Watch the video of the CEV News February 2017 highlights here.

CEV Activities:

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: European Volunteering Capital 2019 CEV launches the sixth edition of the European Volunteer Capital competition. The award is chosen from the applicant municipalities by an international jury of experts who assess the extent to which the recommendations as listed in PAVE and the “5R” policy priorities as identified in the PAVE 5 year review “Helping Hands”, are shown to be implemented. How the European Solidarity Corps will be supported and promoted is also part of the criteria. The European Volunteering Capital Competition aims to promote volunteering at the local level by giving recognition to municipalities that support and strengthen partnerships with volunteer centres and volunteer-involving organisations and celebrate and promote volunteering and the impact made by volunteers. Deadline for applications: 30 June 2017.  Find the application form and the press release here.

REGISTRATION OPEN: Developing European Volunteering Strategies (DEVS), 6-7 April 2017, London (City Hall). Representatives from CEV member organisations from across Europe will gather together with other interested stakeholders to consider the volunteering strategies that are needed in Europe and how to design and implement them. Workshop leaders and participants will share their experience and practice with a view to building capacity and developing a best practice guide for volunteering strategies at different public policy levels. The conference and guide will be useful across Europe for governments, local authorities, volunteer centres, volunteer organisations and companies. Register here and find out more here...

The VOLCAR project face-to-face training course took place on 23-27 January 2017 in Brussels. The project aims to deliver guidance for volunteers to raise their employability through triple support in getting their learning outcomes validated and recognized. This concept is based on the ch-q method for competence management, with special focus on translating competences that volunteers gained in their volunteer work. VOLCAR = Volunteer Career Guide. The VOLCAR Project is an Erasmusplus Strategic Partnership Project. The project is coordinated by EDOS Foundation (The Netherlands) in partnership with CEV and BONSAI, local volunteer centre of Dubrovnik (Croatia). During the training CEV hosted a Tandem volunteer to help with logistics and support the trainers  in their activities.

 

The first international conference in the context of the project PREVENT “Optimizing Volunteer Services in Times of Refugee Crisis”  was held in Osijek (Croatia) on 18-19 January 2017. Lejla Šehić Relić (Executive Director and Founder of Volunteer Centre Osijek and CEV Vice President) spoke about the role of volunteerism in the refugee crisis, while CEV board member Mirko Schwaerzel from Bundesnetzwerk Bürgerschaftliches Engagement (BBE) presented the topic “Refugees/migrants in Germany - the role of civil society in the process of social integration”. During the second day of the conference results of research on volunteer services for migrants/refugees in partner countries were presented. A valuable part of the conference were the stories and experiences of refugees in Croatia and volunteers who work directly with them. Read more…
 

On 23- 24 January 2017, CEV took part at the kick-off seminar of the ErasmusPlus InSCULT Project: a two-year collaborative partnership aiming to foster and strengthen the link between sport events management and international volunteering. The meeting was held in Tallinn (EE) and gathered all the different partner organisations: the SCULT Foundation (Estonia), the  University College of North Denmark (Denmark), Club Tartu Marathon (Estonia), the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland) and the Lithuanian Sports University (Lithuania). During the meeting great importance was given at considering how to bring young generations closer to sport events volunteering.
 

On 27 January 2017, CEV Project and Events Assistant Sara Fasoli spoke about European Voluntary Sevice & ErasmusPlus programme and the European Solidarity Corps initiative on the Belgian radio RTBF. The podcast is available here.


CEV Director Gabriella Civico participated in the roundtable on the European Solidarity Corps organised by WOSM at the YO!Fest 2017 on 7 February 2017, a key highlight of “Europe Calling” – a year of events to mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Maastricht treaty. Over 3,000 young people gathered to debate key topics on the future of Europe and to  mobilise young people and youth organisations, locally and from across Europe, to raise up the voice of young people and #YouthUP Europe.

Volunteer Impact:
“Volunteers  for me are the most lovely people in the world, because they understand our feelings as people, they bring smile on the lips of our children.” (Mina, Refugee in Croatia from Afghanistan)

"Every child can gain from playing with a sensory book. Every child, every mother and every father. Ștefi and the other volunteers taught us how to make our own lives more beautiful.”(Elena- Petruta's mother)

This month we have received contributions from Croatia and Romania, wonderful words from beneficiaries of different projects that speak about the impact volunteers make. Read more and share your experience at cev@cev.be.
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CEV Members:

The Portuguese Confederation of Volunteering (CPV) celebrated its 10th anniversary on 19 January 2017 in Lisbon, during an event attended by around 70, representatives of the 33 member organisations and other stakeholders. During the celebration, volunteers were the main protagonists, emphasized by CPV's President and the Portuguese Secretary of State for Citizenship and Equality, Catarina Marcelino. CPV's President read a message from  Portugal's President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and a video was projected with a message from CEV's President, Cristina Rigman. João Teixeira, CEV's Vice-president, presented a summary prepared by CEV of the European political priorities in the field of volunteering. During the closing the ceremony, Rita Leote, CPV's Programmes Manager, presented a synthesis of project VolunCET, which is being implemented by CPV with other four European volunteer- involving- organisations and co-financed by European Union's Erasmus + Programme.


France Benevolat organised the conference “Comment mieux intégrer les réfugiés et les migrants dans nos sociétés?/ How to best integrate refugees and migrants in society?” on 18 janvier 2017 at the ‘Maison de l’Europe’ in Paris. Read more...

Perm Volunteerism Centre launched the International project «Copybook of Friendship – uniting children of the Earth» is aimed at letting schoolchildren from different countries learn about cultural and social heritage, family traditions and leisure of their foreign peers. A Copybook of Friendship serves as a diary where children can tell about themselves, their hobbies, friends, families and their country; children can also learn about life of children from other countries. Read more...

BBE European Newsletter includes a series of articles contributed by CEV President Cristina Rigman, CEV Vice-President Lejla Šehić Relić and CEV Director Gabriella Civico on the issue of Volunteering and Disability Inclusion. Read more here...
 

Volunteer Scotland: The survey carried out in 2016 on youth and volunteering found that “youth volunteering participation has grown to 52%, nearly double the adult figure of 27%” and that youth volunteering is much more inclusive than expected. Read more...

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EU News

The European Commission is now consulting stakeholders and the general public to define key priorities and shape the implementation of the European Solidarity Corps. Submit your contribution through the online questionnaire here by 2 April 2017.

Approximately one month after the official launch, there are more than 20,000 registrations for the European Solidarity Corps. A message from EC President Juncker  "Thank you to all those who have signed up. Your commitment to helping and supporting people in need and your willingness to make a meaningful contribution to society is a true inspiration and something that our Union needs more of".

A public consultation for the mid-term evaluation of the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) is open until 5 May 2017. Contributions are particularly sought from stakeholders directly involved in FEAD -Stakeholders involved in the management of operational programmes -Organisations involved in the delivery of FEAD as beneficiaries or project partners -individuals receiving support from FEAD. Read more...

The Public Consultation for the mid-term evaluation of the Europe for Citizens programme 2014-2020 from where CEV receives its operating grant, is on-going until 10 April 2017.

On 25 March 2017 we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community. A “march for Europe” is organised and will start from Piazza di Spagna and conclude in another square in the historical centre of Rome, to call on the Heads of State and Government meeting in Rome on 25th March 2017 to approve a roadmap to relaunch and complete Europe’s economic and political unity. Read more...

The SDG Watch Europe General Assembly took place on 1-2 February 2017 and it involved an exchange with MEPs and representatives of other EU institutions about SDG implementation.

Lifelong Learning Platform organises a yearly evaluation on the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme and the results of the  Erasmus+ Implementation Survey 2016 are now available here.