Volunteering

 On 2^nd December we were on a meeting about “European Volunteer corps”. I really liked the idea. I am participating in that kind of organizations for a couple of years. I’m member of our school’s charity club and the previous year I was a member of “Bulgarian Red Cross” in Veliko Tarnovo.

The meeting was interesting and useful. The next time when we will see each others will be in February.

2011 is the year of volunteering. Here are some facts about that: (I took them from http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/focus/focus840_en.htm )

In the European Union, almost 100 million citizens of all ages invest their time, talents and money to make a positive contribution to their community by volunteering in civil society organisations, youth clubs, hospitals, schools, in sport clubs, etc. For the Commission, volunteering is an active expression of civic participation which strengthens common European values such as solidarity and social cohesion. Volunteering also provides important learning opportunities, because involvement in voluntary activities can provide people with new skills and competences that can even improve their employability. This is especially important at this time of economic crisis. Volunteering plays an important role in sectors as varied and diverse as education, youth, culture, sport, environment, health, social care, consumer protection, humanitarian aid, development policy, research, equal opportunities and external relations.

Objectives of the Year:

The EU will use the Year to work towards four main objectives:

1. To create an enabling and facilitating environment for volunteering in the EU;

2. To empower volunteer organisations and improve the quality of volunteering;

3. To reward and recognise volunteering activities; and

4. To raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering.

The Commission expects that the European Year of Volunteering will lead to an increase in volunteering
and to greater awareness of its added value, and that it will highlight the link between voluntary engagement at local level and its significance in the wider European context.

The aim is to involve all levels – European, national, regional and local, but the emphasis is very much on a bottom-up approach. In this way the ownership of the European Year shall remain as much as possible with the volunteers and the volunteer organisations.

Activities:

There are many interested parties who are getting involved in the Year. The European Commission is also planning a range of activities. These include communication and awareness-raising measures (EYV Tour, EYV Relay, EYV Website, Thematic conferences).

Target groups:

- Volunteers (current and potential)
- Policy makers
- Civil society

Budget:

The budgetary authority (European Parliament and Council of the EU) granted a dedicated budget for the European Year of Volunteering, as follows:
European Year of Volunteering 2011: EUR 8 million.
Preparatory actions 2010: EUR 3 million