International volunteering day 2014: thank you to all those working for youth rights!

On the 5th December 2014, volunteer-involving organisations and individual volunteers all around the world are joining together to celebrate International Volunteer Day 2014.

International Volunteer Day was established by the United Nations’ General Assembly in 1985. Since then, Governments, the UN system and civil society organisations have used December 5th to promote, celebrate and offer thanks for the incredible volunteer work that makes such a big difference locally, nationally and globally every year.

As a European platform, much of the European Youth Forum’s work driven by the commitment and enthusiasm of so many incredible volunteers – from our board to those working within our member organisations. We believe that volunteering helps to foster a culture of participation, personal and responsible development, as well as active citizenship in Europe and the world. In this sense, we advocate for young people to be given the access and encouragement to engage in volunteering activities.

First and foremost, however, they must be empowered with the rights that match their needs and fit their duties. To this end, the Youth Forum launched the European Charter on the Rights and Responsibilities of Volunteers in 2012, to set out the rights on responsibilities of volunteers and volunteering providers. You can see the document in full below.

Over 100 million people in Europe are volunteers, 3 out of every 10 Europeans are active in a voluntary capacity, and nearly 80% of European citizens feel that voluntary activities are an important part of democratic life in Europe. On International Volunteering Day 2014, the Youth Forum would like to thank them for committing their time and energy to improving the world around them!

More on IVD 2014: http://www.unv.org/what-we-do/intl-volunteer-day.html