2011 to be the European Year of Volunteering: The European Commission has decided to propose that 2011 be designated the “European Year of Volunteering”. The Council is expected to endorse this decision, after the European Parliament has been consulted, by the beginning of next year.

In the European Union, millions of citizens are volunteering. People of all ages make a positive contribution to
their community by investing some of their free time in civil society organisations, in youth clubs, in hospitals, in schools, in sport clubs, etc. For the Commission, volunteering is an active expression of civic participation and strengthens common European values such as solidarity and social cohesion. Volunteering also provides important learning opportunities, because involvement in voluntary activities can provide people with new skills and competences and can even improve their employability. This is particularly important in this time of economic crisis. Volunteering plays an important 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.

Volunteering has a great, but so far under-exploited, potential for the social and economic development of Europe. Dedicating 2011 to the topic of volunteering will help Member States, regional and local communities and civil society achieve the following objectives:

1. Work towards an enabling and facilitating environment for volunteering in the EU;

2. Empower volunteer organisations and improve the quality of volunteering;

3. Reward and recognise volunteering activities; and

4. Raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering.

The 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 European Year of Volunteering should help volunteers and volunteering organisations from everywhere in Europe to meet and to learn what is done best in other countries. The public authorities will be able to learn
more about volunteers and making volunteering easier. Citizens who do not know much about volunteering should find out more about it, and maybe become volunteers one day themselves. And finally, the European
Year should give recognition to the volunteers.

The Commission proposes to allocate a budget of 6 million Euros for the European Year and an additional amount of 2 million Euros for the preparatory actions starting in 2010.

The proposed activities should focus on communication and awareness-raising measures, such as conferences, seminars, exchange of experience and publications. Similar activities shall be run in the Member States through national coordination structures. The emphasis will be placed on funding projects with a volunteering dimension in the EU’s action programmes, such as the ‘Youth in Action Programme’, for example. The aim is to involve all levels – European, national, regional and local. The ownership of the European Year shall remain with the volunteers and the volunteer organisations, and many activities and celebrations will be organised from the bottom-up.

 L’Oficina de Cooperació Europea de la Direcció de Relacions Internacionals de la Diputació de Barcelona , a través del Europe Direct Barcelona,  convoca els Premis de contes breus ‘Relats d’Europa’, amb la voluntat de reconèixer social i institucionalment la tasca desenvolupada per la ciutadania en favor dels valors i ideals europeus i/o la visibilització, presència o ressò europeu de les nostres ciutats, pobles i viles de la província de Barcelona. En particular aquestes premis pretenen assolir els següents objectius:

×           distingir a la ciutadania de la província que hagi contribuït, a través del seu conte breu o relat al desenvolupament de les diferents realitats, valors i ideals europeus;

×           estimular la projecció europea de la ciutat, poble o vila de la província, i

×           il·lustrar experiències que es viuen a les ciutats en el marc de convivència de l’espai comú europeu.

Pot participar-hi qualsevol persona física, resident a la província de Barcelona, que tingui més de sis anys. S’estableixen tres categories de premis: infantil (de 6 a 13 anys): una bicicleta i llibres de lectura, juvenil (de 14 a 18 anys): un note-book i adults (+de 18 anys): una viatge i una nit d’hotel a Brussel.les per a un cap de setmana.

Els contes hauran de tenir una extensió d’entre dos i cinc fulls DIN-A4 i podran estar escrits en català o castellà. El termini per presentar les propostes finalitza el 30 de setembre de 2010.

 + INFO: Oficina de Cooperació Europea de la Direcció de Relacions Internacionals de la Diputació de Barcelona (C. Còrsega, 273, 2ª planta de 08008 – Barcelona / Tel. 934 022 077 /Email: o.cooperacioeuropea@diba.cat).

Curs de formació “Estratègies, polítiques comunitàries i normatives europees que afecten l’àmbit local” que tindrà lloc a Girona els mesos d’octubre i novembre de 2010.

Aquest curs forma part del Pla de Formació 2010, que s’emmarca  dins els acords per a la formació contínua de les administracions públiques (AFCAP), i té per objectiu facilitar l’actualització dels aspectes d’interès per als ens locals, de les polítiques i la normativa de la Unió Europea.

Davant la diversitat de demandes formulades des de les administracions locals, aquesta proposta formativa adopta un plantejament modular per tal d’adaptar-se a les necessitats i a la disponibilitat temporal de les persones que estiguin interessades a participar-hi.

+ INFO: Jordi Llach i Expósito de la Diputació de Girona (tfno. 972 18 50 41 i email: jllach@ddgi.cat).

S’ADJUNTA EL PROGRAMA: DípticCursUEGirona