Social responsibility

Our voluntary work takes us high up. Founded in 1948, the Alpenverein Südtirol (AVS) is the strongest association in South Tyrol with 3,300 volunteers. 35 mountain rescue centres throughout the province and around 1,000 active mountain rescue men and women as well as 40 avalanche dog handlers and their dogs help quickly and efficiently when someone is in distress in the mountains. In addition to those involved in nature conservation, hiking guides and people who take care of marking our hiking trails, mountaineering also plays an important role for the members of the Alpine Club. AVS President Georg Simeoni says: "We want to live history and pass it on to young people and, above all, preserve and pass on the culture and history of mountaineering." This is done, for example, in books published by the AVS or at joint celebrations. "We cultivate the community and are open to everyone who lives with us," says Simeoni.

Helping with the hay harvest on the steep meadows, with the animals in the barn, in the farm household, looking after children or spending time with elderly or sick people as well as people with disabilities — the Association for Voluntary Labour in South Tyrol provides helpers to mountain farming families who have found themselves in an emergency situation or need support in other ways. The volunteers live and work together with the mountain farming family and are insured against accidents during their unpaid work assignment. Mountain Farm Aid was founded in 1996. While people used to help each other out on the farm, there were fewer and fewer people in the mountain villages, but the work remained. Today, the association makes an important contribution to the preservation of our mountain agriculture. 

Numerous volunteers are also dedicated to promoting music, theatre and art in the cultural sector. South Tyrol's cultural associations make our cultural landscape diverse and offer cultural contributions and events in various fields. The South Tyrolean Cultural Institute,  for example, is an association that regularly brings renowned theatres to South Tyrol for guest performances, thereby promoting cultural exchange. The Filmtreff Kaltern, a group set up by film lovers in 1992 to save the country cinema tradition in their community. Or the Verein Venusta Musica, which violinist and music professor Sabina Mair from Schlanders founded in 2021. She wants to introduce people to string instrument culture and chamber music and is primarily concerned with early musical education.