The focus of this paper is to describe the potential of school volunteering programmes presenting selected preliminary results of thematic analysis of focus groups conducted with student volunteers. To do so, it is first necessary to briefly define one of the key construct: school volunteering programmes (SVP).

SVP are a novelty in the education system in the European context and are gradually being recognised as a pedagogical innovation in the formal education system. The benefits of these programmes for all stakeholders (community, school, and students) are recognised. Through volunteering programmes, schools become more connected to the local community, creating a network of partners for collaborative solutions to community issues (Šimunković, Forčić, Milinković, Kamenko & Šehić-Relić, 2011). Students who have the opportunity to participate in activities in their local community and propose solutions to their needs in the school show a greater willingness to become involved in their (local) community currently and in the future (Torney-Purta, Lehman, Oswald & Schulz, 2001). In addition, while conducting volunteer activities, they strengthen their relationships with other students and also with teachers. Positive and closer relationships lead to a positive school climate. Students who participate in SVP show greater satisfaction with life and school, and describe volunteering as their lifestyle (Šimunković et al., 2011).

Organising, structuring, and planning SVP is a key factor in the success of the programme itself (Schulz, Ainley, Fraillon, Losito, & Agrusti, 2016), and increases the likelihood that young people will volunteer in the future (Harris & Nielsen, 2013). SVP coordinators play the most important role in the successful operation of the programme, as they have full responsibility for every part of it. In addition, the importance of involving parents and civil society organisations is emphasised in order to set a positive example for young people and, in this way, also increase the chances of young people volunteering in adulthood.

Civil society organisations (CSO) in Croatia play an important role in the implementation of volunteering programmes in school curricula. In the national context, CSOs were among the first to initiate the implementation of volunteer programs with the aim of cultivating elements of sustainability citizenship. CSOs also participate in the realisation of volunteer actions and activities together with the school. Through active participation in various activities of associations, young people become aware and interested in the community in which they live. They also have the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and experience necessary to become a competent citizen, i.e., the result of young people's participation in CSOs is empowered, competent and active citizens (Ilišin, 2016).

A qualitative case study was conducted with the aim of describing and understanding the phenomenon of school volunteering programmes (SVP) and their role in developing sustainability citizenship attributes among high school students. The main research question is: What experiences, processes, and activities that are part of SVPs, are encouraging high school students' potential in developing elements of sustainability citizenship and how? Research has been organised in several phases: 1) mapping SVPs in Croatian high schools (with the aim of selecting cases for further analysis), 2) content analysis of school curricula, 3) semi-structured interviews with SVPs coordinators, 4) focus groups with student volunteers, and in this paper, we will focus on the fourth phase – the focus groups. Six volunteering programmes from different schools (3 gymnasiums, 2 polyvalent schools and 1 vocational school) and from different regions of Croatia were selected for further analysis. A total of 38 student volunteers participated in the focus groups, 34 female and 4 male students between the ages of 15 and 18. The focus group participants were volunteers with at least one year of experience participating in volunteer activities in high schools that have integrated volunteering programmes into the school curriculum. The following topics were discussed in the focus groups: Motivation for volunteering, Topics of volunteer activities, Planning and organising volunteering, Relationship with the coordinator, Importance of the volunteer's role, Change in knowledge, perception, and behaviour as a result of volunteering in school volunteering programmes, and Transfer of experiences gained in school volunteering programmes. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis according to the following steps: 1) familiarisation with the data and generating initial codes, 2) search for themes, 3) review of themes, 4) definition and naming of themes (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Presented qualitative research is part of a larger, mixed-method project “Formal Education in Service of Sustainable Development”, a research project funded by Croatian Science Foundation (2018-2024).

This paper presents selected results of the thematic analysis of focus groups conducted with high school student volunteers. From the thematic analysis, it appears that the desire to help, new experiences, benefits at school, and positive previous volunteer experiences motivate students to join the school volunteering club. However, they are primarily motivated and inspired by the contagious enthusiasm of students already volunteering and the coordinators of these programs. Students are aware that the work of coordinators is often challenging, especially when there is no support from the school collective, and that they often have to rely on themselves and their own enthusiasm. In addition to planning, organizing, and managing volunteer activities, coordinators participate with students in conducting volunteer activities. In this way, coordinators inspire student volunteers by example. In addition, they provide a relaxed atmosphere in which informal and friendly relationships prevail, an atmosphere in which positive relationships between students and teachers are strengthened. One of the most important themes in this emergent analysis is the volunteers' intention to continue volunteering after they leave high school. By participating in volunteer activities in the school's volunteer club, students indeed feel more connected to the community and thus recognize and respond to community needs. Some students already volunteer in civil society organisations in their local communities during their school years. In addition, all students expressed a desire and intention to volunteer at least to some extent after graduation. In summary, volunteering encourages students to change their behaviour and cultivates young people to become active, socially responsible, and sustainability citizens.

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