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2013 Año Europeo de los Ciudadanos

The European Union designates 2011 as the "European Year of Volunteering"

In the European Union almost 100 million citizens of all ages invest their time, talent and money to make a positive contribution to their community by volunteering in civil society organisations, youth clubs, hospitals, schools, sport clubs, etc.

For the European Commission volunteering is an active expression of civic participation that strengthens common European values such as solidarity and social cohesion. Volunteering also provides important learning opportunities, because involvement in voluntary activities can give people new skills and competences that can even improve their employability. This is especially important at this time of economic crisis. Volunteering plays a significant role in sectors as varied and diverse as education, youth, culture, sport, environment, health, social care, consumer protection, humanitarian aid, development policy, research, equal opportunities and external relations.

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Objectives of the Year

The EU will use the Year to work towards four main objectives:

1. To create an enabling and facilitating environment for volunteering in the EU.

2. To empower volunteer organisations and improve the quality of volunteering.

3. To reward and recognise volunteering activities.

4. To raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering.

The European Commission expects that the European Year of Volunteering will lead to an increase in volunteering and to greater awareness of its added value, and that it will highlight the link between voluntary engagement at local level and its significance in the wider European context.

The aim is to involve all levels – European, national, regional and local, but the emphasis is very much on a bottom-up approach. In this way the ownership of the European Year shall remain as much as possible with the volunteers and the volunteer organisations.

Más información www.europa.eu/volunteering