European Year of Volunteering
The European Year of Volunteering (EFJ), or European Year of Voluntary Activities Promoting Active Citizenship (2011) , as stated in full text, the November 27, 2009 by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament on the proposal from the Commission adopted European year 2011.
background
The EU has long recognized the volunteering of its citizens as an element of promoting social cohesion and an important economic factor. According to a recent study by the European Commission, around 92 to 94 million adults in the EU are active in the voluntary sector, that is around 22 to 23 percent. In Germany, 36 percent of the population or 23.5 million people do volunteer work . Volunteering extends across all age groups. Sport plays a particularly important role in voluntary work in almost all EU member states. Volunteering is also very important as an economic factor in most EU Member States. In Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden, voluntary work contributes more than three percent to the gross domestic product .
Objectives
The aim of the European Year 2011 is to raise awareness of the importance of volunteering for European society. In addition, volunteering is to be promoted, voluntary organizations strengthened and voluntary commitment to be given greater recognition.
implementation
Activities in the context of the European Year are largely implemented on a decentralized basis. Each EU member state has drawn up a national program for this purpose. The European Commission has also made a total of 8 million euros available to finance information campaigns at national and European level. This includes, on the one hand, the “EYV Tour”, during which volunteers in all EU member states present their work, meet one another, share their concerns with politicians and the general public and discuss key questions for the future of their work. In addition, a squadron of 27 volunteers with a journalistic background, one from each member state, will accompany the tour through all stages. This team will report on volunteers in other EU countries and produce a series of video and audio clips and articles that will be published in the media and on the EFJ 2011 website.
The European year 2011 in Germany
In Germany, the Federal Ministry for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth is in charge and responsible for the national program. The office for the European Year 2011 is set up at the Federal Working Group of Independent Welfare Care.
The national program focuses on the following:
- Strengthening awareness and recognition for volunteers and civic engagement in society
- special focus: cross-generational activities
- Targeted addressing of women, young people, the elderly, and migrants
- Intensifying the exchange with associations and civil society organizations for
- Improving the environment for volunteers and civic engagement
- Support for better networking and cooperation between the actors and the
- Information offers about civic engagement in Germany and Europe
- Initiation of a regular dialogue on civic engagement at EU level
The European Year 2011 in Germany starts with a central event in Berlin on February 21, 2011. In the course of the year, regional conferences will also take place on various topics:
- May 2011 Regional conference in Hamburg: Commitment moves generations
- July / August 2011 Regional conference in Immenhausen: “Young heroines and heroes ?!” - Recruiting young people in civil protection
- September 2011 Regional conference: Promotion of voluntary engagement of migrant women in sport
- September 2011 Regional conference in Munich: Commitment and gainful employment in Europe
- October 2011 Regional conference in Düsseldorf: "Building bridges, building community together in the (Euro) region of Rhine-Ruhr and the Netherlands"
- October 2011 regional conference in Stuttgart: "Civic engagement for Europe!"
- December 2011 Closing event probably in Berlin
Web links
- European Year of Volunteering
- Website for the European Year 2011 in Germany
- Calendar of events for the European Year 2011
- Questions and answers for journalists on the European Year 2011 (PDF; 97 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Decision of the Council (2010/37 / EG) of November 27, 2009 on the European Year of Volunteering for the Promotion of Active Citizenship (2011) .
- ↑ Study of the European Commission on volunteering ( memento of the original from April 1, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Facts and figures on volunteering in the EU ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Facts and figures on volunteering in the EU ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ EJF tour
- ↑ Relay reporter
- ↑ National Program for the European Year of Volunteering for the Promotion of Active Citizenship 2011 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 92 kB)
