European Year of Volunteering officially underway

The official launch of the European Year of Volunteering took place in Budapest in January with two conferences: almost 100 members of the European Year of Volunteering Alliance, including WAGGGS and WOSM representatives, came together for the first meeting of the EYV Alliance working groups on 7^th-8^th January, followed by the first EU thematic conference on Volunteering "Recognising the contribution of volunteering to economy, society and the individual - where are we now, and where do we want to go?". 

Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for  Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Staffan Nilsson, President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Flavia Pansieri, Executive Director of the United Nations Volunteers, Marian Harkin MEP, representatives of the Hungarian Government and EU member states joined the working group representatives to officially launch the year and discuss what can be done to promote recognition of volunteering throughout the EU.  

WAGGGS also made a presentation during a panel discussions on “Making Visible and Valuing the Skills and Competences Gained through Volunteering” sharing information about the ways in which Guides and Scouts are already promoting the recognition of skills gained through voluntary activities.

As well as the EYV Tour and the EYV Relay, a range of conferences, seminars, exhibitions and other activities are being organized during the Year at local, national and European level.  You can find out how to get involved by visiting the official website of the Year.  For the latest information about how Guides and Scouts are contributing to the European Year, and WAGGGS and  WOSM activities , visit our on-line toolkit.