Voluntary Activities of Young People – the European Point of View
The European Youth Forum (YFJ) believes that volunteering and participation in youth organisations lie at the heart of democracy, that they are dynamic forces for social inclusion and active citizenship. Volunteering policy is a crucial issue to almost 100 member organisations of the YFJ – being volunteer-based, volunteer-led and representing millions of young people engaged in voluntary activities every day.[1] Therefore, volunteering is the basis for the work of the YFJ, the rights of volunteers are among its concerns, and the forthcoming European Year of Volunteering 2011 is seen as one of the opportunities to recognise and promote the value of volunteering.
How to define the contribution of volunteering?
The YFJ is aware that the broad spectrum of ’voluntary activities’ in Europe offers a wide range of interpretation of what volunteering is. The Youth Forum believes that the following criteria define voluntary activities:
- Volunteering is an activity undertaken by a person’s own freewill and involves the commitment of time and energy to actions of benefit to others and to society as a whole;
- The activity is unpaid but can include reimbursement of expenses directly related to the voluntary activity;
- Volunteering is for a non-profit cause and is primarily undertaken within a non-governmental organisation and therefore cannot be motivated by material or financial gain;
- Volunteering should not be used to substitute or replace paid employment.[2]
What is the added value of volunteering?
Volunteering gives an incalculable contribution to the economic, social, cultural, and environmental well-being of society. Volunteering is an expression of the individuals’ involvement in their community and in the European community.[3] It puts into practice European values of solidarity and diversity, as volunteers are among the main agents of social inclusion. The number of volunteering initiatives in this area demonstrates that volunteering is an important factor for the integration of migrants in host communities. Volunteering is conducive to tolerance, peace building, conflict resolution, and reconciliation of divided societies. Social services largely depend on the contribution of volunteers, and finally volunteering is an economic factor.
Volunteering also contributes to the personal and professional development of individuals. It allows young volunteers to develop skills and gain experiences that are barely offered in formal educational settings or in the vocational training sector. Volunteering is part of an informal and non-formal lifelong learning process; volunteers are also more likely to develop additional skills and to gain experiences that enhance active civic engagement in participatory organisations that give young people the chance to get actively involved in democratic processes.
Towards a European Area of Volunteering?
The YFJ has been involved in policy processes around volunteering at European level and especially the discussions of establishing a European Area of Volunteering. The European Area of Volunteering should not be built by policy makers only. In fact, before policy makers gave it the necessary attention, volunteer organisations had already been constructing the European dimension by giving mobility opportunities to volunteers and by connecting different organisations in European platforms. Volunteering needs to be promoted, and one of the best ways of doing that is to support volunteering organisations. The YFJ believes that the focus needs to lie on volunteers and volunteering organisations, as they are the most relevant actors in the voluntary field in Europe.
One of the possible ways to enhance the rights and recognition of volunteers would be the adoption of a European Framework on Rights of Volunteers. A common framework defining the rights and responsibilities of volunteers is needed, and the responsibilities of organisations towards volunteers need to be elaborated. Furthermore, the role of political authorities supporting volunteering organisations should be clarified. With such an all-encompassing tool the rights and responsibilities of different actors and the social and economic value of volunteering would find their proper recognition in society.
How to maximise the impact of the European Year of Volunteering 2011?
The European Commission is currently working towards a European Year of Volunteering 2011. The YFJ is a strong partner in the ‘European Year of Volunteering 2011 alliance’, representing young volunteers within this grouping of 19 NGOs. After an intensive two and a half year campaign the YFJ is happy to see that the European Commission has taken up this civil society initiative and hopes that it will be followed with sufficient visibility and funding.
There is a high need for recognition of volunteering activities, and the European Year of Volunteering has the potential to ensure it, to acknowledge, celebrate, and promote the volunteers’ engagement throughout the EU. In parallel with the EU, the volunteers and volunteer organisations themselves should take this chance and make their voice heard not only at European level but also at national, regional, and particularly local level. The Year is the time to celebrate volunteering, but also to raise awareness, to gain recognition of volunteering from policy makers, business, and civil society organisations. The YFJ will continue striving to assure that the European Year of Volunteering 2011 will celebrate, support, and empower the 100 million European volunteers and their diverse volunteer organisations where this is most needed – at local level.
