Volunteers from all over Europe prepare for the Euro Basket Tournament in Vilnius Lithuania.  Like so many other events and activities across Europe it is only because of the contribution of volunteers that the event can take place.  The volunteers are being recruited, trained and supported in their role by the Lithuanian Youth Council (LIJOT), a member of the EYV 2011 Alliance Executive Group member European Youth Forum (YFJ). 

New stockshots are now available to add to the ones launched earlier in year by the Audio Visual team at the EC. The volunteering stockshots feature volunteers from the EYV 2011 Alliance organisations and can be used free of charge by anyone during 2011 and beyond.  Get the first stockshots and the script here, 2nd release here and the script here. The 3rd and final editions can be found here and here.

Domaine de la Chapelle is a place where open-minded scientific discipline of Ecology and experiments go hand in hand with rational ideas, stories,traditional practices and production in order to improve conservation of biodiversity through its operating agriculture in favor of a healthier diet. All withless work and best results.

 

- A place plural ... dynamic and warm
A natural area of 5 hectares, an

old farm house , 1 hectare of vineyards, vegetable

garden, fruit trees, a lake.

- An ecological approach ... pragmatic and for all
Building a showcase in terms of eco-construction, waste water treatment by plants, renewable

energy, compost, composting toilets, mass-stoves ...

- A healthy diet ... Following production of the farm itself
Vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread and wild plants, you eat what you harvest.

- A collaborative project ... conducive to meeting
All opportunities are good for the exchange of cultures and know-how. Annualy the association organizes its site of summer, a dozen people are expected to participate in the eco-construction, cooking for the team, participate in agricultural activities ...

- A place of warm welcome ...
A space for camping is provided at the bottom of

the land, a cabin group for the kitchen and meals, a camp fire for the evenings ...

We welcome in priority stays of 15 days or longer to discover the

most of our activities.
French, English and German spoken.

 

Contact us:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

0033 9 53 08 91 95

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.

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 .

The fourth volume of the Family Platform Online Journal focuses on volunteering and families.

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.

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

First European Employee Volunteering Awards 2011 : Businesses across Europe are recognised for improving the employability skills of people who face barriers to work.

On 17 March winners of the first European Employee Volunteering Awards 2011 were announced at an exclusive reception held at Business in the Community’s (BITC) Responsible Business Convention 2011.

BITC developed the Awards scheme with 21 European partners from the CSR360 Global Partner Network in recognition of the European Year of Volunteering 2011.

Sue Adkins, International Director, BITC said: “Employment continues to be a central concern for the European Union, in particular the importance of addressing barriers to employment, experienced in more disadvantaged communities. Around 100 million Europeans engage in some form of voluntary activity – if they were a country they would be the biggest member state of the EU. BITC is delighted to be supporting the first European Employee Volunteering Awards and celebrate the wonderful contributions that these millions of volunteers make every day.”

Over 250 entries from 22 countries across Europe were received:

The Final awards event took place in London, UK but the Awards were run in 22 countries across Europe:

Belgium
Czech Republic
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
Scotland
UK

 

The European Employee Volunteering Awards were co-funded by the European Commission and kindly supported by Alliance Boots, Hewlett Packard and Tata Consultancy Services.

The awards ceremony included a poster exhibition of the 60 national award winners and the launch of a Case Study report showcasing best practice from across Europe.

 

The Awards were presented by:

Ornella Barra – Chief Executive, Pharmaceutical Division, Alliance Boots;

Brendan Burns – Member of the European Economic and Social Committee;

Jane Hodgen, UK&I Human Resources, Tata Consultancy Services;

Sue Bird – DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission and 

John MacDonald – Head of Task Force for the European Year of Volunteering 2011, European Commission.

Awards were given for the following 5 category winners:

Large Company Winner: Koç Holding A.Ş. (Turkey)

Small Company Winner: NORSYS (France)

Innovation Winner: MITIE Group (United Kingdom)

Newcomer Winner: Abbott (Ireland)

Public Authorities Winner: Magistrate of the City of Wiesbaden, Office for Social Affairs (Germany)

 

Through rewarding company’s Employee Volunteering Schemes, BITC hopes to increase the level of employee engagement, particularly during 2011, the European Year of the Volunteer and the UN Year of the Volunteer.
 
The Case Study Report demonstrates the value of corporate volunteering and how at these uncertain economic times, businesses can play a crucial role in enabling people back into work.

Related links
For more information contact: Tessa Kipping, CSR360 Global Partner Network Manager at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or on +44 (0)20 7566 6642
For more information about the European Employee Volunteering Awards please visit: http://www.bitc.org.uk/global/european_volunteering_awards/index.html
For more information about removing barriers to work please visit: http://www.bitc.org.uk/community/employability/work_inclusion.html
For more information about setting up employee volunteering programmes please visit: http://www.bitc.org.uk/community/employee_volunteering/
For more information about setting up employee volunteering programmes internationally please visit: http://engagetoolkit.bitc.org.uk/