Copy
View this email in your browser

CEV NEWS July 2021
Watch the video


In this edition of the CEV News, you will find:

 

Volunteering Interest Group in the European Parliament

On 14 July, the EP VIG will have a joint online meeting with the Interest Group on “Solidarity Between Generations” (supported by Age Platform), attended by MEPs, MEP assistants and other stakeholders to discuss the proposed European Platform for older people volunteering. Agenda here. Register here.

Candidates for the European Volunteering Capital 2023 title - Announcement 

CEV recently announced the candidates for the European Volunteering Capital 2023 title - in alphabetical order: Asti (IT), Birgu (MT), Oeiras (PT) and Trondheim (NO). Their candidacy can be followed online at #EVCapital2023 and the winner will be announced in a December ceremony held by the current European Volunteering Capital, Berlin. The European Volunteering Capital title awards municipalities who promote and support volunteering and solidarity, further developing the volunteering activity and infrastructure at local level. The title has been around since 2014 and was held by municipalities across Europe, who are part of CEV’s EVCCC (European Volunteering Capital Candidates’ Community, a group who constantly work together to foster collaboration and innovation in volunteering support across Europe. Read more about the title and the 2023 candidates here.

EV Capital 2023 Candidates Certificate Presentations

The Asti EVCapital 2023 Candidate certificate was received on behalf of Asti Municipality by the President, Alberto Cirio, and Vice President, Fabio Carosso, of the Piedmont Region at their Brussels office. Discover more about the EV Capital competition and the other EV Capital 2023 Candidates here.

EV Capital 2021 Berlin - Launch of the #freiwilligInBerlin Campaign

On 3 July 2021, Sawsan Chebli, Berlin State Secretary for Civic Engagement, joined employees and volunteers in using confetti cannons to launch 1.1 million confetti stripes into the air, to represent the 1.1 million volunteers in Berlin. On the same day, 1100 bears were drawn across Berlin using colourful washable chalk, each of these bears represented 1000 volunteers in Berlin, therefore once again representing all 1.1 million volunteers in the city. Find more about the event here, and more about Berlin’s volunteer centres in general here.

EV Capital 2021 Berlin - July 2021 PULS Camps

The Berlin PULS Camps are summer camps for young people (ages 14 – 25 years), which help attendees to get involved in volunteering in their community. They encourage activities such as food distribution, helping the elderly, and reading to young children. Participants choose every evening what voluntary activities they will be doing the following day. The upcoming Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf PULS camp will be taking place from the 18th to the 24th July, and the Marzahn-Hellersdorf PULS camp from the 25th to the 31st July. Further information on the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf can be found here, and the Marzahn-Hellersdorf here.

EV Capital 2021 Berlin - Get “everyone” involved? - ‘Why we fail and how it can succeed’: Event Recording

On 17 June, the EVC event entitled ‘Getting "everyone" involved? - Why we fail and how it can succeed’ took place online. Guests in the discussion included Josi Hübner (Fridays for Future), Valentina Michaelis (Viva con Agua), Konrad Müller (Diakonie Berlin-Brandenburg), Klaus Peter-Licht (senate administration for integration, employment and social affairs). Some of the questions asked included: Which paths are innovative organizations already taking today to address people in their individual life situations and to find the right form of volunteering for them? What structural adjustments can policymakers and administrators make to get closer to this goal? What progress has been made since the publication of the Berlin Engagement Strategy? A text-summary about the event, and the entire event recording, is available here.

EV Capital 2021 Berlin Education and Volunteering: Pillars of Democracy 

A new field of action is online. It covers volunteering in education and development. Find more here

 

EV Capital 2021 Berlin and EV Capital 2022 Gdansk - First Meeting

On 16 July, the team from the 2021 European Volunteering Capital Berlin will be meeting (online) with some of the team from the 2022 EV Capital Gdansk. This will be the first exchange between the teams and provides an opportunity for an inspiring get-together and great first step in working together. Find out more about Berlin’s work as EV Capital here.

 

CEV Autumn Congress 2021 

The Study Visit to Berlin volunteering organisations, 2021 CEV General Assembly (Second Session), “Revealing European Values in Volunteer Events” (REVIVE) and EVCapital2023 candidates presentations will take place on 13 and 14 September in Berlin and online. The deadline for registration is 30 July, you can register to attend here.

WISH
 
The WISH platform counts with more than 100 volunteer-involving organizations from 23 different countries across Europe and all over the world. The initiatives that are in the platform offer services such as legal advice, psychological assistance or language support to asylum seekers and refugees. Submit your initiative here.

Tandem - now possible online

Tandem is an initiative to get refugees, asylum seekers and organisations working, learning, and growing together. Tandem was set up in 2016 to help and support refugees and asylum-seekers residing in Belgium, with the aim of providing a possibility for them to contribute to the community, and support the restoration of their dignity and autonomy through volunteer placements. Organisations can take part in supporting integration and making a meaningful contribution at the local level, while developing links with the home countries of the refugees and asylum seekers. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, CEV has been working on updating Tandem to the latest standards on safety measures and it is now possible to take part in online volunteering opportunities. We’ve recently released two Facebook posts calling for volunteer applicants for the Jesuits Refugee Service and Eurogas, the link to our Facebook page can be found here. Read more about Tandem here.

Save the date! ERNOP Science and Society Seminars

On 21 September (10-11 CEST), join us for the ‘’Strategic giving revisited for France and Europe’’ webinar, part of the ERNOP Online Seminars-Series 2021.  In this session, Arthur Gautier from the Philanthropy Chair at ESSEC Business School will adapt the philanthropic model developed by Peter Frumkin to a French (European) context and explain how to develop a philanthropic strategy that can optimise one’s positive impact on society. More details and register here by 19 September.

Goodbye & Thank you to Zineb and welcome Ela, Elena, Carolin, Lauren & Sam

In June, CEV said goodbye to our trainee from the PICE Programme, Zineb Elghadir. We thank her for all her contributions and wish her the best in the future! We welcome Carolin Von Bredow, Ela Guler, Elena Dal Mas,  Lauren Flello and Sam Nelson, who have joined our team as Erasmus Plus trainees. They are all recent graduates of the University of East Anglia.  Find out more about our team here.

CEV UEA Trainees - Publications

CEV Erasmus Plus trainees from the University of East Anglia (UEA) have produced a number of reports related to the European volunteer sector. The reports explore: “online (in)visibility of national volunteer weeks and respective national volunteering (dis)engagement”; “an analysis and evaluation of gender inequality in European volunteering”; and the “funding structures of European non-profit organisations and their influence on public opinion”. The reports can be found on the CEV website here.

Fundacja Centrum Aktywności Twórczej: Connor’s experience so far volunteering in Leszno, Poland

Ex CEV Trainee Connor, has spent the past few months as a European Solidarity Corps volunteer contributing to a variety of projects with the Polish organisation Fundacja Centrum Aktywności Twórczej (CAT). Read more about his experience here. Read more about the NEWBIE project here, and more about the Language Cafe here.

Erasmus+ Trainee Study

Ex CEV Erasmus+ Trainee Bianca Guberti during her traineeship at CEV redacted a paper on “The role of Volunteering Organisations in Europe in implementing the SDGs and preventing the creation of gaps in the civic space during the COVID-19 pandemic time: threats, challenges and good practices”. It analyses “the consequences that the progressively increasing effect of the shrinking civic space and additionally the COVID-19 pandemic have on the role of volunteering organisations in regard to their commitment to collaborate closely with marginalised and vulnerable communities towards the implementation of the SDGs”. Find the paper here.

CEV - RSM articles

CEV has collaborated with Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) to publish a series of articles on volunteering-related topics in English. The articles cover a broad range of topics, and versions of the articles have been previously published in Dutch. You can read the new article “Volunteering: A modern perception’’ and the previous  two articles here

Volunteering Infrastructure Publication - Turkey & Italy

An updated, 2021 version of the Italy chapter and a new addition chapter on Turkey are now available. This publication looks at the situation and context of volunteering with each chapter focusing on one country, with the research being supported by CEV member organisations in the relevant countries, CEV staff and UEA trainees.

Inclusive Volunteering ToolKit - New languages

This ToolKit, which assists organisations and initiatives in ensuring coherence between their mission, values, and volunteering opportunities, and also provides guidance on inclusive volunteering opportunities, is now available in Dutch thanks to the Moody’s Team Up volunteers in Brussels. The original English document can be found here.

Draft Blueprint for European Volunteering 2030 - New Languages

The Draft Blueprint (#BEV2030) is now available in English, French, Italian, Spanish and German. Submit your feedback and reactions until July 15 2021. The final updated version will be approved by the CEV GA on 14 September 2021 and then it will be available for wider endorsement by stakeholders and partners.

Civil Society Europe - General Assembly

On 24 June, during the CSE GA, Gabriella Civico, CEV Director was re-elected for the Steering Committee. CSE is the coordinating body for European Civil Society Networks. Find more here.

Our European Life - Second thematic cluster meeting

On 7 July, CEV Director Gabriella Civico co-chaired along with Piotr Sadowski, Secretary General of Volonteurope, the second “Our European Life” thematic cluster meeting in the sphere of the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe. The working group gathered more than 20 experts from various european networks assessing topics such as european rights and values, migration, civic space, sport, security and europe's external and third country policies. Find more about the Convention’s thematic clusters here.

Plenary Meeting Conference on the Future of Europe

On 19 June, the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe, an initiative of Civil Society Europe, of which CEV Director Gabriella Civico is part of the Steering Committee, was invited with five seats at the inaugural plenary session of the Conference on the Future of Europe #CoFoE in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Alexandrina Najmowicz (European Civic Forum), Patrizia Heidegger (European Environmental Bureau) , Yannis Vardakastanis (European Disability Forum), Milosh Ristovski (Young European Federalists) and Elisa Gambardella (SOLIDAR)  were the representatives of the Civil Society Convention in the plenary shaping a future of europe based on equality, solidarity, inclusiveness and democracy. Stay up to date with the work of the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe here. And follow the developments about the Plenary here.

First Donations to the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe fundraising campaign - MEP Michaela Šojdrová and MEP Markéta Gregorová

The campaign, “Be one of the 50 MEPs supporting European civil society’s role in the Conference on the Future of Europe” intends to commit the Members of the European Parliament to a citizen-focused Conference on the Future of Europe and a strong role of civil society in the process. We are grateful to MEP Ms. Šojdrová (EPP) and MEP Markéta Gregorová (Greens/EFA) for giving the first donations to the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe fundraising campaign and for their strong interest in involving as many citizens in the Conference on the Future of Europe as possible. Read More about the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe here.

CEV wins Out of the Box Award 2021! 

On 17 June, CEV was announced as a winner at the Out of the Box Awards 2021, hosted by Out of the Box international. The Union of Baltic Cities and Youth for Exchange and Understanding International won alongside CEV for, in the words of Board Member Ivana Davidovska, providing “great examples on how “out-of-the-box” ideas and innovative collaborations create positive changes both on European and local level”. You can read more about the awards here.

EESC Liaison Group meeting

On 19 May, Gabriella Civico, CEV Director took part in the Liaison Group meeting, with over 40 participants, CSOs and EESC members. There was discussion and update on the EESC's work on the CoFoE and schedule of future work, cooperation between the EESC Liaison Group and Civil Society Europe (CSE), European Democracy Action Plan and the European Semester and the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Relive the FEBA Annual Convention 2021

On 6 & 7 May, in advance of the UN Food Systems Summit, the European Food Banks Federation in collaboration with Česka Federace Potravinovych Bank organised the FEBA Annual Convention 2021, online. On Day 1, Gabriella Civico and Sara Fasoli from CEV participated, facilitating a working group on volunteering in the convention’s Plenary Session, a recording of this session can be found here. Recordings of all the activities from both days can also be found here. 

4th Corporate Volunteering Symposium - Austria

On 23 June, Gabriella Civico, CEV Director  gave the opening speech at the 4th edition of the Symposium on Corporate Volunteering organised online by Fachgruppe Frauen together with the Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs that saw the participation of over 50 participants. Find more about the event here. Find more about EVEN here.

‘’Volunteering in a global pandemic’’ Webinar series

On 23 June, CEV Director Gabriella Civico chaired the Africa/ Europe panel, part of the ‘’Volunteering in a global pandemic’’ webinar series organised by the Institute for Volunteering Research. 59 participants from over 15 nations across 5 continents contributed. The panellists for the session were: Lejla Sehic-Relic-DKolektiv, Ksenija Fonović-CSV Lazio, Deedar Guerra-Cnv.mocambique, Catherine Nakazibwe–YESS Programme, Fred Sadia-VIOSociety in Kenya. Find more here.

Erasmus + project “Rethinking Climate Risk: The Venice Paradigm”

From 10-14 May, CEV Project and Policy officer Giulia Bordin held a week-long course within the framework of the Erasmus + project “Rethinking Climate Risk: The Venice Paradigm”; the project is part of the ARQUS Alliance, funded by the European universities initiatives programme. The course focused on the effects of the relationship between volunteering and the natural environment, in matters such as human rights, Sustainable Development Goals and the UNV Plan of Action Agenda 2030. Course contributors  included representatives of the European Commission and local organisations such as VeniceCalls and CSV Padova and Rovigo.  Find more about the project here.

European Quality Standards in Youth Volunteering Erasmus Plus project - Kick Off meeting

On 8 June, CEV attended the Kick-Off meeting of the  European Quality Standards in Youth Volunteering Erasmus+ funded project which aims to assist organisations and institutions across the EU in the identification, promotion and development of good practices. The project partners from 7 countries have established the guidelines and work plan for the definition of the first European Quality Standards in Youth Volunteering. The project partnership includes CEV Members Plataforma Voluntariado España, Volunteer Ireland , Frivilligcentre & Selvhjælp Danmark , Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bulgaria Association , CSVnet ,  DKolektiv - organizacija za društveni razvoj. Find more about the project here.

SLUSIK 4th Partners meeting

On 25 July, CEV had the partners meeting of our project ‘’Service Learning Upscaling Social Inclusion for Kids’’. There was a discussion and update on the planning and implementation of the WPs. SLUSIK is an Erasmus+ KA3 project (2020 - 2022) to promote & support social inclusion of young people. Find out more here.

DYVO Partners meeting

On 9 June, CEV attended the ‘’Digital technologies for validating young volunteers competences’’ project partners meeting, where all partners worked  on creating the DYVO Competence Framework, part of the DYVO Model E-book. Find more here.

Volpris Discussion Forum

On 11 June, the Volpris Erasmus+ project Discussion Forum on "People in Prison engaging as Volunteers and the User Voice in Prison Voluntary Service Development" took place. Around 30 people from across Europe attended the event during which we heard and discussed initiatives to amplify and integrate the service user voice in voluntary sector criminal justice provision. Find more about the Volpris project here.

European Survey on the Validation of Transversal Skills

TRANSVAL-EU, Erasmus+ project, where CEV is an associate partner, is a European policy experimentation concerning innovative approaches for the validation of transversal skills obtained in non-formal and informal learning (VNFIL) contexts, including guidance services. In order to provide these insights related to potential innovative tools, methods and approaches for the validation of transversal skills and competences in validation and guidance practices in Europe, the project consortium would like to map and analyse related initiatives on the validation and guidance process integrating transversal skills throughout Europe. Fill out the questionnaire before 30 September here.

#EYVplus10 Blog

Read CEV’s new post in the #EYVplus10 blog series, talking about whether Europe has adopted a rights-based approach to volunteering in the 10 years since the recommendations included in PAVE, regarding the legal framework for volunteering. Read the blog post here

Podcast - “Let’s Talk Volunteering (EU)”

In this episode we talked about volunteering with Michaela Sojdrova, a Member of the European Parliament, who shared her vision on volunteering support at EU level. Michaela also shared what the EU is already doing to support volunteers across Europe and what are the upcoming plans. Listen to the episode here

Blueprint for European Volunteering 2030 - a contribution towards implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights

On 29 June, an online discussion in the context of the 4th Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union took place. The event was co-organised with CEV members CPV - the Portuguese Confederation of Volunteering, CASES - the António Sérgio Cooperative for the Social Economy. The event’s agenda included talks on PAVE (Policy Agenda for European Volunteering), on the 2030 Blueprint for European Volunteering, and on the contribution of volunteering to European Social Rights. The full agenda of the event can be read here.

NCVO Acknowledges UK Volunteering Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic, and Thanks Volunteers During National Volunteer Week

In a 1 June blog post, NCVO acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on England’s volunteering landscape, making note of an increased volume of volunteers as well as significant changes in the type of voluntary activities people are engaging with. NCVO stresses the importance of having thanked volunteers through this year's UK National Volunteer Week, which ran from the 1-7 June, as their work has been essential in all areas of support throughout the pandemic. You can read the full blog post about the changes to the UK’s post-COVID volunteering landscape, here.

CSVnet Elects New, First Female, President

CSVnet has elected Chiara Tommasini as their new President. She was elected on 27 June by the new Board, who were elected by the assembly the day before. Tommasini is the first woman in the history of CSVnet to hold this position. You can read more about CVSnet’s new President and Board members here.

Citizen engagement and contributory democracy

France Benevolat published an article summarising the proceedings of the conference taking place on 26 May 2021 involving France Benevolat speakers, examining the need for greater contributory democracy to engender greater social cohesion and bolster democratic values. The article provides methods through which contributory democracy can be exercised and different speakers offer examples of contributory actions they have seen in society and the positive effects resulting from them. More info here.

CEV and HCRV Featured in Article on Voluntourism in Croatia

On 8 June, Croatian news outlet ‘’Jutarnji’’ published an article encouraging voluntourism in Croatia. Featuring quotes, events, and activities from both CEV and CEV member organisation HCRV (Croatian Center for Volunteer Development), the article explores the benefits of volunteering in Croatia instead of travelling for voluntourism opportunities elsewhere - this is especially relevant as many national borders remain closed to all but essential travel. The full article can be read here.

SEEYN Leads Panel on Volunteering During Berlin Process Youth Forum 

The recommendations from this event on 29 June 2021 will be part of the Youth Agenda which will then provide a guide map for the EU, who will take over responsibilities for the implementation of the Berlin process results. Find out more about SEEYN here.

Save the Date! EvolYou Final Conference

On 10 December, CESES will organise their final event for the ‘’European senior Volunteering through mentoring for the social inclusion of Young people in difficulties’’ Erasmus+ project. More info here.

European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus+ Launch Event Portugal

On 18 June,  the Launch conference of the new  European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus+ programmes was held in Viana do Castelo, Portugal and online. Organised by the Portugese Presidency 2021 with the presence of Commissioners Margaritis Schinas and Mariya Gabriel. Watch the full recording here.

Slovenia takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union 

On 1 July 2021, Slovenia will begin it’s six month Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The official presidency programme includes the implementation process  of the ‘’Next Generation EU’’ instrument and the ‘’Recovery and Resilience Facility’’, to tackle the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. CEV will continue to call on the Council of the EU to “Step up a Gear” regarding volunteering policies and programmes as part of the recovery strategy. More details on ‘’The Road to the Recovery’’ plan can be found here, and more general information on the Slovenian Presidency programme and priorities here.

Lack of transparency leaves EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility at risk 

The EU’s commitment to spend €672.5 billion on pandemic recovery is at risk of corruption and misuse due to a lack of transparency, a joint-analysis by European civil society organisations has found. This analysis, released on the 15th June by the newly-formed Open Procurement EU Coalition, looks at 22 EU Member States’ plans for Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) spending; it found that 20 countries are not planning to release information about the recipients of their spending. The full analysis can be found here.

Second High-level Interparliamentary Conference on Migration and Asylum

On 14 June, the Second High-level interparliamentary Conference on European Migration and Asylum took place, via video call, in the European Parliament. The Conference was held under the joint auspices of the European and Portuguese Parliaments, and was co-organised additionally with the German and Slovenian Parliaments. Find more here.

Public consultation: Updated Council Recommendation of Cross Border Mobility of Young Volunteers

Share your ideas on how EU countries can make it easier for young people taking part in volunteering projects in countries other than their own and therefore requiring cross border travel. Find more here.
Deadline: 21 July 2021

SALTO Newsletter

Here you can check all open calls at SALTO-YOUTH network and apply.

CULT Newsletter 

The June 2021 edition of the CULT newsletter is now available here.
 

EESC Diversity Europe Newsletter

The June 2021 issue of the Diversity Europe Newsletter is now available. This issue focuses on the topic of ‘The freedom of the press, a fundamental right’. You can read the newsletter here.

EESC Liaison Group Newsletter

Here you can check the Liaison Group Newsletter for June 2021.
 

‘’Online Pre-departure Training for European Volunteers’’ E-learning event

This e-course is an online preparation tool for both young people who are about to, or intend to, participate in volunteering activities in the European Solidarity Corps, and youth workers who are preparing young people for volunteering activities abroad or in-country. The course is open for participants from Programmes and Partner Countries of Erasmus+. More info and registration here. 
Deadline: 11 July 2021
Date: 13-27 July 2021

‘’Mentoring under Construction - Let’s face it!’’ Seminar in Bucharest

A seminar of exploration and community building in the landscape of mentoring within the European Solidarity Corps - this time in a face to face event! Organised by the Romanian National Agency for European Solidarity Corps and the SALTO European Solidarity Corps, this seminar is appropriate for new mentors, developers and implementers of ESC projects, volunteer coordinators, and those curating tools and resources about mentoring. More info here.
Deadline to apply: 10 September 2021
Date: 24-28 October 2021

First Interim Report of the Standing Committee and the President of the Conference of INGOs

The Standing Committee and the President of the Conference of INGOs presented their first Interim Report to the Council of Europe. The report covers the actions taken by the Committee and the President since their election and the General Assembly of April 2021. The report is available to read here.

Study Presentation: Education and Youth in post COVID-19 Europe

A report on education and youth in post-COVID Europe has been created at the request of the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education (CULT Committee). The report demonstrates that the COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented, multidimensional challenges to the education systems and youth sector, revealing the lack of preparedness in terms of crisis management and digital education responses, as well as reinforcing structural weaknesses of education delivery. The full study is available to read here.

“Accounting for the Varieties of Volunteering. New Global Statistical Standards Tested”

This book includes original details about the adaptation of the International Labour Office (ILO) Manual to a complex country and about the implementation process. It analyses voluntary action both on the whole and in its own components and - coherently with volunteering mosaic hypothesis - confronts the components on a series of characteristics, antecedents and impacts.
Find more here.

For other European Volunteering and Civil Society related matters check out and subscribe to other newsletters here.

CEV is always willing to welcome new members to our network. You can read more information about membership on our website or in our “Why to be a member of the CEV network?” flyer.
Twitter
Facebook
CEV Website
LinkedIn
Email
Our mailing address: Avenue des Arts 7/8, Brussels 
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
 






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
Centre for European Volunteering - CEV · Avenue des Arts 7 · Brussels 1210 · Belgium

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp