Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, of 14 February 2002 on the added value of voluntary activity for young people in the context of the development of Community action on youth
Date: 2002-02-14
Institutions: Council of the European Union, Representatives of the Governments of the Member States
Subjects: action programme, cooperation policy, principle of subsidiarity, voluntary work, young person, youth policy

23.2.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 50/3

RESOLUTION

of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting
within the Council,

of 14 February 2002

on the added value of voluntary activity for young people in the context of the development of
Community action on youth

(2002/C 50/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPRESEN-
TATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES,
MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL,

Whereas:

(1) The Treaty provides that Community action is to be aimed
at encouraging the development of exchange programmes
for young people and youth workers.

(2) The European Parliament and the Council adopted the
(cid:145)Youth(cid:146) Community action programme by Decision No
1031/2000/EC (1). This programme, which has been
increasingly successful in all the Member States, contains
an important component devoted to (cid:145)European voluntary
service(cid:146), which provides a clear definition of transnational
voluntary work.

(3) The Ume(cid:229) Conference (16 to 18 March 2001) on
(cid:145)Conditions for young people in Europe(cid:146), organised by
the Swedish Presidency and the Commission, underlined
in its
the importance of assigning
voluntary activity by young people a clearly defined
position at European level.

recommendations

(4) The United Nations has proclaimed 2001 as (cid:145)International

Year of Volunteers(cid:146).

(5) The conclusions of the Lisbon European Council on 23
and 24 March 2000 state that
the European Union
requires an overall strategy aimed at preparing the tran-
sition to a knowledge-based economy and society and that
as a consequence existing models
learning and
working must be adapted.

for

(6) The Commission Memorandum on lifelong learning of 30
October 2000 and the Commission’s preparatory activities
with a view to its communication for lifelong learning are
of particular importance. In the discussions on progress
conducted over the past six-month periods, attention has
been clearly drawn to the added value of informal and
non-formal learning resulting from voluntary activity.

(7) The Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives
of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within
the Council, of 14 December 2000 on the social inclusion

(1) OJ L 117, 18.5.2000, p. 1.

States,

invites
each within

of young people (2)
the Commission and the
of
its
Member
to study common objectives directed at
competences,
developing the conditions to enable all young people
lawfully residing in a Member State to play a full part
in economic and social life.

own sphere

(8) The action plan on mobility approved by the Nice
European Council and the Recommendation of
the
European Parliament and of
the Council of 10 July
2001 on mobility within the Community for students,
teachers and
persons undergoing training, volunteers,
trainers (3),
to promote
listed a series of measures
mobility. In particular, the European Parliament and the
Council identified in the Recommendation on mobility a
series of measures which Member States consider appro-
priate to remove obstacles to mobility for volunteers.

(9) The Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives
of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within
the Council, of 28 June 2001 on promoting young
people’s
initiative, enterprise and creativity (cid:151) from
exclusion to empowerment (4), points to the importance
of
the creative environment as a valuable source of
support.

the

important

(10) Declaration 38 on voluntary service activities, which is
attached to the Final Act of the Treaty of Amsterdam,
by
recognises
voluntary service activities to developing social solidarity
and states
the Community will encourage the
European dimension of voluntary organisations with
particular emphasis on the exchange of information and
experience as well as on the participation of the young
and the elderly in voluntary work,

contribution made

that

FIND AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT:

1. In all the Member States, countless young people are active
in various forms of voluntary activity. Despite differences
between the Member States, young people everywhere
represent a significant proportion of the total number of
volunteers active in the Community in initiatives, projects
and in non-governmental organisations of a mainly social
and humanitarian nature and for the benefit of a democratic
society and sustainable development.

(2) OJ C 374, 28.12.2000, p. 5.
(3) OJ L 215, 9.8.2001, p. 30.
(4) OJ C 196, 12.7.2001, p. 2.

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2. Various

forms of voluntary activity for young people,
the European Union
including those in the context of
action entitled (cid:145)European voluntary service(cid:146)
forming part
of the (cid:145)Youth(cid:146) action programme, have added social value
because:

(a) they transmit universal values with regard to human
and

anti-racism and solidarity,

rights, democracy,
sustainable development;

INVITE THE COMMISSION AND THE MEMBER STATES, WITHIN
THEIR RESPECTIVE SPHERES OF COMPETENCE:

1. To take measures to strengthen and to further develop the
role of voluntary activity for young people, and in so doing
the strategic
to take as their guide, where appropriate,
objectives
in the
formulated by the United Nations
framework of the International Year of Volunteers.

(b) they promote social participation, voluntary engagement
and active citizenship and strengthen civil society at all
levels;

2. To develop policy on voluntary activity for young people
and strengthen European cooperation in this area, using the
following elements which result from the strategic objectives
of the UN Resolution proclaiming 2001 the International
Year of Volunteers:

(c)

they promote the social
contribute
creativity, enterprise and social innovation.

inclusion of young people,
to the development of young people’s

(a) the accessibility and promotion of information provision
on voluntary activity, with a view to reinforcing a
positive image;

3. Youth voluntary activity provides the opportunity for young
people to develop a number of personal and professional
skills, and as such contributes to their greater employability
and to their participation in society in general.

(b) recognition and support for voluntary activity, inter alia
levels, public opinion, media,

by authorities at all
commerce, employers and civil society;

informal and non-formal

4. Youth organisations and projects have significant potential
for
their diversity,
life-long and life-wide

as
young people, and, partly on account of
contribute to the realisation of
learning in all its aspects.

learning environments

5. Non-governmental organisations, youth organisations and
all other organisations
area of youth
active
voluntary activity play a specific role as environments
where voluntary activities by young people are given
shape, at local, national and European level.

in the

(c) support for voluntary activity through incentives and
their mentors and their

the training of volunteers,
associations;

(d) networking between all parties involved, with special
attention to the perspective of young people themselves;

(e) quality care with regard to youth voluntary activity,

including health and safety aspects.

6. Young volunteers themselves play an important role in the
development
in the
framework of various actions of the (cid:145)Youth(cid:146) Community
action programme.

and implementation of projects

3. To recognise the importance of experience gained in the
context of youth voluntary activity and to collate and
exchange good practice with regard to youth voluntary
activity.

INVITE THE MEMBER STATES:

4. To support all the parties involved in the implementation of

voluntary activity for young people.

To take the measures they deem appropriate to remove legal
and administrative obstacles so as to provide every opportunity
for youth voluntary activity in a national and international
context.

5. To make voluntary activity more easily accessible to young
social exclusion or

forms of

people and to avoid all
discrimination.

To prevent voluntary activity for young people from restricting
or being used as a substitute for potential or existing paid
employment.

6. To promote and support research into voluntary activity for
young people via regular monitoring of developments in the
field and by appropriate policy decisions.

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7. To involve non-governmental organisations, youth organi-
sations and all other organisations active in the area of
voluntary activity for young people, as well as young
in drawing up and implementing
volunteers themselves,
in an
policy for
atmosphere of participation and making use of
the
experience of volunteers and their associations.

supporting youth voluntary activity,

8. To incorporate these policy objectives or measures in the
follow-up which may result from the European White Paper
(cid:145)Youth(cid:146) published by the Commission of
the European
Communities.

international organisations, at both strategic and operational
levels.

2. To take account of the important contribution of young
volunteers to the activities of the (cid:145)Youth(cid:146) programme, and
to examine how youth voluntary activity can be further
encouraged when the programme is evaluated and further
developed.

EXPRESS THE WISH THAT:

INVITE THE COMMISSION:

1. To develop synergies between the initiatives of the European
Community, the Council of Europe and initiatives of other

This Resolution contribute to the development of the policy of
cooperation in the youth field,
in line with the principle of
subsidiarity, particularly through recognition of the added value
of voluntary activity with and by young people.