiences, ventilate their difficulties within the frames of firm group-rules. With our professional background as lawyers and psychologists we provide support and supervision to our students.

The programme operates with unbroken success, nearly 150 volunteers have accomplished the course. Many of them have found their place in the child protection system as lawyers, some of them even became foster parents or are still working as volunteers.

The other aim of the programme is to make the life of children in the child care system more colourful with the help of various activities led by our students. Students officially contract to visit the children every week for at least one semester – that usually turns into five to seven semesters building on strong personal attachment.