2010 Corporate Responsibility Report (Intel), Executive Summary Focus on Europe, 2010

CEV General Assembly and Symposium „Volunteering and Active Citizenship: Two sides of the same coin ?“

In 2011 we celebrate the European Year of Volunteering for the Promotion of Active Citizenship. While aspects of volunteering are widely discussed and the need to value and recognize voluntary activities is highlighted, we are still lacking a profound discussion on the link and interdependence between volunteering and active citizenship.
In this context, CEV is dedicating its 22nd Symposium to the issues of active citizenship, activism and all sorts of civic participation in the local, regional, national and European life and decision-making. But are volunteering and active citizenship projecting the same kind of engagement? What are the common points and what are the differences? How does volunteering complement active citizenship – and the other way around? Where do we draw the borderline? Or is volunteering a means to perpetuate the state of affairs instead of questioning the reality? These are the pressing issues participants explored at the CEV Symposium „Volunteering and Active Citizenship: Two sides of the same coin?".
The Symposium took place in Berlin, the Symbol of multiculturalism built on civic drive towards reunification and democracy, where participants visited local projects showcasing the power of active citizenship, divided into the following 7 thematic areas: • social inclusion and empowerment; • participation in decision-making; • cross-border community cooperation; • civil protection and humanitarian aid; • employee volunteering; • intergenerational solidarity; • sustainable development.

The Symposium aimed to accomplish the following main objectives:
1.    To further grasp the link between volunteering and active citizenship;
2.    To ensure a space for debate starting from concrete, specific projects implemented at local level by comparing and contrasting similar projects from across Europe;
3.    To identify the most effective ways to empower citizens to be active through volunteering.

The future of volunteering: concepts, trends, visions    Tallinn, Estonia 4th-6th May 2011

What do we hope for and want to see happen to the future of the voluntary sector? Do we share a vision on how to continue empowering European citizens to feel ownership of their communities and engage in voluntary activities? How does social media influence the range of opportunities to get involved? How is benefit and scepticism weighted against when thinking of cyber-volunteering, voluntourism or employee volunteering? What are our recommendations in order to make the best use of the momentum gained throughout the European Year of Volunteering 2011?

 

More than 160 participants shared their experience and views during the two-day CEV Symposium in Tallinn, Estonia, on May 4th-6th 2011. 'The future of volunteering: concepts, trends, visions' was discussed gathering reflections from representatives of CEV member organisations, researchers, civil society agents, businesses, the Polish EU presidency as well as national and local governments. The symposium was organised in partnership with CEV member organisation Volunteer Development Estonia (VDE) and it was supported by the European Commission.

CSR Europe Activity Report. The European Year of Volunteering 2011, November 2011.

CSR Europe Activity Report. The European Year of Volunteering 2011, November 2011.

Description : In it´s Communication "A renewed EU strategy 2011-14 for Corporate Social Responsibility" the EC again stresses the role of employee volunteering as an expression of CSR. The role of Trade unions and civil society organisations in identifying problems, bringing pressure for improvement and working constructively with enterprises to co-build solutions is also emphasised.

Business in the Community's Employee Volunteering Check Up is a new tool for practitioners to support the development of their organisation's volunteering programme. It is not a formal benchmark or index but a library of information, templates and tools to help and inspire good volunteering practice.

http://www.bitc.org.uk/community/employee_volunteering/employee_volunteering_check_up/index.html

The State of Health of Corporate Volunteering, the Executive Summary Report of the Global Corporate Volunteering Research Project Global Corporate Volunteering Council, IAVE - International Association for Volunteering Effort, January 2011.

The International Social Innovation Competition for Naples is open.

 

Working in partnership with local organisations and Unicredit Foundation we have identified 6 challenges in Naples such a villa confiscated to Camorra - the criminal group - to be turned into a profitable business for the community, and called social innovators to submit their solutions.

All innovators are eligible including public and private, profit and not for profit institutions, organisations and enterprises from across the world. This is an opportunity for everybody if interested in taking a challenge for the good of society testing his/her skills and creativity on a difficult ground as Naples.

An international jury will evaluate the applications and proclaim 6 winners at the international conference taking place in Naples on 21 - 23 September.

The winners will receive 10'000 € each one to transform the idea into a project working in partnership with local partners. The organisers will fundraise for the entire budget to implement every project they deem effective and sustainable.

To apply please here

Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for any enquiries.

Are you running a project in which people are helping others via the Internet? The 'Discover e-volunteering' Competition is just for you! Hurry up – there are 6 days left to join the Competition, win prizes and show Europeans how much good they can do in the Web!

 

E-volunteering is volunteering conducted via the Internet. Free Web counseling, forming assistance and self-help groups, promoting partnership, searching for information, or on-line language courses are among many examples of e-volunteering. Through this Competition we hope to show their diversity and to encourage all Europeans to undertake social activity in the Internet!

All organisations from the European Union cooperating with volunteers through the Internet may take part in the Competition. The application form is available on the website: http://www.e-volunteering.eu/competition/ . The deadline for submitting the applications is July 31, 2011.

The Competition will consist of the following stages:

• May, 25 – July, 31, 2011 - Call for appliactions
• August, 22 – September, 5, 2011 – The Competition Selection Committee selects 9-12 best projects
• September, 12 – October, 12, 2011 – On-line voting
• November 2011 – Final Gala in Warsaw

Attractive financial awards for the Competition winners are funded by the Polish Fundacja Orange (1st prize) , Fondation Orange from France (2nd Prize) and Intel Technology Poland Ltd (3rd prize). The total sum of prizes in the Competition is 6 000 euro.

'Discover e-volunteering' is the only competition, both in Poland and in Europe, which aims at honouring and promoting the most interesting projects concerning the co-operation of non-governmental organizations with the e-voluntaries seeking to help others via the Internet.
It has been also chosen by the European Commission as one of the flagship projects of the European Year of Volunteering 2011.

Detailed information on the Competition, the Regulations, and promotional materials are available on the website: http://www.e-volunteering.eu/competition/

For more information please contact:

Patrycja Rokicka

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Marzena Kacprowicz

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The European edition of 'Discover e-volunteering' is organized by the Good Network Foundation and Fundacja Orange, in cooperation with Competition Partners. The European edition of 'Discover e-volunteering' competition is pursued under the project 'Values ​​and activities of volunteering and e-volunteering' co-financed by the European Union. The European Union is not responsible for any content generated by the project.