ENGSO Youth Volunteer Award 2011
In order to promote and encourage volunteering within the youth sport sector in Europe and put on display what is already taking place, ENGSO Youth established Volunteer Award in 2010. This award rewards one young volunteer in recognition of their exceptional involvement in sport in Europe. The award is not an incentive for becoming more active in volunteering, but a recognition of an outstanding achievement of volunteering. Every year Volunteer Award is presented to young volunteers aged between 18 and 35.This year ENGSO Youth Volunteer Award has been given to Heidi Tamminen, a 27 years old volunteer in youth sport from Finland. Heidi received 2011 Volunteer Award during ENGSO Youth General Assembly in Tallin, 19th-22nd of May, and explained why she chose to become volunteer: "The reason why I started to volunteer and why I am still involved in it is because by doing volunteer work I have an opportunity to have an influence on the field of sports, it's empowering on a personal level and it's motivating. Volunteer work can give you so much, it offers you opportunities for experience that you couldn't get anywhere else".
ENGSO Youth is the non-profit youth organization of ENGSO (European Non-Governmental Sport Organization) with 40 members, which are national umbrella organizations for sport from across Europe. ENGSO Youth focuses on the European youth sport for all sectors. Because we give priority to the fun and enjoyment of sport our responsibilities reach far beyond the pure sport side. We stand up for youth sport activities outside the formal framework of training and competition. In these activities we use sport as a mean to work with young people. With the help of sport, communication, participation, prevention and integration becomes possible.
To find out more about ENGSO Youth activities, visit our website http://www.youth-sport.net/
