REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the 2011 European Year of Volunteering
Date: 2012-12-19
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, European cultural event, public awareness campaign, voluntary work

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 19.12.2012  
COM(2012) 781 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE 
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the 2011 European Year of 
Volunteering 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
  
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE 
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the 2011 European Year of 
Volunteering 

1. 

BACKGROUND:  

1.1. 

Introduction 

In accordance with the Decision establishing the European Year of Volunteering 20111, this 
report  offers  an  overview  of  the  implementation,  results  and  overall  achievements  of  the 
European Year, building on the conclusions of an external evaluation of the European Year2. 

In 2006, the European Commission consulted the European Economic and Social Committee 
on  the  future  direction  in  the  area  of  volunteering  at  the  European  level.  One  of  the  main 
recommendations of the European Economic and Social Committee's exploratory opinion on 
the role of voluntary activity in European society and its impact of December 2006 was "to 
announce a Year of Volunteers, and to publish a White Paper on voluntary activity and active 
citizenship in Europe at the earliest opportunity".3  

An alliance of NGOs supporting the idea of a European year of volunteering was set up and a 
civil  society  campaign  aiming  at  the  designation  of  2011  as  the  European  Year  of 
Volunteering  was  launched.  In  2008,  the  European  Parliament  adopted  a  declaration4 
supporting the call for a European Year of Volunteering 2011,  and thus creating significant 
momentum and high expectations. 

In  2009,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  endorsed  the  Commission's  proposal  to 
designate  2011  as  the  European  Year  of  Voluntary  Activities  Promoting  Active  Citizenship 
(hereinafter EYV2011).  

Ten  years  after  the  United  Nations'  International  Year  of  Volunteering  2001,  the  EYV2011 
came  at  the  right  moment  to  respond  to  expectations  from  civil  society  and  to  mobilise 
volunteering  stakeholders  in  the  Member  States  around  the  theme  of  volunteering  as  an 
expression of civic participation. It illustrated that Europeans are committed to the values of 
solidarity, justice and inclusion and it showed that the European institutions play their role in 
promoting volunteering. 

1 

2 
3 

4 

Council  Decision  N°  37/2010/EC  on  the  European  Year  of  Voluntary  Activities  Promoting  Active 
Citizenship, (2011) of 27 November 2009, OJ L 17, 22.1.2010, p. 43-49. 
Evaluation of the European Year of Volunteering 2011, Deloitte, June 2012. 
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on Voluntary activity: its role in European 
society and its impact; SOC/243-EESC 1575/2006. 
Written Declaration on announcing 2011 as the European Year of Volunteering, of 9.4.2008. 

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1.2. 

The European Year 2011 and its objectives 

Fully  respecting  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  the  EYV2011  was  designed  to  encourage  the 
efforts undertaken by Member States, regional and local authorities to create better conditions 
and  higher  visibility  for  voluntary  activities  in  the  European  Union,  by  pursuing  four 
objectives: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

To  work  towards  an  enabling  environment  for  volunteering  in  the  EU  in  order  to 
anchor volunteering as part of promoting civic participation; 

To  empower  organisers  of  voluntary  activities  to  improve  the  quality  of  voluntary 
activities; 

To recognise voluntary activities; 

To raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering. 

2. 

WHAT DID THE EUROPEAN YEAR ACHIEVE?  

2.1. 

Context 

EYV  2011  took  place  against  the  backdrop  of  the  global  economic  crisis.  This  situation 
provided  the  background  against  which  citizens  recognised  the  importance  of  community-
based  solidarity  built  on  the  commitment  of  individual  volunteers,  thus  becoming  more 
receptive to the ideas and values of volunteering and its role in fostering civic participation.  

In this context, the EYV 2011 showed the need to further develop quality volunteering in an 
appropriate  legal  framework.  Volunteering  was  recognised  as  an  expression  of  solidarity 
amongst  citizens  contributing  to  the  well-being  of  our  society  and  to  counterbalance  social 
exclusion,  poverty,  intolerance,  racism,  xenophobia  and  injustice.  In  this  respect,  the  EYV 
2011  made  a  natural  link  to  the  preceding  2010  European  Year  for  Combating  Poverty  and 
Social Exclusion. 

2.2. 

A firm political commitment  

The EYV 2011 acted as a catalyst for policy changes both at European and national level. A 
number of important policy documents were adopted already during the year: 

The Commission adopted a "Communication on EU Policies and Volunteering: Recognising 
and Promoting Cross-border Voluntary activities in the EU"5.  

The Council, under Polish Presidency, adopted Conclusions on the role of voluntary activities 
in  social  policy6  as  well  as  on  the  role  of  voluntary  activities  in  sport  in  promoting  active 
citizenship7.  

5 

6 
7 

Communication on EU Policies and volunteering: Recognising and Promoting Cross-Border Voluntary 
Activities in the EU", COM(2011) 568 final of 20.09.2011. 
Council Conclusions on the role of voluntary activities in social policy of 3 October 2011; 
Council  Conclusions  on  the role  of  voluntary  activities  in  sport  in  promoting  active  citizenship of 28 
and 29.11.2011; 

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In  March  2012,  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  adopted  its  Opinion  on  the 
Commission Communication of September 20118. 

In June 2012 the European Parliament adopted a "Report on recognising and promoting cross-
border voluntary activities in the European Union"9. 

At European level, a set of further measures will facilitate volunteering in general, and cross-
border volunteering in particular: 

The  European  Year  of  Active  Ageing  and  Intergenerational  Solidarity  2012  (EY  2012)  has 
taken up the topic of volunteering by promoting senior volunteering. One of its key actions, 
the European Seniorforce Day, invited local authorities and volunteering organisations to find 
new ways of engaging senior citizens in volunteering activities. 

The European Year of Citizens 2013 will build upon the achievements of EYV 2011.  

In the context of the Europe 2020 strategy and the flagship initiatives "Youth on the Move" 
and  "An  Agenda  for  New  Skills  and  Jobs", the  Commission  made  a  proposal  for  a  Council 
Recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning10 to boost skills and 
competences acquired outside school through activities like volunteering". 

At a practical level, the European Skills Passport, i.e. a new electronic folder enabling citizens 
to present their skills and qualifications profiles, acquired either in formal and/or non-formal 
learning, will also consequently have a volunteering dimension. 

EU  funding  programmes  in  different  policy  areas,  such  as  the  European  Voluntary  Service 
(EVS)  of  the  Youth  in  Action  programme11,  the  Europe  for  Citizens  programme12  and  the 
Grundtvig  programme13  and  the  future  Education,  Training,  Youth  and  Sport  programme 
(Commission proposal "Erasmus for all")14 will continue targeting volunteers. 

A European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (EU Aid Volunteers) foreseen by Art 214 (5) 
TFEU will be set up in 2014 following three years of preparatory measures15.  

In  addition,  initiatives  are  underway  to  help  mainstream  volunteering  into  EU  policies,  for 
example the renewed EU strategy 2011-14 for Corporate Social Responsibility16.  

8 

9 

10 
11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

Opinion  of  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  on  the  "Communication  from  the 
Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee 
and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  –  Communication  on  EU  Policies  and  Volunteering:  Recognising 
and  Promoting  Cross-Border  voluntary  activities  in  the  EU"  of  28  March  2012,  SOC  431-CESE 
824/2012; 
Report  on  recognising  and  promoting  cross-border  voluntary  activities  in  the  EU"  of  12  June  2012, 
European Parliament, A7-0166/2012/P7_TA(2°12)0236; 
COM(2012)485 of 5.9.2012. 
Decision  N°  1719/2006/EC of  the European  Parliament  and of  the  Council  of 15.11.2006, OJ  L 327, 
24.11.2006, p. 30-44;  
Decision  N°  1904/2006/EC of  the European  Parliament  and of  the  Council  of 12.12.2006, OJ  L 378, 
27.12.2006, p. 32-40; 
Decision  N°  1720/2006/EC of  the European  Parliament  and of  the  Council  of 15.11.2006, OJ  L 327, 
24.11.2006, p. 45ff. 
Erasmus for all: The EU Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport, COM (2011)787 final 
of 23.11.2011. 
COM(2012)514 of 19.09.2012. 

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At the same time, the EYV 2011 acknowledged the need for stronger engagement at national 
level.  It  is  at  Member  States'  level  that  remaining  obstacles  impeding  volunteering  can  be 
removed. The EYV 2011 showed that volunteering is an essentially local phenomenon: most 
volunteers  are  engaged  at  local  or  regional  level.  However,  one  of  the  findings  of  the  EYV 
2011  is  that  Member  States  can  contribute  to  the  development  of  volunteering  by  opening 
national volunteering schemes for cross-border volunteering. 

The National Coordinating Bodies of the EYV 2011 developed into a strong network and, as a 
result of their cooperation, adopted the "Warsaw Declaration for Sustainability of Action on 
Voluntary Activities and Active Citizenship" at the closing conference of the European Year 
in December 2011. 

2.3. 

Creating an enabling environment for volunteering in Europe 

Creating  an  enabling  environment  was  a  particularly  ambitious  objective  of  the  EYV  2011. 
While the importance of an enabling environment was recognised in all Member States, views 
differed  as  to  the  extent  to  which  regulation  is  the  solution  to  an  improved  environment. 
Whereas 12  countries had a  legal framework specific to the voluntary  sector in place at the 
beginning of the European Year (BE, CY, CZ, HU, IT, LV, LU, MT, PL, PT, RO, ES), in 12 
other Member States the voluntary sector was governed through other existing general laws 
(AT,  DK,  EE,  FI,  FR,  DE,  GR,  IE,  LT,  NL,  SE,  UK)17.  A  specific  legal  framework  was 
created for the first time in Slovakia, Slovenia and Lithuania during 2011. In Bulgaria a law 
on  volunteering  was  elaborated  during  2011  and  adopted  in  2012.  Poland  adopted  a  new 
strategy  on  volunteering,  Austria  renewed  its  law  on  volunteering  and  Portugal  prepared  a 
new law to be adopted in 2012. The idea of a European Charter for Volunteering, built on a 
rights-based  approach  and  initiated  by  the  European  Youth  Forum,  was  discussed  during 
2011.  

Regarding  the  admission  of  non-EU  volunteers  in  the  European  Union,  the  Commission 
published in 2011 its first Report on the application of the Council Directive 2004/114/EC on 
the  conditions  of  admission  for  third  country  nationals  for  the  purpose  of  studies,  pupil 
exchange, unremunerated training or voluntary service18.  

The  European  Year  was  useful  in  encouraging  Member  States  to  implement  the  Manual  on 
the Measurement of Volunteer Work that was officially endorsed by the International Labour 
Organisation during the European Year.  

The ILO's Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work of March 2011 is intended to 
guide  countries  in  generating  systematic  and  internationally  comparable  data  on  volunteer 
work  via  regular  supplements  to  labour  force  surveys.  The  objective  is  to  improve  the 
knowledge base about volunteering and to establish its economic value. 

Poland and Hungary were the first European countries to implement the ILO Manual in 2011. 
Italy  will  adopt  it  in  2012,  and  Slovakia  has  used  its  methodology  for  its  national  research 

16 

17 
18 

A  renewed  EU  strategy  2011-14  for  Corporate  Social  Responsibility,  COM(2011)  681  final  of 
25.10.2011. 
Volunteering in the European Union, Study by the European Commission – DG EAC, GHK, 2010. 
Report  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  the  application  of  the 
Council  Directive  2004/114/EC  on  the  conditions  of  admission  for  third  country  nationals  for  the 
purpose of studies, pupil exchange, unremunerated training or voluntary service, COM (2011) 587 final 
of 28.09.2011. 

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France,  Latvia,  the  Czech  Republic,  Portugal,  Spain  and  Montenegro,  which  is  a  candidate 
country for EU membership, have shown interest in following suite.  

2.4. 

Empowering volunteering organisations  

The EYV 2011 has been a significant incentive to empower volunteering organisations and to 
strengthen  partnerships  amongst  them.  In  particular,  the  EYV2011  Alliance  played  an 
important  role  in  facilitating  networking  and  cooperation  between  stakeholders  of  the 
European  Year  and  succeeded  in  making  heard  the  voice  of  civil  society.  Having  a  single 
umbrella  group  with  which  to  coordinate  civil  society  activities  and  policy  inputs  was  an 
efficient  way  to  cooperate  with  civil  society  and  to  reach  out  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
volunteers and potential volunteers.  

In the medium and longer term, the work of the EYV2011 Alliance working groups which led 
to the elaboration of a civil society Policy Agenda on Volunteering in Europe (P.A.V.E) can 
be expected to be effective in improving the quality of volunteer management.  

The EYV 2011 Alliance was set up in 2007 as an open, informal group of European networks 
active in volunteering to work together on the promotion and implementation of EYV 2011. 
The  network  grew  from  24  networks  in  July  2010  to  39  networks  in  December  201119, 
representing  around  2,000  direct  member  and  partner  organisations  throughout  Europe  and 
beyond.  

The objectives of the EYV 2011 Alliance included the development of a Policy Agenda on 
Volunteering  in  Europe  (P.A.V.E.) which  was  officially  submitted  to  the  European 
Commission  at  the  EYV2011  closing  conference  in  December  2011.  The  preparatory  work 
took place largely in the framework of six working groups that met five times during 2011. 
P.A.V.E. provides policy recommendations by the volunteering stakeholder community for a 
more efficient and effective policy framework in Europe to support and promote volunteers. 

2.5. 

Recognising voluntary activity 

The  recognition  of  voluntary  activities  was  perceived  as  an  important  objective  of  the 
EYV2011.  This  was  reflected  through  a  high  number  of  award  schemes  and  ceremonies 
developed  throughout  the  EU  to  recognise  and  thank  the  volunteers.  For  example,  the 
Netherlands  organised  a  "Week  of  Applause"  and  Romania,  Hungary,  Ireland  and  Slovenia 
held national award ceremonies for the recognition of volunteers. 

The first thematic conference of the European Year was dedicated to the theme of recognition 
and existing mechanisms for promoting the validation of the skills and competences that can 
be gained in the course of a volunteering activity. The European Qualifications Framework, 
Europass  and  the  Youthpass  are  examples  of  useful  instruments  at  European  level  in  this 
context.  

19 

AGE,  AEVSO,  AVSO,  Caritas  Europe,  COFACE,  CVA,  CSR  Europe,  ENGAGE,  Erasmus  Student 
Network, Euclid Network, Eurodiaconia, EAPN, CEDAG, ENGSO, ENGSO Youth, ESAN, AEGEE, 
CEV,  YFJ,  ICYE,  ISGF,  Johanniter  International,  MHE,  Red  Cross,  Social  Platform,  SOLIDAR, 
ALDA,  CESES,  EUCIS-LLL,  EFIL,  FEBA,  EURAG,  EJJO,  ENNA,  IPPF  EN,  ISCA,  WAGGS, 
WOSM, Volonteurope. 

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2.6. 

Awareness-raising on the value of volunteering 

Raising awareness about the value of volunteering was recognised as an important objective 
of  EYV  2011  at  European  level  and  in  the  Member  States.  The  European  communication 
campaign and the national campaigns contributed to meeting this objective. In many Member 
States,  the  European  campaign  helped  complement  existing  awareness  raising  activities  by 
providing additional resources.  

Beyond this, the EYV 2011 generated wide written and electronic press coverage.  

3. 

EUROPEAN YEAR 2011: IMPLEMENTATION AND KEY ACTIVITIES  

In 2011, a total budget of € 7.700 million supported  activities at European level and in the 27 
EU Member States.  

A  separate  budget  of  €  2.994  million  for  preparatory  actions  had  been  available  in  2010  to 
develop  an  information  and  communication  campaign  for  the  EYV2011  and  to  set  up  the 
coordination structure bringing together the main stakeholders at European level. 

3.1. 

Implementation of EYV 2011 in Member States 

In order to organise its participation in the European Year, each Member State designated a 
National Coordination Body (NCB), the range of which showed the diversity of volunteering 
traditions in the Member States.  

NCBs  were  granted  a  total  of  €  3.549  million  to   coordinate  national  EYV2011  activities  in 
line with a national work programme developed by each NCB and approved by the European 
Commission. In each country, the amount received had to be matched by at least 20% of co-
funding; some countries provided more than the requested minimum.  

In  the  Member  States,  many  activities  took  place  at  national,  regional  and  local  level, 
including: 

• 

• 

• 

Awareness-raising 
events, 
competitions  and  award  ceremonies,  websites,  leaflets,  promotional  items,  media 
work, social networking, etc.); 

campaigns,  visibility 

(communication 

activities 

Debates (conferences, seminars, meetings, etc.); 

Expertise-related activities (research, studies, publications, etc.). 

The national communication campaigns had a good impact as they were tailored to national 
circumstances.  Cooperation  with  the  Representation  Offices  of  the  Commission  in  the 
Member States and with the Europe Direct Network helped reaching out to a broader public. 
The  Year  complemented  existing  national  programmes  and  activities  in  the  area  of 
volunteering by providing funding and helped giving them a European dimension.  

Many examples of good practice and innovative actions have been collected at national and at 
local level (see annex 1 for examples of good practice in the Member States). 

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3.2. 

European Flagship Projects 

A call for proposals for flagship initiatives was launched in October 2010, and a total of 33 
projects  were  selected  in  March  2011  to  promote  networking  and  innovation  in  the  field  of 
volunteering. This corresponds to  one project per country in fourteen Member States, while 
two  projects  obtained  funding  in  France,  Germany,  Greece,  Italy,  Malta,  Spain,  Poland  and 
the UK and three in Portugal.  

The  budget  allocated  to  the  co-financing  of  flagship  projects  was  €1.964  million.  The 
Commission's  co-financing  was  limited  to  a  maximum  of  60%  of  a  project’s  total  eligible 
costs. 

Priority  was  given  to  projects  testing  and  developing  new  and  innovative  schemes  and 
building long-term partnerships between civil society organisations and public sector bodies 
involved in volunteering. In addition, some themes were prioritised, i.e. employer-supported 
volunteering, mobility schemes in volunteering for people of all ages with a special focus on 
young  people,  social  exclusion,  and  senior  volunteering  (see  annex  2  for  examples  of 
successful flagship projects).  

A  number  of  innovative  approaches  to  volunteering  were  introduced  through  the  European 
flagship projects and spread through the partnerships that have been established through the 
call  for  proposals.  However,  the  potential  of  the  flagship  projects  was  not  always  fully 
exploited in terms of results dissemination. 

3.3. 

Awareness-raising at EU level 

Awareness of the Year amongst relevant stakeholders and the general public was promoted by 
means of a series of actions.  

These actions consisted of four blocks: 

The EYV2011 Tour: 

A  one  year  road-show,  called  the  EYV  Tour,  through  the  capitals  of  all  Member  States  was 
organised.  National  Coordinating  Bodies  were  requested  to  liaise  with  the  local  volunteer 
community  and  develop  the  programme  of  activities  for  the  tour  stop  in  their  country.  The 
idea behind was to offer a moment in the spotlight for local and national volunteering work, 
as  well  as  a  platform  for  networking  and  exchange  of  best  practices  among  national 
stakeholders.  

The EYV Tour was more successful in some countries than in others. Success factors appear 
to have been a high level of commitment on the part of both national and city authorities, a 
feeling  of  empowerment  on  the  part  of  the  voluntary  sector,  a  central  location  and  outdoor 
activities  to  attract  visitors.  Complementarity  with  showcasing  other  EU  programmes,  e.g. 
Youth  in  Action  and  Grundtvig  and  cooperation  with  the  Commission  Representations  and 
the Europe Direct Networks underlined the European dimension. 

The EYV2011 conferences: 

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The Media Launch of the EYV 2011 took place in Brussels in December 2010, and four EU-
level thematic conferences were organised during 2011.  

On  8  January  2011,  the  European  Year  was  officially  launched  in  Budapest  by  the  Vice-
President  of  the  European  Commission,  Viviane  Reding,  at  a  half-day  conference.  The 
Conference  targeted  mainly  policy-makers  on  the  theme  of  'recognition  of  volunteering'. 
Staffan  Nilsson,  President  of  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  attended  the 
event. 

On  23  and  24  May  2011,  a  two-day  thematic  conference  co-organised  with  the  European 
Economic and Social Committee was held in Brussels with the aim of tackling various issues 
in volunteering from the viewpoint of the individual volunteer. This conference was attended 
by  the  President  of  the  European  Parliament,  Jerzy  Buzek,  Vice-President  of  the  European 
Commission  Viviane  Reding  and  Staffan  Nilsson,  President  of  the  European  Economic  and 
Social Committee. 

On  3  and  4  November  2011,  a  1½-day  conference  on  the  theme  'Empowering  volunteering 
organisations' took place in Athens, with the participation of Vice-President Viviane Reding 
and Commissioner Maria Damanaki focusing on the 'quality of volunteering'.  

The closing conference of EYV 2011 was held on 2 and 3 December 2011 in Warsaw. This 
policy-oriented conference, with the participation of Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva, set 
the  scene  for  policy  development  and  continued  action  at  EU,  national  and  regional  levels, 
aiming at improving the situation for volunteering in the years to come.  

These thematic conferences were very well received by the participants. According to surveys 
conducted  after  the  four  conferences,  a  large  majority  of  participants  felt  that  the  European 
conferences had been worthwhile or very worthwhile, and their networking effect was felt to 
have been important. 

The EYV2011 website: 

The official website of the EYV2011 communication activities (www.europa.eu/volunteering) 
was designed to be interactive, participative and to build a sense of community. Content was 
provided  -  and  uploaded  -  by  the  relays  (see  below),  by  volunteers  sharing  their  personal 
stories and by NCBs. Some more generic information on volunteering, some media extracts, 
reports and photos on the EYV2011 Tour were also available on the site.  

The website attracted a large number of visitors, however the evaluation pointed out that its 
design could have been done in a way to make the website more user friendly. 

The EYV2011 relay: 

One young volunteer reporter per Member State was selected to produce video material and 
text on the implementation of EYV 2011 in another Member State. The videos were uploaded 
on the EYV 2011 website, and a short compilation film of extracts of the resulting videos was 
produced.  

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The EYV 2011 relay reports were highly visited by website users, but could, according to the 
evaluation, have been more closely integrated with the other activities of the European Year.  

3.4. 

EYV 2011 Alliance  

In 2010, an action grant of € 400,000 was allocate d to the EYV2011 Alliance, a coordinating 
structure that brought together key European networks and organisations active in the area of 
volunteering. Website: www.eyv2011.eu. 

In line with a work plan approved by the Commission, the EYV2011 Alliance undertook to 
complement  the  Commission's  information  and  communication  activities  by  carrying  out 
activities  specifically  aimed  at  engaging  volunteers  and  civil  society  organisations  and  by 
coordinating  six  working  groups  whose  work  culminated  in  the  production  of  a  "Policy 
Agenda on Volunteering in Europe" (P.A.V.E), a key contribution to the European Year by 
civil society. 

4. 

CONCLUSIONS  

The European Year of Volunteering has had a positive impact on the world of volunteering, 
both at European and at national level. The objectives and activities of the Year were relevant, 
and  the  targeted,  results-oriented  approach  was  successful  in  reaching  the  objectives  in  all 
Member States, even though the impact varied according to specific national situations. 

The  European  Year  created  and  catalysed  changes  in  the  volunteering  environment  at 
European and national level and led to the adoption or modification of volunteering strategies 
and legislation in some Member States. It empowered organisers to improve quality, and to 
focus  attention  on  areas  such  as  corporate  volunteering  and  volunteering  as  a  non-formal 
learning  experience.  It  increased  the  recognition  of  volunteering  through  a  wide  range  of 
initiatives and raised awareness of volunteering and its value to society through the media and 
the  European  communication  campaign.  The  national  activities  had  a  valuable  multiplier 
effect for these EU-level activities.  

The European Year contributed above all to the development of networks and new initiatives. 
It  complemented  existing  activities  and  it  highlighted  the  European  dimension  of 
volunteering.  

The EYV 2011 left a legacy in the continuation of activities and structures which were put in 
place during 2011 and in the adoption of good practices that will bring changes in the years to 
come.  

The EYV 2011 triggered the adoption of five EU policy documents dealing with volunteering 
in the European Union, i.e. a Commission Communication, two sets of Council Conclusions, 
an Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee and a Report of the European 
Parliament20.  

The  European  Year  of  Active  Ageing  2012  has  ensured  some  continuity  with  EYV  2011 
through  some  specific  actions.  Sustainability  will  be  assured  through  synergies  with  the 
European Year of Citizens 2013. By organising a series of European years on themes related 
to  citizenship  focussing  on  different  aspects  (European  Year  for  Combating  Poverty  and 
Social  Exclusion  2010,  European  Year  of  Volunteering  2011,  European  Year  of  Active 

20 

For references see footnotes 5-9. 

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Ageing  and  Intergenerational  Solidarity  2012  and  European  Year  of  Citizens  2013)  the 
Commission  contributes  to  exploring  the  concept  of  civic  engagement  in  its  different 
dimensions. 

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ANNEX  

ANNNEX 1: THE EYV 2011 IN FIGURES 

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27 Member States involved; 

4 EU high visibility events (Budapest, Brussels, Athens and Warsaw); 

A  number  of  visibility  events  hosted  by  European  institutions,  such  as  the  2nd 
Volunteering  Convention  and  stakeholder  conference  organised  by  the  European 
Youth Forum and hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee and the 
European Parliament and the Forum "Regional and local authorities in action during 
the EYV 2011" organised by the Committee of the Regions; 

Four  public  hearings  on  volunteering  organised  by  the  European  Economic  and 
Social Committee; 

Many  national,  regional  and  local  activities  promoted  by  national  coordinating 
bodies or civil society in all 27 Member States; 

A  total  budget  of  €  6.021  million  for  the  ac tivities  implemented  in  the  Member 
States; 

An  average  national  co-funding  rate  of  41.04  %  for  national  activities  of  the 
European Year through national budgets; 

A total budget of € 3.274 million for the European Flagship Projects;  

An average co-funding rate of 40.99 % for the European Flagship Projects; 

Total budget of € 10.694 million (EU budget)  + € 2.471 million (national budget) + € 
1.342 million (co-funding flagship projects), i.e. a total budget of € 14.507 million ; 

More than 56,000 visitors of the EYV 2011 Tour; 

950  workshops  and  debates  on  volunteering  issues  and  261  cultural  performances 
organised during the EYV 2011 Tour; 

1,660 organisations participating in the EYV 2011 Tour; 

Thousands of printed/online articles on the European Year and the EYV 2011 Tour; 

366,172  unique  visitors  on  the  EYV  2011  website,  and  1.556  million  pages  have 
been visited; 

More than 3,880 pictures uploaded to the EYV 2011 website; 

More than 420 videos uploaded to the EYV 2011 website; 

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• 

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The EYV2011 video clips viewed more than 26,000 times; 

27  Written  reports  +  daily  chronicles,  pictures  and  videos  from  EYV  2011  relay 
reporters in all Member States; 

More than 1.2 million on-line visitors of the relay reports. 

2  175  527  volunteer  hours  registered  on  the  website  of  the  EYV  2011  Alliance 
www.eyv2011.eu. 

ANNEX 2:  ACTIVITIES IN MEMBER STATES: EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE 

AUSTRIA 

On 17 and 18 June, volunteering organisations across Austria organised for the first time a National 
Day of Volunteering under the title "Tag der freiwilligen Überraschungen". The idea was to have a 
day of open doors showing voluntary activities taking place in Austria and inviting interested citizens 
to  join  the  efforts  and  to  commit  themselves.  A  database  was  created  enabling  interested  citizens  to 
find a volunteering opportunity according to their specific interests or in their  neighbourhood. More 
than  600  events  took  place  across  the  country  and  more  than  10,000  citizens  participated  in  the 
activities.  

BELGIUM 

On 15 November 2011, volunteers from the three communities of Belgium met representatives of the 
Belgian  Royal  Family.  In  his  Christmas  message  2011,  the  King  thanked  the  volunteers  for  their 
engagement. An exhibition portraying 52 volunteers travelled through the French-speaking community 
of  Belgium  and  76,000  trees  (one  for  each  inhabitant)  were  planted  by  volunteers  in  the  German-
speaking community. 

BULGARIA 

The ministry of Physical Education and Sports and the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad organised 
a  conference  in  Bansko  with  the  participation  of  250  children  of  the  Bulgarian  communities  in 
Macedonia,  Serbia,  Albania,  Romania,  Moldova  and  Ukraine.  At  this  occasion,  a  Forest  of 
Volunteering was planted in Bansko. 

CYPRUS 

The EYV Tour stop in Nicosia between 4 and 6 of April 2011 was opened by Ms Elsie Christofia, the 
First Lady of the Republic of Cyprus. Volunteer organisations presented their experience and activities 
in areas such as sports, youth, drug prevention, road safety, senior citizen’s assistance. Municipalities 
showed examples of how to help the others and what a great experience volunteering can be. Visitors 
had the chance to get a first aid course on the spot or to learn to express basic things by sign language. 

CZECH REPUBLIC 

In the Czech Republic, a new website about volunteering was launched in January 2011 and became 
the  national website  for  all  voluntary organizations.  In  November  2011,  a  database  listing  voluntary 
opportunities  was  added  to  this  website  enabling  organizations  to  publish  advertisements  and 
volunteers  to  search  for  voluntary  organizations.  EYV  2011  also  provided  the  occasion  for  a 
publication  presenting  twenty-two  portraits  of  individual  volunteers:  young,  elderly,  men,  women, 

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college  or  high-school  graduates,  people  from  big  cities  or  from  the  country.  The  publication  was 
produced in Czech and in English. 

DENMARK 

The  Danish  EYV  Tour  took  place  from  1  to  3  August  in  a  tent  located  in  the  Axel  Torv  square  in 
Copenhagen  under  the  motto  "The  many  faces  of  volunteering"  with  the  aim  of  highlighting  the 
diversity of volunteering in Denmark. Volunteering organisations had the opportunity to present their 
projects  and  activities.  More  than  28  organisations  participated.  A  photo  exhibition,  music 
performances,  a  foot  soccer  competition,  a  fashion  show  and  first  aid  demonstrations  took  place  to 
attract visitors, and a marketplace for organisations was built up inside the tent.  

ESTONIA 

In Estonia, a two-month pilot program for employee volunteering in the corporate and public sector 
was  developed  to  send  volunteers  from  five  companies  and  five  ministries  to  20  non-governmental 
organisations. The program was aimed at promoting the cooperation between three sectors: volunteers, 
NGOs  and  public  sector.  As  a  result,  28  volunteers  committed  an  estimated  160-226  hours  of 
volunteer work. In addition, NGOs learned how to engage professionals and employees became more 
aware of volunteering and its benefits. A follow-up program will be coordinated by NENO (Network 
of Estonian Non-profit Organisations) in a bit different form and funded by the Estonian Ministry of 
the Interior.  

FINLAND 

EYV2011's  www.tuntitili.fi  website  includes  a  search  engine  suitable  for  finding  volunteering 
opportunities.  More  than  120  organisations  from  different  sectors  took  part  in  the  creation  of  the 
engine's database which gives visitors the opportunity to leave their personal contact information and 
to mention how much time they are willing to volunteer in a given project. By December 2011, more 
than  99,000  hours  were  committed.  The  search  engine  was  advertised  in  magazines,  libraries  and 
social media. 

FRANCE 

In  France,  the  project  "Action  de  sensibilisation  des  jeunes"  was  developed  to  raise  young  people's 
awareness  for  the  theme  of  volunteering  and  to  mobilise  them.  This  project  was  coordinated  by  a 
group of associations and representatives of French ministries. A group of young ambassadors who are 
themselves  volunteers  was  trained  to  discuss  with  pupils  and  students  about  volunteering.  The 
ministries sent a letter to school directors asking them to invite these ambassadors to their schools. A 
guide for teachers and school directors as well as a leaflet for different age groups were distributed in 
the schools. Approximately 10,000 young people were reached by the project.  

GERMANY 

The  international  project  „Sieben  Brücken,  die  verbinden"  took  place  in  five  European  countries 
(Denmark,  Poland,  Czech  Republic,  Austria  and  Germany)  with  very  different  definitions  and 
traditions  of  volunteering.  It  was  developed  by  the  Social  Academy  of  Potsdam  AWO  SANO  in 
cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. On the 
German side, the project involved volunteering stakeholders from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, 
Brandenburg,  Saxony  and  Bavaria.  The  aim  of  the  project  was  to  allow  participants  to  meet  in  a 
European  context,  to  learn  from  each  other  and  to  discuss  the  role  civic  engagement  plays  in  each 
participating country.  

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GREECE 

In  Greece,  it  was  decided  to  combine  non-formal  education  with  the  formal  educational  system  by 
producing  an  educational  manual  on  volunteering  targeting  students  in  secondary  schools.  The  idea 
behind was to foster a new culture of volunteering from an early stage of young people’s development. 
The  manual  will  be  made  available  online  and  distributed  in  schools.  It  will  contain  general 
information  on  volunteering,  its  character,  what  volunteering  is  and  what  it  is  not,  its  benefits  and 
disadvantages,  motives  for  volunteering,  the  history  of  volunteering,  volunteering  stories,  existing 
volunteering programs and concrete explanations on how to plan and organise a voluntary activity in 
the classroom. It will contain photos and a cartoon.  

HUNGARY 

The big waste collecting initiative “TeSzedd! Volunteer for a clean Hungary”, one of the most visible 
activities of the EYV 2011 in Hungary, was organised by the Ministry of Public Administration and 
Justice and the Ministry of Rural Development. More than 160,000 participants registered through the 
webpage. On  21  May  2011,  several  groups  of  local  volunteers  cleaned  their  environment  with  the 
assistance of a network of county coordinators. Individuals, civil organisations, companies, ministries, 
local  governments,  and  institutions  joined  the  campaign  in  a  total  of  1,500  locations  all  around 
Hungary.  As  a  result,  thousands  of  tons  of  waste  were  collected.  A  countrywide  campaign  on  TV, 
radio, newspapers, and the social media was organised to announce the “TeSzedd!” waste collecting 
event.  

IRELAND 

The  Irish  NCB  along  with  more  than  20  Volunteer  Centres  co-ordinated  the  National  Day  of 
Volunteering on 30 September 2011. The flagship event for this day was a national 'knit-a-thon' where 
thousands of volunteers across the country knitted scarves, hats and mittens for charity organisations. 
Schools across the country got involved by fundraising and hands-on volunteering projects. More than 
10,000  volunteers  took  part  in  the  project  across  the  country.  Staff  from  businesses  all  over  Ireland 
gave time and energy in volunteering projects nationwide. Five Presidential candidates participated in 
an event in Dublin. The National Day of volunteering was extensively covered in print, broadcast and 
online media. 

ITALY 
In the framework of the EYV 2011 and the celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of Italy’s Unity, the 
project  CSVnet  aimed  at  the  national  coordination  of  the  service  centres  for  volunteering  by 
developing a participative process that  led to the creation of a Manifesto for the promotion of youth 
volunteering  and  the  organisation  of  a  visibility  event  of  young  people.  The  project  and  the  study 
"When young people participate" promoted by CSVnet and the National Youth Forum showed that the 
way  young  people  relate  to  school,  work  and  volunteering  has  undergone  constant  change  and  that 
therefore it is crucial to involve young people when designing and implementing volunteering actions 
for young people.  

LATVIA 

One  of  the  successful  Latvian  initiatives  of  EYV  2011  was  the  setting  up  of  virtual  “meeting 
platforms"  promoting  volunteering  to  foster  cooperation  among  volunteers  and  “volunteer  work 
suppliers”. As a result of an open call for project proposals, four NGO’s projects were supported with 
the  aim  to  develop  and  promote  communication  platforms  encouraging  volunteering  and  motivating 
various  groups  of  society,  in  particular  young  people  to  volunteer.  The  project  provided  the 
opportunity for national and local institutions to choose volunteers as well as for volunteers to find a 
volunteer placement. The virtual volunteering placement database will continue after 2011. 

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LITHUANIA 

A showcasing Lithuanian example promoting voluntary activities at regional level was the competition 
“Capital  of  voluntary  activities”.  Five  cities  (Birzai,  Alytus,  Kedainiai,  Siauliai  and  Palanga)  were 
selected to be the Capital of voluntary activities for one month. During the project, hundreds of events 
took place in which thousands of people participated. Activities varied from city to city ranging from 
charity  actions  and  concerts  to  sport  events,  environmental  protection  actions,  art  competitions, 
animals'  rights  protection  to  reading  fairy  tales  for  children  in  public  parks  and  establishing  local 
volunteer  centres.  The  activities  brought  together  representatives  of  local  authorities,  businesses  and 
local people around a common theme.  

LUXEMBOURG 

In Luxembourg, the "Fête du Bénévolat" celebrated in Schengen was a very successful cross-border 
event. Thanks to the participation of French and German partners it reflected the European character 
of the year. The aim was to thank the volunteers for their engagement for society. Highlights of the 
day  were  performances  by  fire-brigades  and  rescue  workers,  music  performances  and  games  for 
children.  

MALTA 

The European Tour of the EYV2011 had its last stop in Malta from 28 November to 5 December. For 
this  purpose,  a  tent  was  set  up  in  the  Old  Bus  Terminus  in  Valletta.  The  Malta  Council  for  the 
Voluntary  Sector  made  15  stands  available  for  local  volunteering  organisations  to  give  them  the 
opportunity  to  showcase  their  activities.  Each  day  of  the  Tour  was  dedicated  to  a  particular  theme, 
namely environment, animal welfare, arts and culture, youth, sport, social and humanitarian assistance 
and health. 

NETHERLANDS 

Dutch municipalities were invited to grant an award to excellent voluntary activities in four categories, 
i.e. the Passion Award for the individual or organisation that most put their heart and soul into their 
volunteer  work,  the  Innovation  Award  for  the  most  innovative  individual  or  organisation,  the 
Engagement Award for the individual or organisation that achieved the best results in getting people 
engaged and the Competence Award for the individual or organisation that did most in terms of talent 
development.  Based  on  the  selection  at  local  and  regional  level,  a  national  award  ceremony  was 
organised  at  the  closing  event  of  the  EYV  2011  on  7  December  in  Amsterdam  in  the  presence  of 
Princess Margriet of the Netherlands. 

POLAND 

The International Labour Organisation, the European Volunteer Measurement Project and the Polish 
Ministry of Labour and Social Policy hosted a workshop for labour statistics officials and civil society 
representatives  on  28-29  September  in  Warsaw.  The  aim  of  the  workshop  was  to  connect  statistics 
offices with  civil society groups, to provide them  with training on the  methodology in the new ILO 
Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work, to discuss the possibility for the implementation of 
the ILO Manual in EU Member States and to share practice among countries starting or considering 
the  implementation  of  the  Manual.  Poland's  Central  Statistical  Office  has  already  implemented  the 
ILO Manual.  

PORTUGAL 

On  23  and  24  May,  the  Portuguese  National  Coordinating  Body  for  the  EYV  2011  organised  a 
Seminar  under  the  theme "Volunteering  in  the  Mediterranean  -  A  Cultural  Identity" with  the 
participation of experts from France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain, representing different 

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universities  and  being  as  well  in  charge  of  volunteering  infrastructures  and  voluntary  organisations. 
The objective of the seminar was to focus on the cultural identity of volunteers (values and concepts) 
and the organisation of volunteering in each country as well as the exchange of good practice. At the 
closing session a debate on "Volunteering in times of crisis: impact and challenges", was proposed by 
Professor Rogério Roque Amaro.  

SLOVAKIA  

The Slovak road show “Caravana” extended the idea of the EYV 2011 Tour to five municipalities of 
Slovak  regions:  Košice,  Prešov,  Žilina,  Nitra  and  Komárno  giving  citizens  in  towns  outside  of 
Bratislava  the  opportunity  to  find  out  about  the  European  Year  and  its  objectives  as  well  as  about 
opportunities for volunteering in their region. Many local and regional NGOs presented their activities 
by  the  mean  of  stands,  pictures,  photos  and  videos  and  discussed  with  citizens  on  voluntary 
opportunities. Dance and music performances were organised by local cultural and art groups, 
games  and  presents  given  to  children,  contests  held  about  the  EU  and  the  EYV,  and 
information  spread  about  EU  institutions,  programmes,  initiatives  and  contact  points.  Caravana 
contributed to the networking between NGOs, policy makers, local authorities and the population and 
to bridge gaps between the capital and the remote areas.  

SLOVENIA 

In Slovenia, it was also decided not to restrict the EYV Tour to the capital, but to organise a Slovenian 
Volunteering Tour in 20 different towns of the country in order to widely promote volunteering and to 
encourage  engagement  in  voluntary  activities.  Volunteering  fairs  were  organised  to  give  the 
volunteering organisations the opportunity to present their work. Round tables, panel discussions and 
debates covered different themes, in particular youth volunteering, corporate volunteering and raising 
the  awareness  of  public  administration  on  the  importance  of  volunteering.  All  in  all,  around  400 
volunteering  organisations  participated  in  the  events.  The  Slovenian  Tour  was  widely  reported  in 
national and regional media and received positive feedback from the general public. 

SPAIN 

Within the context of the EYV 2011 Tour stop in Madrid, the intergenerational game "Dale color al 
mundo" was organised between Colleges and Secondary Schools and centres for elderly people in the 
autonomous community of Madrid. The idea behind was to develop a methodology bringing together 
young  and  elderly  people  to  discover  the  social  values  of  volunteering.  In  the  first  phase  of  the 
competition, games were organised in parallel for groups of young people and for groups of elderly. In 
the second phase, the conclusions of the young and the elderly were put together leading to common 
conclusions. The project was developed in cooperation with the Office of the European Parliament in 
Spain. It was largely reported by the Spanish media including national television. 

ROMANIA 

The Romanian National Gala for the Recognition of Volunteers and Volunteering Projects took place 
on  12  December  2011  at  the  Howard  Johnson  Grand  Plaza  Hotel  in  Bucharest.  The  event  was 
organised  by  the  NCB,  Volum  Federation  and  the  National  Agency for  Community  Programmes in 
Education and  Training.  The  awarding  process  was  structured  into  22  categories,  based  on  a 
transparent  system  of  nominations  of  volunteers  and  volunteer  projects  for  activities  implemented 
during 2011. The organizers received more than 200 proposals and half were preselected and invited 
to  the  ceremony.  An  independent  jury was  formed  to  select  the  winner.  A  „Portrait  of  a  Volunteer” 
brochure  was  published  describing  the  finalists  and  their  rewarded  activities.  The  event  was  well 
covered by the media.  

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SWEDEN 

Some 100,000 people visited the annual Göteborg Book Fair (22-25 September), where the Swedish 
NCB shared an exhibition stand with the European Commission and the European Parliament. Some 
250  people  stayed  and  listened  to  interviews  with  seven  famous  Swedish  authors  who  shared  their 
experience on what motivated them when volunteering. The Book Fair proved to be an opportunity to 
show a different perspective of these authors. It allowed the National Board for Youth Affairs to join 
forces with the European Commission and European Parliament to make a broad public pay attention 
to the European Year of Volunteering. 

UNITED KINGDOM 

As  part  of  the  UK  national  work  programme  for  EYV11,  Volunteering  England  (VE)  was 
commissioned  to  identify,  develop  and  share  good  practice  in  Employer-Supported  Volunteering 
(ESV).  In  this  context,  VE  set  up  an  online  ‘hub’  providing  information  on  ESV,  for  example  case 
studies, recent research and a comprehensive list  of both well-established and less well-known ESV 
consultants and brokers. VE asked three Volunteer Centres (local organisations providing volunteering 
infrastructure  support)  to  try  six  new  methods  of  increasing  employer  supported  volunteering.  VE 
managed to reach over 500,000 people across all sectors while using individual Volunteer Centres to 
pilot new schemes and ideas in more depth. 23 events were organised for a total of 1,700 delegates.  

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ANNEX 3:  EUROPEAN FLAGSHIP PROJECTS: EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE 

The €1.964 million allocated to the 33 flagship proj ects to cover until 60% of the total eligible 
costs in 23 Member States dealt with several areas of the volunteering sector. The activities 
concerned six different topics, divided as follows: 

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eleven  projects  which  developed  information,  promotion  and  research  (surveys, 
setting of quality standards, creative competitions to produce audio-visual material) 
on  volunteering  to  share  best  practices,  draw  greater  interest  from  the  public  and 
deepen knowledge on the issue. 

six  projects  targeting  youngsters  (in  order  to  send  them  abroad  to  volunteer,  to 
strengthen  their  awareness  and  motivation  to  engage  socially  and  to  participate  in 
voluntary  activities)  or  to  persuade  elder  people  to  spend  more  time  with  younger 
generations. 

five  projects  on  promoting  'dynamic  communities  through  committed  citizens', 
local 
supporting 
communities  and  shedding  light  on  the  social  role  of  volunteering,  both  for  the 
community and the environment; 

integration  of  migrants  and  disadvantaged  people 

the 

in 

four projects on social services (prevention of 'dangerous behaviours' and support of 
volunteering  for  social  integration  purposes)  and  volunteering  in  the  field  of  health 
care; 

four projects focused on research, exchange and dissemination of technology, with a 
focus on spreading its use among volunteers; 

three projects on employee volunteering. 

EXAMPLES OF INITIATIVES FROM FLAGSHIP PROJECTS 

European night without accident – 15 October 2011 

Volunteers are deeply involved in social activities aimed at preventing dangerous behaviours: 
the 'European Night without Accident' was a flagship project coordinated by the Responsible 
Young Drivers Foundation, Belgium throughout the 27 EU Member States during the night of 
15 to 16 October 2011. 1,000 volunteers aged 18-29 engaged to raise awareness among young 
fellow drivers to drive safely, staying away from drugs and alcohol. 

Applying a relaxed, informal and peer-based approach, the thousand volunteers were present 
in 200 nightclubs all across the EU. They installed so-called 'awareness booths' at the entrance 
of the club, asking the 'Saturday Night Fever' youngsters to take up a challenge: to blow into 
the breathalyzer before hitting the road and commit to remain sober the whole evening as sign 
of  their  commitment.  The  designated  drivers,  just  before  leaving  the  nightclub,  were 
encouraged  to  undergo  another  alcohol  test  and/or  drug  test  to  make  sure  they  would  drive 

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safely back home, setting a virtuous example for their friends and peers. 

'Digital technology at the service of volunteering and social inclusion'  

Coordinated by the 'Banco Informatico, Tecnologico e Biomedico' and ran in partnership with 
four  associations  and  a  provincial  institution  in  Italy,  this  flagship  project  contributed  to 
broaden digital access for a considerable amount of social projects. The partners joined their 
efforts  to  collect  'outdated'  technological  devices,  mainly  out  of  date  computers  and  medical 
tools which would have been thrown away, and to use them for upgrading digital knowledge 
in voluntary organisations and among disadvantaged people. 

This  initiative  has  guaranteed  better  digital  instruments  to  a  considerable  amount  of 
associations  and  the  improvement  of  'digital  skills'  through  specific  trainings  to  people  who 
mistrusted or rarely dealt with computers, and it favoured the overall dissemination of digital 
technology in the 'non-profit sector'.  

Movement of volunteer for parks 

Coordinated  by  the  Cell  of  Alternative  Youth  Activities  and  involving  four  partner 
organisations from Greece and Cyprus including a Ministry, this project motivated people of 
any age potentially interested to engage socially and to support volunteering for greener areas. 

The initiatives, i.e. conferences, workshops and research were meant to raise awareness on the 
benefits  of  volunteer  actions  in  urban  parks  and  on  the  quality  of  environment.  The  project 
provided some new scientific background knowledge in the field of volunteering for urban and 
suburban  green  space  and  parks,  adding  up  to  its  contribution  to  the  fight  against  climate 
change, especially in terms of communication and awareness raising. 

'Serve the city' 

'Serve the city' is a Portuguese project directed at homeless people and socially marginalized 
groups: five associations worked throughout the year to 'serve' disadvantaged groups in Lisbon 
offering  their  time.  The  volunteers  organized  several  community  dinners,  wherein  thanks  to 
the informal, innovative and welcoming setting, they offered the unique opportunity to these 
people  to  develop  long-term  relationships,  including  emotional,  psychological,  spiritual  and 
practical support. Differently from  regular  meals  offered  by  churches and other associations, 
where  people  may  feel  ashamed  or  uninvolved  at  the  human  level,  'Serve  the  city'  brought 
community dinners to the marginalized and homeless people gathering every evening in public 
places  waiting  for  the  food  given  by  different  organizations.  Therefore,  the  potential 

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improvements  on  the  side  of  the  volunteering  organizations  concerning  communication  and 
organisational skills were combined with an added value for the lives of the target groups. 

Broadcasting and its role in promoting volunteering 

Three  associations  (from  the  UK  and  the  Netherlands)  led  by  the  British  CSV  (Community 
Service  Volunteers)  partnered  with  the  BBC,  the  internationally  renowned  broadcaster,  to 
attract new partners and create a stronger volunteering network to share ideas and experiences 
on how to reach the public through the broadcast media.  

The most original contribution of the project comes from the attempt to promote volunteering 
through  broadcasting  at  a  European  scale.  In  a  two-days  conference  organized  in  September 
2011, delegates from many EU countries discussed how to put into action the best strategies to 
step up efforts to increase visibility and overall active participation of potential volunteers. At 
the core of the debate were strategies to enable countries where there is little or no tradition of 
either  social  action  broadcasting  and/or  volunteering  to  face  the  strongest  barriers  to  make 
people aware of volunteering and finally motivate them to be engaged socially. 

To  favour  this  process,  the  findings  of  the  conference  have  been  shown  in  the  20th  Annual 
Volonteurope Conference, which took place in Edinburgh, 20-23 October 2011.  

Volunteer! …through road safety 

The  aim  of  the  project  “Volunteer!  …through  road  safety”,  run  by  "Open  Youth",  Bulgaria 
together with two Belgian associations, a Bulgarian municipality and the Bulgarian Ministry of 
Health, is to test an approach to develop a European model of making an informed choice on 
whether  to  organize  a  one-time  volunteer  action  or  a  full-scale  volunteer  campaign,  given 
different circumstances and desired effect, built on peer-to-peer communication and promoting 
civic participation. The result of the project is a unique methodology that is easily transferable 
on European level, based on real findings. 
The  project  addresses  not  only  the  question  “What  is  it  to  be  a  volunteer?”,  but  also  gives 
concrete  answers  to  the  more  important  ones:  “Why  be  a  volunteer?”  and  “How  to  be  a 
volunteer?” 

Among other things, the project produced three Cartoon short movies (of respectively 29, 51 
and 50 seconds' duration, with themes: What? Why? How?) to pass on the volunteer message 
in a funny and unusual way. They can be seen on the website of the project: 
http://roadsafetyvolunteers.open-youth.org/index.php?lang=en 

Values and activities of volunteering and e-volunteering 

The  project  run  by  the  Polish  "Good  Network  Foundation"  together  with  three  Polish 
associations and a municipality institution consists of two complimentary activities: 
a) the ‘Key values of volunteering’ campaign which promotes various forms of volunteering 
and  raises  awareness  of  the  value  of  volunteering  in  order  to  overcome  the  narrow  and 
negative image of volunteering in Poland 
b) a European competition ‘Discover e-volunteering’ organised at European scale and focused 

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on promoting one specific form of volunteering the e-volunteering (volunteering via Internet). 
The project aims at raising awareness of the value of the volunteering, promoting the variety of 
voluntary  activities  and  encouraging  civil  society  to  benefit  from  new  types  of  volunteering 
(especially e-volunteering) in order to empower them, fight social exclusion and improve the 
quality of volunteering itself. 
The  project  includes  also  a  research  on  various  forms  and  values  of  volunteering  and  a 
collection of real stories from volunteers as an interactive and innovative way of filming and 
promoting  volunteer  stories:  users  of  the  project's  website  (www.tojestwolontariat.pl)  can 
upload their short movies.  

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