Volunteer With Your Experience Initiative

Volunteer with Your Experience is a national Saudi volunteer initiative launched by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Its first edition was held in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on December 6, 2021, and lasted for two days. Its second edition was also held in Riyadh on December 7, 2022. The initiative aims to activate the roles of leaders and experts in volunteer work by providing specialized solutions to the challenges faced by non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and public and university students, and overcoming them. This aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to encourage volunteer work.

The Volunteer with Your Experience initiative aims to enhance professional volunteering practices and contribute to achieving the national goal of reaching one million volunteers in the Kingdom by 2030. Additionally, it focuses on building the capacities of non-profit organizations and civil societies, supporting male and female entrepreneurs, and overcoming challenges that align with the expertise of professional volunteers.

Among the first participants in this initiative was the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, along with several leaders and specialists.

The Kingdom encourages its public and community entities to engage in volunteer activities, promotes the culture of volunteering, and provides support for these voluntary endeavors. A survey conducted by the Saudi Center for Opinion Polling, affiliated with the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue (KACND), in 2019, revealed a strong inclination among the youth towards volunteering. It showed that accessing volunteer opportunities in Saudi society is easy.

At the international level, the Kingdom, along with countries around the world, celebrates International Volunteer Day on December 5 every year. As part of its volunteering efforts globally, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has launched initiatives in over ninety-two countries. These initiatives offer services in sectors like education, health, shelter, and water. Additionally, the center has initiated several specialized humanitarian projects, including the Masam Project, aimed at clearing the landmines from Yemeni territories.

KSrelief established a dedicated portal for overseas volunteering. Over 53,281 volunteers have registered on it, and approximately 411 volunteer programs have been executed, encompassing medical and general programs in over thirty-five countries.