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European Year of Volunteering 2011 (EYV 2011)

Volunteer - Make a Difference!                                                                European Year of Volunteering 2011

Volunteer! Make a difference

The messages of EYV2011 are two-fold: To celebrate current volunteers for their efforts (recognition), in other words a ‘THANK YOU’ approach; and to empower new people to volunteer, the ‘YOU CAN’ approach (promotion and facilitation).

The experience of community and voluntary organisations shows that there is a need at all levels - EU, national, regional and local - to increase volunteering and the awareness of the added value it brings to European society, to celebrate volunteers, involve more volunteers and improve the policy framework on volunteering.

Therefore, the general objectives of EYV 2011 are

1. Recognition and awareness raising on the value of volunteering

2. Celebration of volunteer efforts

3. Empowerment of people and volunteer organisations

4. Work towards the creation of an enabling environment for volunteering including a volunteering infrastructure

EYV 2011 & IYV+10:

Working together in 2011

2011 is the tenth anniversary of the 2000 International Year of Volunteers and is being marked by IYV+10.  IYV+10 and the European Year of Volunteering (EYV 2011) are conceptually linked together and share many of their goals.

The common focus of EYV 2011 and IYV+10 poses an invaluable opportunity to explore synergies and collective initiatives to promote and recognise volunteerism in 2011.  EYV 2011 and

IYV+10 provide an opportunity for engagement with both the EU and UN policy debates about volunteering and to celebrate and promote volunteering in all its forms through different

governmental and non-governmental structures. Volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations are encouraged to engage with the activities offered by EYV 2011 and IYV+10 to promote volunteering and improve volunteering infrastructures for volunteer-involving organisations, volunteers and their communities.

Why a European Year of

Volunteering in 2011?

More than 100 million Europeans engage in voluntary activities and through this make a difference to our society. A Eurobarometer survey in 2006 revealed that 3 out of 10 Europeans claim to be active in a voluntary capacity and that close to 80% of respondents feel that voluntary activities are an important part of democratic life in Europe.

The network of Volunteer Centres in Ireland (who provide support for Volunteers and Volunteering Involving Organisations) dealt with over 13,000 registrations in 2010. Of these:

* 61% have never volunteered before

* 68% are aged 35 or under, of which 50% are 25 or younger

* 40% of people find out about Volunteer Centres via the internet and more than 75% of registrations come through the web

* The most popular area in which people want to volunteer is youth / children or education / literacy - but 10% of people don\'t know what they want to do, they just know they want to do something!

* 38% are motivated to volunteer primarily from altruistic reasons (give back; make a difference; do something in the community), 33% by other needs (gain / improve skills; free time; work experience)

There is a vast array of notions, definitions and traditions concerning volunteering.

What is common throughout Europe is that wherever people engage together in activities to help each other, support those in need,

preserve our environment, campaign for human rights, or initiate actions to help ensure that everyone enjoys a decent life, both society as a whole and the individual volunteer benefits and social cohesion is significantly strengthened.

Why volunteering matters:

Volunteers are the agents of European values and objectives as laid down in the Treaties, in particular in terms of promoting social cohesion, solidarity, and active participation. Theirs are the hands that translate these values into action, day after day;

* Volunteering contributes to building a European identity rooted in these values and towards attaining a mutual understanding between people in society and across Europe;

* Volunteering in its horizontal nature is indispensable in a wide range of EU policy areas such as social inclusion, the provision of life-long learning opportunities for all, policies affecting young people, inter-generational dialogue, active aging, integration of migrants, intercultural dialogue, civil protection, humanitarian aid and development, sustainable development and environmental protection, human rights, social service delivery, raising employability, the promotion of an active European citizenship, fighting the "digital gap", and within corporate social responsibility;

* Volunteering has a considerable economic value. The voluntary sector contributes an estimated 5% to the GDP of our national economies;

* Volunteers and their organisations are at the forefront of developing innovative actions to detect, voice and respond to needs arising in society.

* Volunteers mirror the diversity of European society with people of all ages, women and men, employees and unemployed, people

from different ethnic backgrounds and belief groups and citizens from all nationalities being involved.

However, 7 in 10 people do not volunteer and many people face barriers towards volunteering such as a lack of information on how to become involved; time pressure; scarce economic resources and the feeling of not being able to "afford" to volunteer; negative associations surrounding volunteering stemming from times where volunteering was a rather "compulsory duty"; discrimination; discouraging legal provisions and an absence of a legal status; missing protection against risks involved; visa or other barriers for non EU citizens – to name just a few of these obstacles.

Volunteering is freely given, but not cost free. It needs and deserves targeted support from all stakeholders – volunteer organisations, government at all levels, businesses and an enabling policy environment including a volunteering infrastructure.

While the EU has increasingly paid attention to volunteering in all its forms over recent years, we are still far from a comprehensive strategy and action at the European level to promote, recognize, facilitate and support volunteering in order to realize its full potential.

Events and activites during 2011

There will be a number of national, regional and local events organised during EYV 2011.   Details of these events and activities, can be accessed from your local Volunteer Centre’s web site. You will also be able to find a calendar of events on www.volunteer.ie.

To find how you can get involved in the European Year of Volunteering why not download our information sheet “Ways to get involved in EYV 2011” from the web site of your local Volunteer Centre or from Volunteer Centres Ireland: www.volunteer.ieEuropean Year of Volunteering 201Volunteer! Make a difference(Updated 13 December 2010The messages of EYV2011 are two-fold: To celebrate current volunteers for their efforts (recognition), in other words a ‘THANK YOU’ approach; and to empower new people to volunteer, the ‘YOU CAN’ approach (promotion and facilitation). 

The experience of community and voluntary organisations shows that there is a need at all levels - EU, national, regional and local - to increase volunteering and the awareness of the added value it brings to European society, to celebrate volunteers, involve more volunteers and improve the policy framework on volunteering.

 EYV 2011 Objectives

European Year of Volunteering 2011 (EYV 2011)2010-05-31T13:11:53+00:00

National Day of Volunteering (Friday 30 September 2011)

National Day of VolunteeringThe 2010 National Day of Volunteering was a great success, so why not put the Friday 30 September 2011 in your diaries now and plan for an even bigger event in 2011.

Information on the 2011 event will be online in the coming months. 

Check the Main National Volunteer Day web page for more information

Now in its fourth year, the National Day of Volunteering takes place on Friday, 1st October and promises to be bigger than ever, building on the success of last year when more than 4,000 people got involved, volunteering in more than 170 projects across the 26 counties.

National Day of Volunteering (Friday 30 September 2011)2010-05-31T13:04:16+00:00

International Volunteer Managers Day (5 November 2011)

Universally, people recognise the contribution of volunteers – in sport, health, emergency services, faith communities and the environmental lobby   …in fact volunteers are involved in just about every aspect of service delivery in all walks of life. However, volunteering does not succeed in a vacuum.Behind this army of volunteers lies an equally dedicated group of individuals and agencies who are reponsible for the coordination, support, training, administration and recruitment of the world’s volunteers – skilled professionals who are adept at taking singular passion and turning it into effective action.That is why we celebrate International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day every year on November 1. It is important to let those professionals know that the spirit of volunteerism is enhanced and enabled by them, and to thank them. We urge you to mark your calendar and, whether you are an administrator, a volunteer, a community leader or someone who receives the benefit of volunteer help, to make sure the people who act as leaders and catalysts get the recognition they deserve!

Recognition for those who lead your volunteersInternational Volunteer Managers Day
While the spotlight is often pointed towards the amazing achievements of volunteers around the world, the efforts of those who work so tirelessly in the background - to capably lead and equip volunteers - is all too often overlooked International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMDay) whic is to be celebrated on November 5, is the ideal opportunity to acknowledge and recognise the important work undertaken by those who lead volunteer effort and create environments in which volunteers and volunteering can flourish.

International Volunteer Managers Day (5 November 2011)2010-05-31T12:47:55+00:00

UN International Volunteer Day (5 December 2011)


 International Volunteer Day -December 5International Volunteer Day is a chance for individual volunteers, communities and organisations to promote their contributions to development at the local, national and international levels.  By combining UN support with a grassroots mandate, International Volunteer Day is a unique opportunity for people and volunteer-involving organizations to work with government agencies, non-profit institutions, community groups, academia and the private sector. Read on for more information and resources for the day ...

UN International Volunteer Day (5 December 2011)2010-05-26T14:25:55+00:00
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