Youth unite to volunteer

Brussels is going to welcome an army of young active international citizens. From September 7 through September 11, the capital of European Union is going to host the II Youth Convention on Volunteering.

The event is organized by the European Youth Forum and hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and  the European Parliament, within the celebrations of the European Year of Volunteering and is a great opportunity to celebrate the work of young volunteers. The convention also represents an occasion to reach out to non-volunteers and to discuss good practice and possible cooperation with representatives from other parts of the world.

As a matter of fact the convention will be a flagship event for the EU-China Year of Youth. A China-Europe Symposium on Youth Work Development will be held during the convention and will gather thirty young leaders from Europe and China who will discuss the value of young volunteers in youth organizations. The convention is conceived as an open space with many different events which will deal with themes related to volunteering from different perspectives.

The European Charter for the rights of Volunteers will be promoted during the event in order to set basic principles for the rights and responsibilities of volunteers. During the convention 45 European Youth organizations together with 35 local volunteering organizations will build a real Volunteering Village, organizing concerts, workshops, debates and training sessions.

The European Youth Forum is made up of more than ninety National Youth Councils and International Non-Governmental Youth Organizations and aims at giving voice to young people

in Europe by representing and advocating their needs and interests and those of their organizations.

www.youthforum.org

This article is an extract from Vita’s Special Report on European Volunteering which can be downloaded above.