With your help we will be able to reach more NGOs who could participate in the Competition, as well as create more diverse and valuable base of good practices, which will allow more and more NGOs to benefit from the possibilities of combining both the potential of Internet and volunteering!

Your role as a Partner would be to support us in promotion and organization of the Competition at your national or regional level. We will supply all informational and promotional materials (in English), so that you can insert them on your Webpage, send to media and other organizations that cooperate with volunteers via the Internet and might be interested in joining the Competition.

We will insert logos and information about all Partners on the Competition website, as well as all informational and promotional materials, etc.

To become a Partner of the Competition you should read the Guidelines of cooperation between partners involved into organization of the European edition of the „Discover e-volunteering" competition (download) , and send us ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) till 615h June 2011 a  letter or e-mail declaring your will to cooperate with us and accepting these guidelines.

more information: http://www.e-volunteering.eu/competition/partnership/

promotional materials: http://www.e-volunteering.eu/competition/materials/

Flash Eurobarometer 319a "Youth on the move",  Survey conducted by The Gallup Organization, Hungary upon the request of Directorate-General Education and Culture, European Commission, May 2011.

Description: The primary objective of the Flash Eurobarometer survey "Youth on the Move" (No 319a) was to study young EU citizens' participation in society. In detail, the survey examined young people's participation in:

- sports clubs, youth organisations, cultural organisations and non-governmental organisations

- political elections at the local, regional, national or EU level

- voluntary activities; particularly those aimed at changing respondents' local community/ environment

- activities and projects fostering cooperation between young people from various countries.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and the National Institute of Children and Youth are very pleased to invite you to the international conference within the framework of the European Year of Volunteering 2011 – "Voluntarily across the Border - Volunteering as a Tool for Connecting and Enriching Neighboring Border Communities", 22 -23 June 2011, Prague, Czech Republic.

The aim of the conference is to support creation of new opportunities in the field of cross-border volunteering, with a close focus on the cooperation of local communities in neighboring border regions in central Europe.

What you can expect from the conference?

The conference will welcome stakeholders from different sectors: non-governmental organizations, the public administrative sector (public servants as well as politicians from regional and local levels), companies, grant agencies and other donors. This composition will enable exploration of the widest possible of cooperation. 9-12 examples of good practices in cross-border volunteering initiatives/projects will be presented. There will be an opportunity to present your organization, yourself and your network at the market of organizations. There will be facilitated time and space for initiating ideas and projects, and for finding partners to take the first steps towards creating new forms of cooperation.

Subsistence and lodging costs are covered by the organizers. There is no participation fee. Travel costs will not be reimbursed. The working language is English. Capacity is limited to 80 participants.

If you are interested to attend the conference, you can apply online http://www.nidm.cz/public-relations/international-confererence-voluntarily-across-the-border. Please register no later than May 23, 2011.

To mark this year's World Red Cross Red Crescent Day – 8 May 2011 – the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is calling for greater recognition of the sizable contribution volunteers make in a world increasingly confronted by challenges linked to such adversities as natural disasters, disease, war and other armed violence, poverty, hunger and climate change.  Read More.

On the occasion of the European Youth Year of Volunteering 2011, a major part of the European Youth Forum bi-annual Council of Members (COMEM) was dedicated to young volunteers. The Youth Forum is convinced that volunteering and participation in youth organisations are at the heart of democracy, as dynamic forces for social inclusion and active citizenship. Volunteering is a pillar of the work of the European Youth Forum and its member organisations, with all of its 98 youth organisations basing their work on the contributions of their young volunteers.

In order to foster a culture of participation and active citizenship in Europe and the world, volunteers need to be given the access as well as the encouragement to exercise volunteering activities, but first and foremost – volunteers need the rights that fit their duties. In this regard, the European Youth Forum has already since 2006 identified the need for a common European legal framework or charter, defining the basic rights and responsibilities of volunteers.

In the next weeks, the European Youth Forum will launch a process of extensive consultation among its member organisations and open dialogue with other key stakeholders (institutions and other civil society partners) on a draft for a Charter on the Rights of Volunteers leading to a high level debate on such a document during the II Youth Convention on Volunteering taking place in Brussels on 7-11 September.

On Friday 6 May, an open debate on the theme of "The Rights of Young Volunteers" was hosted by Antwerp as the European Youth Capital 2011, and saw the participation of local youth organisations and volunteers. During the debate Leen Verbist, Antwerp Alderwoman for Youth, Gabriella Civico, Coordinator of the 2011 European Year of Volunteering Alliance and Kimberly Ochs, researcher on volunteering shared their views on the major challenges for young volunteers today.

"In launching the process of consultation on the Charter on the Rights of Volunteers, we take the opportunity, during one of the most important annual meetings of the European Youth Forum to celebrate the work of millions of young people volunteering in Europe and their contribution to shape a better European society for all," said Peter Matjašič, President of the European Youth Forum.

During the intense days of work, the young delegates discussed, shared experiences or adopted common positions also on youth entrepreneurship, guidelines for an environmentally sustainable European Youth Forum, quality assurance in non-formal education, and the future of the EU Structured Dialogue.

Marian Harkin (ALDE), lead MEP for volunteering-related subjects in Parliament and among the promoters of the European Year of Volunteering 2011, wants to hear your story!

Are you a volunteer? What kind of activity have you been involved in? Or maybe you aren't yet but would like to become one? What do you think of this way of helping people? Marian Harkin (ALDE), lead MEP for volunteering-related subjects in Parliament and among the promoters of the European Year of Volunteering 2011, wants to hear your story!

She will join us for a chat on Saturday at 10:15, during Parliament's Open Day in Brussels. She will listen to your ideas and experiences ahead of Parliament's debate on volunteering in Europe.

The Year of Volunteering aims both at celebrating the commitment of millions of Europeans who engage in some form of volunteering, and at raising the profile of such activities.

Join us on Saturday 7 May from 10:15 to 10:45!

Interview to Marian Harkin on the European Year of Volunteering

The European Year of Volunteering will be celebrated at the stand of Extremadura. Visitors will have the opportunity to express their views and to feature in a thematic video.

http://europa.eu/festivalofeurope/index_en.htm

- 11:00 - 13:00 "The European Parliament and volunteering" - Public debate with MEPs.

- Volunteering, the main theme of the event, will be highlighted by an exhibitor village for NGOs, non-profits, and other associations. Belgian and foreign exhibitors will represent as wide a range of themes as possible, including human rights, health, education and training, culture, social issues (food/the social economy), sustainable development and the environment, agriculture and handicrafts.

http://europa.eu/festivalofeurope/index_en.htm

European Parliament Facebook chat "Volunteering in Europe: you make the difference!
Time: Saturday, 07 May 2011, from 10:15 to 10:45

Are you a volunteer? What kind of activity have you been involved in? Or maybe you aren't yet but would like to become one? What do you think of this way of helping people? Marian Harkin (ALDE), lead MEP for volunteering-related subjects in Parliament and among the promoters of the European Year of Volunteering 2011, wants to hear your story!

MEP Marian Harkin will join for a chat on Saturday at 10:15, during Parliament's Open Day in Brussels. She will listen to your ideas and experiences  ahead of  Parliament's debate on volunteering in Europe.

Join on Saturday 7 May from 10:15 to 10:45: http://www.facebook.com/europeanparliament?sk=app_188929731130869