As one of 15 projects funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture's (BMEL) Rural Development and Regional Value Creation program (BULEplus) to research rural engagement, the ENKOR research network was represented at the 4th networking meeting  "Volunteering in rural areas" in Hofgeismar, Hesse. Dr. Anna Eckert (Thünen Institute for Regional Development) presented selected results from the community studies. The focus of the presentation was the participatory format of the volunteering workshops, which aimed to provide feedback to the research participants and jointly develop recommendations and strategies for action.