Belgium: The value of volunteering

Voluntary action is at the heart of Europe?s ideals. This is the central ethos of the European Volunteer Centre (CEV), a European umbrella organisation that groups together 50 National and Regional Volunteer Centres across Europe, that in turn represent thousands of volunteer groups in more than 20 European countries and more than 100 million European volunteers.

Funded in 1990, the CEV works to promote volunteering in Europe. By voicing the priorities, concerns and best practices of volunteers to the relevant EU institutions and cooperating with them to influence policy. By advocating the value of volunteering as a means of reinforcing the principles upon which the European Union was founded; principles such as solidarity, sustainability, legitimacy and global responsibility. By creating opportunities for volunteering to happen through networking, training and advocacy.

At CEV it is believed that everyone have the right to engage in voluntary activities, and that volunteer action, when effective, is a vehicle for empowerment, reconstruction and positive environmental change.

To find out more about CEV?s activities and campaigns, and how to become a member, visit their website at www.cev.be.