EUROBAROMETER 73 Public Opinion in the European Union, REPORT, VOLUME 2

Fieldwork: May 2010, Publication: November 2010, Survey conducted by TNS Opinion & Social at the request of European Commission – Directorate-General Communication

Description: This report is based on four main parts. The last chapter of this volume looks at the participation of citizens in society and voluntary work "5. Europeans and voluntary work" p167-173. This Eurobarometer survey was carried out between 5 May and 28 May 2010 in 32 countries and territories1: the 27 Member States of the European Union, the three candidate countries (Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey), Iceland and the Turkish Cypriot Community in the part of the country not controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus.

In view of the launch of the European Volunteer Measurement Project, led by the Johns Hopkins University, a kick-off training session will be organised by the project partners in correlation with the CEV Symposium in Tallinn, on Friday 6th May 2011, from 09.00 to 13.00:

 

We have the opportunity for the first time now to know for sure how many European volunteers there are in every country, who they are, what they do, and what they contribute to the economy.

We now have all we need to make it happen: The ILO approved a Manual to produce globally comparable statistics on volunteer work, preparatory funding from the Italian banking foundations has been provided, and there is interest from the European institutions in seeing the Manual implemented in Europe. In Tallinn, during the opening panel session of the CEV Symposium, and in a kick-off training session that will take place on Friday 6th May, Lester Salamon from Johns Hopkins University will explain in detail how the new ILO Manual works and what we can expect to get by seeing it implemented. Join JHU, CEV and SPES in a major 2011 collaborative effort to convince the EU governments that comparable statistics on volunteering is an essential foundation of good policy for volunteering. (Preliminary registration required through the CEV Symposium registration form; no participation fees)

Please find enclosed a fact sheet providing more information on the European Volunteer Measurement project.

If you would like to attend the EVMP training session, please tick the corresponding session on the CEV Symposium registration form and send it back to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 23rd April.

CEV Symposium: " The future of volunteering: concepts, trends, visions", will be organised on 4th – 6th May 2011 in Tallinn (Estonia).

The topic of voluntary action has gained momentum in Europe over the past years. The European Year of Volunteering 2011 is the latest peek in the growing public awareness that our societies are better of with active citizens. The coming months will see manifold projects, activities and awareness raising campaigns to further promote, facilitate and develop voluntary action all over the continent and beyond. This seems like a perfect moment for us to hold our breath and to ask ourselves: Quo vadis volunteering? Where are we and where should the journey go? What are the current trends in our sector and what is our vision for the future?

Many new features and new developments characterise the voluntary sector with the new information technologies playing an ever rising role in our daily lives; an increasing commercialisation of international voluntary service placements; the appearance of business players in the nonprofit world of volunteering; with changing patterns of engagement by volunteers; and with our societies facing an economic and financial crises that may lead to unprecedented transformations to our societies and to the way the state perceives the unpaid contribution of citizens to economy and society. These and other developments have led our sector to ask questions such as: Where are the boundaries of volunteering? What are its inviolable core concepts and principles that we need to defend? What are opportunities and threats of further unleashing the potential of voluntary action to make our societies the places we want to live in? How do we shape tomorrow's volunteering and how do we empower volunteers to shape tomorrow's society?

Our conference will strive to achieve the following objectives:

1. To provide an overview of the current trends in volunteering;

2. To facilitate a space for debate on controversies that have developed over time;

3. To identify the core concepts and inviolable values of volunteering we adhere to and that we want to safeguard;

4. To develop a vision for the decades to come of how volunteering will continue to serve as a central cornerstone in all European countries.

Please find the draft programme, as well as the registration form, and tourist an hotel information on our website:  http://www.cev.be/136-2011_may_%28tallinn_estonia%29_the_future_of_volunteering_concepts_trends_visions-EN.html.

Please note: the deadline for registration is 23th April. Registration forms should be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Should you need any further detail or clarification, do not hesitate to contact the CEV Secretariat at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

"Volunteering across Europe. Organisations, promotion, participation" 27 country reports, volumes I, II, III, IV, V and VI. The research is coordinated by: Spes - Centro di Servizio per il Volontariato del Lazio, SPES – Volunteer Support Centre of the Lazio region, the publications of the research are under the patronage of National Observatory for Volunteering - Osservatorio Nazionale per il Volontariato, 2006-2011

Read and download all the country reports here.

Summary: Country reports of the research on volunteering in the European Union, collaborative effort of numerous partner organisations, gathering the available data on the third sector, its definitions and values, legal framework and in-depth studies on centres and on mechanisms for the support and promotion of volunteering. A first ground for comparative analyses on the infrastructure for volunteering in Europe.

"Volunteering across Europe. Organisations, promotion, participation" 27 country reports, volumes I, II, III, IV, V and VI. The research is coordinated by: Spes - Centro di Servizio per il Volontariato del Lazio, SPES – Volunteer Support Centre of the Lazio region, the publications of the research are under the patronage of National Observatory for Volunteering - Osservatorio Nazionale per il Volontariato, 2006-2011

Read and download all the country reports here.

Summary: Country reports of the research on volunteering in the European Union, collaborative effort of numerous partner organisations, gathering the available data on the third sector, its definitions and values, legal framework and in-depth studies on centres and on mechanisms for the support and promotion of volunteering. A first ground for comparative analyses on the infrastructure for volunteering in Europe.

EYV 2011 Alliance Executive Group member the European Youth Forum invites all relevent stakeholders to participate in the open discourse towards a European Charter on the Rights of Volunteers.  To join this debate and contribute expertise see the briefing included here.

European Parliament resolution of 22 April 2008 on the role of volunteering in contributing to economic and social cohesion (2007/2149(INI)) - P6_TA(2008)0131

Read the resolution in other languages here.

2012: The European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps 2012 Call for Proposals is now published. 2,450.000 EUR will fund the selected pilot projects. All proposals should be send before 5th March 2012. In addition any queries on the call can be addressed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it no later than 13 February 2012. DG ECHO will publish the answers to these questions on the website mentioned above no later than 23 February 2012. Read the Call.

2011: European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (EVHAC) Call for Proposals 2011 for Pilot projects. Read the guidelines for applicants and the grant application form here. The deadline for submission of proposals was 20/04/2011.

Europe for Citizens - Programme Guide - version valid as of March 2011 - Directorate-General for Communication, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, European Commission (EC) of the European Union.

"Volunteering" or "voluntary work" in the section on "Active European Citizenship: civic participation and democracy in Europe" p6-7, IV.1 Action 1 – Measure 1.1 Town Twinning Citizens‟ Meetings p33, V.5.3 Calculation of the grant p56

Volunteering: a tool for inclusion? Magazine of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN). Special issue on the 2011 European Year of Volunteering, March 2011. NO. 134 | 2011/I

Contents:

* 2011 European Year on Volunteering – A space for anti-poverty organizations to engage

* Volunteering and the Fight against Poverty and Social Exclusion – towards an EAPN Position

* Portugal: Being a volunteer versus promoting volunteering

* The UK Government: Big Society and Volunteering

* Volunteering in Bulgaria – the Need for a Modern Vision

* Poland, willing to move on towards a strategic approach on volunteering

* The recognition of volunteering time as in-kind contribution in Structural Funds

* The 100 million Europeans volunteering deserve recognition

* Eurodiaconia: the multifaceted value of volunteering