Abbreviation JOIN | Location Brussels, Belgium | |
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Type International non-governmental organisation Legal status Association without lucrative purpose Purpose First aid, healthcare, social services, youth work and international humanitarian aid Region served Europe and the Middle East | ||
Johanniter International (JOIN) is an international network of charities affiliated to the Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem. Founded in 2000 and with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, its 20 member organisations are located in Europe and the Middle East and focus on emergency rescue, health and social services, and international humanitarian assistance, amongst other aims. Together, the charities have a volunteer base of over 100,000 persons at their disposal. JOIN’s primary goal lies in facilitating exchange of best practices between its members, achieving closer cooperation among its members on the European and international level, and advocating the interests of its members on the European level.
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Since 2006, JOIN has been registered as an association without lucrative purpose (association sans but lucratif), a non-profit organisation under Belgian law. Today JOIN has 20 members, 16 of which are from Austria, Cyprus, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Wales, plus the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and the four Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem (the Johanniterorden, the Venerable Order of St John, the Johanniter Orde in Nederland, and the Johanniterorden i Sverige) which cooperate within the Alliance.
Activity areas
Although the services provided by the 20 member organisations often vary substantially, they all share a common approach to humanitarian welfare and social aid. They work with volunteers and employees to care for people in need in everyday life and in times of crisis. Their services and support are open to everyone. In particular, JOIN members are active in the areas of emergency medical rescue, patient transport services, first aid, first aid training, international humanitarian assistance, youth work, food and clothing donations, educational institutions, patient repatriation, services for the disabled, elderly care and many others.
Specific initiatives carried out in recent years under the JOIN banner have included different women's groups, educational projects and co-operatives in Djibouti, humanitarian aid and healthcare provision in Pakistan, and distribution of medical and food supplies in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.
Johanniter International in Brussels
The JOIN office is located in Brussels. Its proximity to the institutions of the European Union (EU) enables it to closely monitor developments on a European level relevant to JOIN members. The office also encourages contact and the exchange of information between the members themselves. Other tasks include moderating and coordinating the activities of JOIN members in the different working groups and other meetings aiming at further cooperation in various fields such as social and health policy, emergency rescue and humanitarian aid. The office advocates the interests of JOIN members within NGO interest groups as well as the institutions of the EU, for example in the field of volunteering as part of the European Year of Volunteering 2011 Alliance, of which JOIN was a founding member. JOIN assisted in publishing the Policy Agenda for Volunteering in Europe (PAVE), outlining recommendations for a more efficient and effective European policy framework to support and promote volunteers and their organisations. Moreover, the Brussels office assists Johanniter International Assistance, a department of the German Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, with information on activities and briefings by various actors in Brussels in the areas of international humanitarian aid, European civil protection and disaster reduction.
Working groups
Given the aim of JOIN to derive benefits for its members from increased exchange and cooperation, the working groups are one of the most important institutions in JOIN. The working groups not only provide a platform where JOIN members can exchange knowledge and experience on any given issue. They also offer a space where JOIN members can set the thematic foundation for common projects. By combining resources within the network, JOIN can realise projects for which individual members might not possess the capacity. Moreover, the working groups also guarantee a participatory and transparent structure within JOIN as participation in the working groups is not only open to all members, but also strongly encouraged. Depending on the working area, it is wise to either set up exchange and cooperation on a permanent basis or merely limit it to one meeting. Accordingly, apart from permanent working groups that meet on a regular basis (usually twice a year), JOIN also organises individual meetings to exchange positions and interests. Topics of the latter include for example the medical sector regarding first aid manuals or cooperation with regard to the European Resuscitation Council, or potential cooperation in patient repatriation. Currently, JOIN features five permanent working groups:
Volunteering This working group deals with all issues regarding volunteering including amongst others the exchange of volunteers between JOIN members, legal guidelines and recruitment of volunteers. In 2011, the working group was decisive in preparing JOIN’s activities in the context of the European Year of Volunteering 2011 and carrying out the Europe-wide Volunteer Swap. International Cooperation This working group encourages partnership and collaboration among JOIN members for the realisation of various projects within humanitarian assistance and development aid worldwide. To this aim, human and financial resources must be mobilised and therefore form a fundamental task of the working group. Themes such as community fundraising are central topics within the working group. Additionally,the group focuses on increasing the visibility of international projects undertaken by the different JOIN members. Youth Participants in the working group youth discuss common interests in JOIN member’s youth activities such as first aid trainings and competitions, youth exchanges etc. The working group also facilitates numerous bilateral exchanges between JOIN members. PR,Marketing & Communication This working group deals with all issues concerning JOIN’s press work, the website, publications as well as corporate identity (CI) and corporate design (CD). In the past for example it developed the JOIN logo and helped develop brochures on JOIN activities. At the regular meetings, experiences, best practices and know-how are also shared. Related issues such as fundraising and the JOIN-internal purchasing of medical equipment have also been part of the group discussions. In 2011, the PR & Marketing group greatly contributed to JOIN’s public activities as part of the European Year of Volunteering 2011. Clinical As its name suggests, the JOIN clinical working group deals with all clinical and medical cooperation within JOIN. The group is made up of chief medical officers of JOIN members and its main aim is to exchange information on medical developments within the JOIN organisations as well as on the respective national levels.