In an online dialogue on Wednesday 26 May, Chancellor Angela Merkel will talk to citizens engaged in voluntary work, to gain some insights into their work. She would like to find out how the pandemic has changed their everyday voluntary work, and how the organisations have managed to continue to support the people who need their help and assistance, in spite of the challenges posed by the pandemic.

The Chancellor is thus continuing her series of online dialogues The Chancellor in Discussion in order to keep in touch with as many citizens as possible, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion with citizens engaged in voluntary work will take place on Wednesday 26 May 2021, from 16:00 to 17:30 CEST and will be streamed live on bundesregierung.de.

Special challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic

During the pandemic, voluntary work has faced special challenges, just as it has become even more important than usual. In many places, organisations have had to close temporarily because of the pandemic. Elsewhere, in hospitals, nursing and care homes and food banks for instance, volunteers are desperately needed. The participants in the dialogue represent the many people who volunteer every day to help others in Germany. Their contribution to social cohesion is quite remarkable.

In the seven online citizens’ dialogues so far, Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with representatives of the art and culture sector, families with children, the staff of helplines, trainees and trainers, police officer and students. There has also been an online discussion of the situation in nursing.