Forum “Volunteering – A Sustainable Citizenship” started in Ponta Delgada on Monday
The Forum on “Volunteering – A Sustainable Citizenship” started in Ponta Delgada at the Academia das Artes in Ponta Delgada on Monday morning. This is a joint initiative of the Regional Directorate for Youth and the National Ex-European Volunteers’ Association (ANEVE) which was attended by several youngsters and technicians working youngsters on the island of São Miguel.
This Forum aims to reflect and understand the reality of young volunteers across Europe, promote and encourage the active participation of youngsters in civic service and volunteering in national and international events, promote new opportunities for youngsters through volunteer programmes, specifically the European Voluntary Service, and promote non-formal education among participants and organisations.
At the opening session, the Regional Director for Youth, Bruno Pacheco, reinforced the importance of volunteering as a fundamental key for a better citizenship. Moreover, in accordance with the provisions of the Government programme, the Azorean Government aims to promote volunteering work among Azorean youngsters along with entrepreneurship education. Hence, volunteering is considered, as well as entrepreneurship, as one of the sides of the same attitude: the ability to take initiative.
Bruno Pacheco also announced that by the end of October, the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for Youth, will launch the new programme for youth volunteering, approved by the Council of the Government last July. This programme will, on the one hand, mediate the collective and individual needs and, on the other hand, promote the dissemination of volunteering practices in our society.
The strategy to increase volunteering also intends to acknowledge the skills acquired with this practice, to turn volunteer projects into non-formal education tools as well as support tools for formal education, thus enhancing the active participation and the growth of Entities, promoting diversity, inclusion and gender equality.
At the beginning of the meeting, the President of ANEVE, António Gomes, presented the Volunteering Week which integrates the Iberian Forum, to be held in Porto from December 3 to 5, counting upon the participation of five Azorean youngsters. During this three-day Forum, youngsters from the cities where local forums took place will present their respective conclusions.
In turn, the conclusions of the Iberian Forum, to take place in Porto also in December, will be presented to the Commission responsible for the European Year of Volunteering, to the European Commission and to policy makers.