European Volunteer Centre

Last updated

The Centre for European Volunteering (Centre Européen du Volontariat)
AbbreviationCEV
Formation1992
HeadquartersRue d’Edimbourg 26 Brussels, Belgium
Official language
English, French
President
Lejla Šehić Relić
Key people
Gabriella Civico (director)
Website www.europeanvolunteercentre.org

The Centre for European Volunteering (CEV) (until 1 July 2020 known as the European Volunteer Centre [1] ), established in 1992, is the European network of over 60 organisations dedicated to the promotion of, and support to, volunteers and volunteering in Europe at European, national or regional level. Through the network, CEV works to ensure that: the value of quality volunteering as an expression of Solidarity and European values is understood, supported and celebrated; policies & programmes, together with the European social environment, inspires, encourages and supports quality European Volunteering;  Individuals and organisations that are active in the volunteering and civil society sphere share, learn and are inspired from one another in the framework of CEV . In this way CEV reaches out to the many thousands of volunteers and volunteer organisations in Europe as a source of support bringing the European dimension to their work.

Contents

History

CEV's origins lie in an initiative by 7 volunteer centres, Association pour le Volontariat [2] (Belgium), Centre National du Volontariat [3] (France), the National Centre for Volunteering [4] (UK), Centro Nazionale per il Volontariato [5] (Italy), Landelijk Steunpunt Vrijwilligerswerk [6] (Netherlands) and Plataforma para la Promoción del Voluntariado en España [7] (Spain). These organisations convened at a meeting organised in Lucca, Italy, in 1989, for the representatives of National and Regional Volunteer Centres from seven European countries. The outcome of the meeting was a joint declaration for increased European cooperation. [8]

CEV was founded in February 1990 on the basis of this declaration [9] and in 1992 was officially granted the status of “international non-profit organisation" registered under Belgian law. [10] The Vlaams Steunpunt Vrijwilligerswerk, [11] Flemish Volunteer Centre, was granted the responsibility to put in place the new organisation. On 5 December 1995, CEV organised the first ever "European Day for Volunteering in the European Parliament", Brussels, Belgium, with the active support of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and UNESCO. [12]

Between 1994 and 2002 CEV administered as Technical Assistance Office over 13 contracts of the European Commission's PHARE and TACIS-LIEN Programme in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and released a series of publications within these programmes. [13]

As of July 1, 2020, the CEV went through a process of rebranding. This rebranding consisted of changing the English name of CEV from “European Volunteer Centre” to “Centre for European Volunteering” in order to align the name with the already used acronym “CEV”, which was taken from the French name for the organisation “Centre Européen du Volontariat”. The rebranding also introduced a new logo and visual identity for the organisation, which was first used during the candidacy application stage for the European Volunteering Capital 2022.

On its 25th anniversary in 2017 CEV published a timeline of volunteering in Europe. [14]

Member organisations

CEV full members are national and regional support centres for volunteering and organisations exercising the role of a national or regional support centre for volunteering in European countries. Full members must be not-for profit and non-governmental organisations. [15]

Associate members are volunteer involving organisations or organisations that promote and develop volunteering in specialised field or a specific type of volunteering. Associate members act on local, regional, national or international level.

Organisation

CEV is supported in its work by a Board [16] and by a Secretariat team [17] based in Brussels.

Presidents

NameTerm
Ms Lejla Šehić Relić2019–present
Ms Cristina Rigman2016–2019
Ms Eva Hambach2009– 2015
Dr Marijke Steenbergen2007–2009
Mr Christopher Spence2002–2007
Ms Liz Burns1997–2001
Ms Monique Verstraeten1992–1997

Directors

NameTerm
Ms Gabriella Civico2012–present
Mr Martijn Pakker2011-2012
Mr Markus Held2004–2011
Ms Gail Hurley2002–2004
Mr Raf De Zutter1994–2002

Partnership and collaboration

Partnership with CEV is open to any stakeholder that is willing to support CEV and its mission to contribute to the creation of an enabling political, social and economic environment for volunteering in Europe and where the full potential of volunteering can be realised.

Whilst a network itself CEV is also actively involved at European level and in international networks. CEV is a member of: EESC Liaison Group for European Civil Society, Expert Group on the Mobility of Young Volunteers, European Qualifications Framework Advisory Group, European Alliance for Volunteering, Europe Plus, Civil Society Europe, The Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe, Impact2030.

Strategic objectives

Source: [18]

- The value of quality volunteering as an expression of Solidarity and European values is understood, supported and celebrated

- Policies & programmes, together with the European social environment, inspires, encourages and supports quality European Volunteering

- Individuals and organisations that are active in the volunteering and civil society sphere share, learn and are inspired from one another in the framework of CEV

- CEV is a well-run and effective organisation

Current activities

European Volunteering Capital Competition - #EVCapital

In 2013 European Year of Citizens, CEV launched the European Volunteering Capital Competition. [19] This initiative aims to promote volunteering at the local level by giving recognition to municipalities that support and strengthen partnerships with volunteer centres and volunteer involving organisations and celebrate and promote volunteering and the impact made by volunteers.

Employee Volunteering European Network (EVEN)

EVEN [20] currently has 10 corporate members: Fundacion Telefónica, Intel, FASVOL, Fundacion Repsol, IBERDROLA, ArcelorMittal, IBM, The Moody's Foundation, Cooperatie VGS, Kellogg's and 43 volunteer involving organisations in membership.

EVEN was established by European Volunteer Centre (CEV) in 2013. This initiative aims to increase the number of employers and volunteer-involving organisations with the capacity and willingness to implement good quality employee volunteering and give greater visibility to these initiatives.

Employee Volunteering European Network (EVEN) main objectives are:

The CEV-EVEN Workbook, a toolkit to help volunteer-involving organisations develop employee volunteering, (in EN & translations) [22] can be downloaded from its website. [23]

WISH Platform

WISH (Welcome, Integration & Support Hub for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Europe) is an ESC project launched in October 2018 after the CEV General Assembly. The aim of the project is to create an online platform (WISH) mapping the initiatives that offer support to migrants in Europe. This will enable refugees and asylum seekers to find sources of support and assistance, and will help the various European volunteering initiatives to provide better information and to facilitate communication between themselves and the people they wish to help.

Tandem

Tandem was set up to help and support refugees and asylum-seekers residing in Belgium. The project aims to facilitate their opportunities to contribute to the community, and support the restoration of their dignity and autonomy through initially short-term volunteer placements at different organisations. Tandem also aims to bring the direct experience of individual refugees and asylum-seekers and the challenges facing them into NGOs. These organisations are often concerned about the situation of refugees and asylum-seekers but may not have identified opportunities to support directly individuals in their local areas

Projects

CEV is a partner in the following projects working towards a better recognition of volunteering: CIVCIL Project, I’VE Experienced Project, LEVER Project, DESTEVA Project, GR-EAT Project, EURAVON Project, VAPOVO Project, VOLCAR Project, EVS Realm. Read more about CEV's projects here:

Past activities

Source: [8]

Events

Policy conferences

CEV General Assemblies and Conferences:

CEV Study Visits

CEV hosts annual Study visits, [53] often inviting participants from various member organisations into Brussels and offering the chance to experience the work CEV does first hand. These visits allow participants to become more informed on volunteering policies, programmes and practices within the context of the EU and European Union institutions. Participants, accompanied by CEV staff, had the chance to visit the main European Institution, to connect with EU Officials and MEPs, as well as get in contact with the representatives of civil society organisations. They were also introduced to CEV's activities and engagement in promoting volunteering across Europe.

Previous study visits have invited participants from Volunteering England (UK),  ProVobis (Romania), Volunteer Centres Ireland (Ireland), La Plateforme Francophone du Volontariat (Belgium) and participants from Italian CSVnet (Coordinamento Nazionale dei Centri di Servizio per il Volontariato) member organisations (CSVs) located in different regions (Lombardia, Piemonte, Sicily, Veneto and Emilia Romagna).

The 2020 Study visit was due to take place in Padova, European Volunteering Capital 2020, as part of the CEV Autumn congress, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic the congress was moved online and the study visit was no longer possible.

Seminars

CEV also frequently hosts and contributes to various seminars, conferences, and policy discussion roundtables in order to share best practice, information and research on volunteering, and to represent the volunteer sector in EU policy consultations. During 2020, in order to maintain this despite the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of these seminars moved from in presence discussions to online, digital webinars.

Some of these seminars in recent years have included:

-April 2016 - The Volunteer Manager: Key for Excellency in Volunteer Management, Bucharest (Romania)

-April 2017 - Developing European Volunteering Strategies, London (UK)

-9-20 April 2018- Volunteering in Culture, Rijeka (Croatia)

-21 November 2019: European Conference - Impact and lessons of ESC - Legal status, traditions and cultures of Volunteering and Solidarity in Europe, Brussels (Belgium)

-8 October 2019 : 'Solidarity and Volunteering - European Rights and Values from the bottom up', European Volunteering Capital Seminar during EU Regions

-30 January 2020: Volunteering Interest Group in the European Parliament

-19 February 2020: SDG Watch Europe General Assembly

-15 April 2020: European Solidarity Corps Stakeholder meeting (Online)

-19 June 2020: Webinar: Volunteering in events and how to keep solidarity at the heart of it

-24 July 2020: Webinar: Volunteering in Post COVID-19 Crisis: What now?

CEV News

"CEV News" [54] is a monthly newsletter providing information on CEV activities, CEV members' projects, EU policies and relevant calls for proposals, events and any other relevant information for volunteer stakeholders within the CEV membership and beyond.

Publications and reports

CEV serves as a knowledge and research resource for volunteering, funding opportunities and practice in Europe. CEV regularly publishes documents including conference conclusions, annual reports and other policy statements. Wider selection of published research and resources in relation to volunteering can be found on its website. [55]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council of the European Union</span> Institution of the European Union

The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as listed in the Treaty on European Union. It is one of two legislative bodies and together with the European Parliament serves to amend and approve, or veto, the proposals of the European Commission, which holds the right of initiative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Union</span> Supranational political and economic union

The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The Union has a total area of 4,233,255 km2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an estimated total population of over 449 million. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Parliament</span> Directly elected legislature of the European Union

The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union, it adopts European legislation, following a proposal by the European Commission. The Parliament is composed of 720 members (MEPs), after the June 2024 European elections, from a previous 705 MEPs. It represents the second-largest democratic electorate in the world, with an electorate of around 375 million eligible voters in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Commission</span> Executive branch of the European Union

The European Commission (EC) is the primary executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of members of the Commission corresponding to two thirds of the number of Member States, unless the European Council, acting unanimously, decides to alter this number. The current number of Commissioners is 27, including the President. It includes an administrative body of about 32,000 European civil servants. The commission is divided into departments known as Directorates-General (DGs) that can be likened to departments or ministries each headed by a Director-General who is responsible to a Commissioner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western European Union</span> 1954–2011 international organisation and military alliance

The Western European Union was the international organisation and military alliance that succeeded the Western Union (WU) after the 1954 amendment of the 1948 Treaty of Brussels. The WEU implemented the Modified Brussels Treaty. During the Cold War, the Western Bloc included the WEU member-states, plus the United States and Canada, as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Investment Bank</span> Investment bank of the European Union

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt solutions companies and projects that achieve the policy aims of the European Union through loans, equity and guarantees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Paris (1951)</span> 1951 treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community

The Treaty of Paris was signed on 18 April 1951 between France, Italy, West Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which subsequently became part of the European Union. The treaty came into force on 23 July 1952 and expired on 23 July 2002, exactly fifty years after it came into effect.

European integration is the process of industrial, economic, political, legal, social, and cultural integration of states wholly or partially in Europe, or nearby. European integration has primarily but not exclusively come about through the European Union and its policies.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) is a decentralised agency of the European Union with the task of collecting, analysing and disseminating relevant information that can serve the needs of businesses, governments and specialists involved in safety and health at work. Set up in 1994 by Council Regulation (EC) No 2062/94 of 18 July 1994, EU-OSHA is based in Bilbao, Spain, where it has a staff of occupational safety and health (OSH), communication and administrative specialists. William Cockburn Salazar is the current Executive Director of EU-OSHA. Council Regulation (EC) No 2062/94 was replaced by Regulation (EU) 2019/126 on 20 February 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erasmus Programme</span> European Commission programme for education, training, youth, and sport

The Erasmus Programme is a European Union (EU) student exchange programme established in 1987. Erasmus+, or Erasmus Plus, is the new programme combining all the EU's current schemes for education, training, youth and sport, the most recent programme covering the years 2021-27.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations</span> European Commission department

The Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, formerly known as the European Community Humanitarian Aid Office, is the European Commission's department for overseas humanitarian aid and for civil protection. It aims to save and preserve life, prevent and alleviate human suffering and safeguard the integrity and dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises. Since September 2019, Janez Lenarčič is serving as Commissioner for Crisis Management in the Von der Leyen Commission, and since 1 March 2023, Maciej Popowski leads the organisation as the Director-General.

The Euratom Treaty, officially the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, established the European Atomic Energy Community. It was signed on 25 March 1957 at the same time as the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Defence Agency</span> Agency of the European Union

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) that promotes and facilitates integration between member states within the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The EDA is headed by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European Commission’s Vice President (HR/VP), and reports to the Council. The EDA was established on 12 July 2004 and is based in Brussels, Belgium, along with a number of other CSDP bodies.

In the European Union education is at the responsibility of its Member States and their Ministries of education that they have; in such, the European Union institutions play only a supporting and overseeing role. According to Art. 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the Community

shall contribute to the development of quality education by encouraging cooperation between Member States, through actions such as promoting the mobility of citizens, designing joint study programmes, establishing networks, exchanging information or teaching languages of the European Union. The Treaty also contains a commitment to promote life-long learning for all citizens of the Union.

The European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises or SMEunited is an umbrella group for associations of SMEs based in Brussels, Belgium. SMEunited represents the interests of European crafts, trades and SMEs at EU level. Its 67 member organisations from 34 European countries consist of national cross-sectorial SME federations, European branch federations and other associate members. Its members combined represent more than 12 million enterprises, which employ around 50 million people across Europe. SMEunited is a recognised European Social Partner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CONCORD</span>

CONCORD, also referred to as CONCORD Europe, is the European confederation of non-governmental organisations working on sustainable development and international development cooperation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Documentation Centre</span>

A European Documentation Centre (EDC) is a body designated by the European Commission to collect and disseminate publications of the European Union for the purposes of research and education. There are 400 such centers in all member states of the EU. The mandate of an EDC is to receive all official EU publications, documents, contracts and electronic databases then make them available to researchers, educators, students, and interested members of the general public. The centers are also legal depositories of Acquis communautaire (EU law). Although primarily academic in nature, anyone can visit an EDC to consult official EU publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caritas Europa</span> European confederation of Catholic social service providers and relief organisations

Caritas Europa is a European confederation of Catholic social service providers and international development and humanitarian relief organisations operating in Europe. It is one of the seven regions of Caritas Internationalis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Common Security and Defence Policy</span> Aspect in of history

This article outlines the history of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union (EU), a part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

References

  1. "About us". euvolunteercentre. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  2. "PFV - La Plate-forme francophone du Volontariat". volontariat.be.
  3. "France Bénévolat, du cœur à l'action". francebenevolat.org.
  4. "NCVO - Volunteering". volunteering.org.uk.
  5. "Centro Nazionale per il Volontariato". centrovolontariato.net.
  6. "IISH - Archives". iisg.nl.
  7. "Plataforma del Voluntariado de España - Carta de identidad". Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  8. 1 2 "About Us | CEV - The European Volunteer Centre". socialplatform.org.
  9. CSVNET official website
  10. Moniteur Belge, Reg 446 777 248
  11. "Vrijwilligerswerk - Recente vacatures & Nieuws - Vlaams Steunpunt Vrijwilligerswerk vzw". vrijwilligerswerk.be.
  12. "CEV - the European Volunteer Centre: Our vision and our work". Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  13. Court of Auditors of the European Communities: Special Report No 12/2000 on the management by the Commission of European Union support for the development of human rights and democracy in third countries, together with the Commission's replies (paragraph 55)
  14. "Timeline" (PDF). wixstatic.com. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  15. "Member Organisations - European Volunteer Centre (CEV)". cev.be.
  16. "Board of Directors | European Volunteer Centre (CEV)". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  17. "CEV Secretariat - European Volunteer Centre (CEV)". cev.be. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  18. Our vision and our work Archived 2010-06-13 at the Wayback Machine
  19. "European Volunteering Capital 2015 - European Volunteer Centre (CEV)". cev.be.
  20. "EVEN - European Volunteer Centre (CEV)". cev.be.
  21. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. "CEV-EVEN Workbook Translations - European Volunteer Centre (CEV)". cev.be. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  23. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. "EU Conference "participation through volunteering" - 16 December 2009".
  25. "Second Civil Protection Forum (Brussels, 22-23 November 2007), panel sessions".
  26. "EUR-Lex - 32008H1213(01) - EN - EUR-Lex". eur-lex.europa.eu. 2008.
  27. Volunteers, United Nations. "World Volunteer Web: European Volunteer Centre launches 'Manifesto for Volunteering in Europe'". worldvolunteerweb.org.
  28. "involve-europe.eu". www.involve-europe.eu.
  29. "Move conference on Mutual recognition skills and competences gained through vol'. (mei 2007) | www.vrijwilligerswerk.be". Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  30. "CEV - the European Volunteer Centre: MOVE - Mutual recognition of skills and competences gained through volunteering". Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  31. "SGINF200816_en". Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  32. "Activities". avso.org. Archived from the original on 20 November 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  33. "EUR-Lex - 52006AE1575 - EN - EUR-Lex". eur-lex.europa.eu. 2006.
  34. Archived copy Archived 2009-12-24 at the Wayback Machine or http://www.socialplatform.org/News.asp?news=21366
  35. "European Parliament, Committee on Culture and Education, Minutes of the meeting 10 November 2009".
  36. "CEV - the European Volunteer Centre: V::I::P - Volunteering in peace building and conflict resolution". Archived from the original on 22 August 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  37. "ICV - Short Term Projects Think Future, Volunteer Together". icvolunteers.org.
  38. "CEV - the European Volunteer Centre: Think Future - Volunteer Together (Senior volunteering)". Archived from the original on 7 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  39. "International Association for Volunteer Effort". iave.org. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  40. "Home". valuenetwork.org.uk.
  41. "Home page - Institute for Volunteering Research". valuenetwork.org.uk.
  42. http://www.vvb.org.uk/documents/Springedition2009_000.pdf%5B%5D
  43. "EU2009.cz - Event - General assembly of the European Volunteer Centre and a conference Developing Employee Volunteering". www.eu2009.cz. 26 March 2024.
  44. "CEV - the European Volunteer Centre: 2010 - April (Valencia) - Effectively Communicating Volunteering". Archived from the original on 25 February 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  45. "European Year of Volunteering is 2011 – ThirdSector.co.uk". Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  46. "EUR-Lex - 52009SC0725 - EN - EUR-Lex". eur-lex.europa.eu. 2009.
  47. "CEV - the European Volunteer Centre: Events". Archived from the original on 1 October 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  48. "CEV - the European Volunteer Centre: CEV news". Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  49. "CEV - the European Volunteer Centre: News / Home". Archived from the original on 15 June 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  50. "Facebook - Log In or Sign Up". Facebook .
  51. "Welcome to the CEV Online Community". Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  52. "European Volunteer Centre (CEV)". community.cev.be.
  53. "CEV Members Study Visit - European Volunteer Centre (CEV)". cev.be.
  54. "Newsletter CEV". us4.campaign-archive1.com.
  55. "Publications - European Volunteer Centre (CEV)". cev.be.