Transcript Slide 1

European
Commission
The European Year of
Volunteering 2011
Directorate-General Communication
Why is volunteering important enough to
have a European Year dedicated to it?
• It’s an expression of active citizenship
• Important indicator of civic engagement
• Rich learning experience:
– Develops social skills & competences
– Prepares young people for working life
• Promotes:
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solidarity
non-discrimination
harmonious development of society
sense of citizenship
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
How does the Commission
define ‘Volunteering’?
• Our 'definition' is purposefully broad-brushed
– Because of different traditions and cultural
attitudes to volunteering in the EU
• ‘Volunteering’ refers to all types of voluntary
activity, whether formal, non-formal or
informal, and which are undertaken of a
person’s own free will, choice and
motivation, without concern for financial gain.
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
What is the volunteering
landscape in Europe like today?
• 94 million people, or 23% of Europeans aged 15 and
older engage in some form of voluntary activity
• The typical volunteer is —
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30 to 50 years old,
in employment, and
well-educated (higher education and beyond),
male (males outnumber female volunteers in 11 Member
States, and are roughly equal in number in a further 9
countries).
• Sport attracts the most volunteers,
– followed by volunteering in the social sector, aid to the
disadvantaged, and the health sector.
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
Big differences between the
Member States!
European
Commission
Note: These may be due to differences in measurement!
> 40%
< 10%
• UK
• BG
• SWE
• GR
• NL
• IT
• AUT
• LT
Directorate-General Communication
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What challenges face the
volunteering sector in the EU?
• Lack of internationally comparable data
• National volunteering strategies? Rarely!
• Lack of a legal framework for
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the social insurance coverage of volunteers,
their training,
entitlement to holidays,
accommodation or pocket money,
etc.
• Increased professionalisation of the volunteering sector
– Result: growing mismatch between the needs of volunteering
organisations and the aspirations of volunteers.
• Lack of recognition of skills and competences gained through
volunteering activities.
• Problem with finding sustainable funding.
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
What does the Year hope to
achieve?
The Year has four objectives:
1. To foster an enabling environment for
volunteering in the EU
2. To empower volunteer organisations and
improve the quality of volunteering
3. To reward and recognise volunteering
activities
4. To raise awareness of the value and
importance of volunteering
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
What is the budget for the Year?
• € 3 million
for Preparatory Actions in 2010
• € 8 million
for the Year itself
+ other sources (Commission
funding programmes, etc…)
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
Who will be doing what?
There are three main levels of active
participants:
1. The EU & international level
2. The national, regional and local level
3. Activities in close cooperation with civil
society organisations
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
1. The EU & international level
• Commission EU-wide communication campaign
• Commission DGs & Services
– DG EAC (re. Grundtvig, Sport, Youth in Action and EVS),
DG EMPL (re. social & employment laws), DG ENTR (re.
CSR & employee volunteering), etc…
• Other EU Institutions:
– European Parliament
– Economic and Social Committee
– Committee of the regions
• United Nations, Council of Europe
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
2. The national, regional and
local level
• Initiatives in the Member States
– Coordinated by the ‘National Coordination
Bodies’ - each country has one
– Responsible for preparing and
implementing activities for the Year in their
country
– Addresses of the NCBs are here:
http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/annexescitizenship/doc1069_en.htm
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
3. Cooperation with civil society
organisations
Our strategic partner for the Year =
• ‘The Alliance’ — the voice of the
volunteering sector in EU
• Represents
– 24 volunteering networks, and
– Over 1,500 volunteering organizations
• We support the Alliance financially
(€400,000 action grant)
• We consult & collaborate closely with them
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
What are the main elements of
our communication campaign?
• Common slogan ("Volunteer! Make a
Difference") and logo
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
What are the main elements of
our communication campaign?
• Common slogan ("Volunteer! Make a
Difference") and logo
• Four thematic conferences
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
Our (planned) conferences, tbc
• January 2011: Official launch event for the Year, in Budapest.
Accompanied by a half-day conference on 'recognition of
volunteering' (= third objective of the year). 200 participants.
Date tbc
• May/June 2011: an agora-type event, two days' duration,
celebrating volunteers themselves, and their valuable
contribution to economy and society. 500 invitees, in the EP in
Brussels. Date tbc
• Sept/Oct 2011: 'traditional' 1½ day conference on second
objective of the Year, namely 'empowering volunteering
organisations'. 250 participants. Location: possibly Athens.
Date tbc.
• December 2011: Closing conference of the Year, in Warsaw.
1½ days. Around 250 Participants. Largely a policy-oriented
conference. Date tbc.
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
What are the main elements of
our communication campaign?
• Common slogan ("Volunteer! Make a
Difference") and logo
• Four thematic conferences
• Media launch in December 2010
• Communication toolbox - free to use (videos,
leaflets, promotional items, posters)
• Official website (in November):
www.europa.eu/volunteering
• The EYV ‘Tour’ & journalists’ relay
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
An example: a Tour ‘pavilion’
• Big space: 300 to 400m2
• Can be subdivided for different activities:
– Live demonstrations,
– Debates,
– Interviews
When will the Tour be in your
country? (part 1 of 2)
Location
Brussels (BE)
Budapest (HU)
Vienna (AT)
Lisbon (PT)
Luxembourg (LU)
Madrid (ES)
Athens (GR)
Nicosia (CY)
Paris (FR)
Tallinn (EE)
Bucharest (RO)
Ljubljana (SLO)
Start Date
03/12/2010
09/01/2011
20/01/2011
02/02/2011
15/02/2011
25/02/2011
16/03/2011
28/03/2011
08/04/2011
29/04/2011
08/05/2011
18/05/2011
Ending date
20/12/2010
17/01/2011
28/01/2011
10/02/2011
23/02/2011
14/03/2011
24/03/2011
05/04/2011
25/04/2011
07/05/2011
16/05/2011
26/05/2011
When will the Tour be in your
country? (part 2 of 2)
Location
London (UK)
Vilnius (LIT)
Rome
Copenhagen (DK)
Stockholm (SV)
Dublin (IE)
Warsaw (PL)
Helsinki (FI)
Riga ( LET)
Berlin (DE)
Amsterdam (NL)
Prague (CZ)
Bratislava (SK)
Sofia (BG)
La Valletta (MT)
Start Date
29/05/2011
19/06/2011
28/06/2011
28/07/2011
07/08/2011
21/08/2011
29/08/2011
14/09/2011
25/09/2011
04/10/2011
20/10/2011
01/11/2011
13/11/2011
20/11/2011
27/11/2011
Ending date
15/06/2011
27/06/2011
15/07/2011
04/08/2011
15/08/2011
29/08/2011
15/09/2011
22/09/2011
03/10/2011
21/10/2011
28/10/2011
09/11/2011
21/11/2011
28/11/2011
05/12/2011
The EYV Tour will visit one city
for one or two weeks.
European
Commission
Challenge:
What about the rest of the
country, during the rest of the
Year?
Directorate-General Communication
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European
Commission
An overview of the expected
impacts of the European Year…
Directorate-General Communication
Active citizenship
‘Big picture’
Policy
context
Year’s
Objectives
Social agenda
Europe 2020
Strategy
Enabling environment
Overall purpose: to encourage and support — notably through the
exchange of experience and good practices — the efforts of the Member
States, local and regional authorities and civil society to create the
conditions conducive to volunteering in the European Union
Empowering
and quality
Reward and
recognition
Awareness
Activities
Exchanges of good practices, debate, dissemination of studies, events,
information and promotion campaign carried out at all levels and involving EU & national public authorities, civil
society and business.
Medium& longerterm
results
• Regular dialogue on V
between the MS, and
also with international
partners.
• New dialogue on V
within MS.
• V ‘mainstreamed’ in
EU programmes.
Impact
• New EU & MS
legislative initiatives to
break down barriers to
volunteering.
• New transnational
networking initiatives.
• New quality
assurance framework.
• Improved EU level
recognition systems
(Europass Mobility),
• Wider use of existing
tools (EQF, Key
Competences
framework)
conditions conducive to volunteering in the European Union
• High visibility and
good media
coverage
• Improve statistics
(work with ILO,
Eurostat, UNV,
Johns Hopkins
University)
Thinking of joining in?
• Contact your country’s
National Coordination Body
Addresses here:
http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/annexescitizenship/doc1069_en.htm
• Contact the Commission’s Task Force
• Think how you can showcase volunteering:
Organise a live demonstration or exhibition of
volunteering?
Directorate-General Communication
European
Commission
More Information
European
Commission
• Our (interim) web page:
– http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/
focus/focus840_en.htm
• EYV Task Force team members:
– [email protected]
– [email protected]
– [email protected]
Directorate-General Communication
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Volunteer! Make a difference