The Conference «Volunteerism
– Avenue for Social Transformation» is an annual international forum
aimed at forming effective cooperation among volunteers from different
countries and at disseminating information and experiences of successful social
voluntary practices.
This year the Conference took place on the 14th
and 15th of May 2013 at Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Many speakers of different associations participated
in the conference and their speeches focused on:
- The fundamental role of volunteerism in developing a peaceful society; volunteerism is a resource that can transform society and volunteers, especially young people who are essential in sustainable development.
- Volunteerism is based on the shared connection we have with others; it is important that all volunteers from different backgrounds remain united by the common goal to create a better world and to help people in need; volunteerism is one of the best gifts to our communities and it’s one of the best expressions of active participation.
- The need to increase cooperation between volunteers and government in order to improve the socio-economic benefits of volunteerism as a way to measure the health of a society.
- The values that characterize a volunteer are: solidarity, altruism, engagement, power to be useful, integrity, creativity, trust, and tolerance.
All the speakers agreed that volunteers can reinforce
social cohesion and lead to a better society, confirmed by studies that showed
a positive correlation between economic growth and social cohesion, noting that
prosperous societies produced more volunteers.
One of the best aspects of Volunteerism is that the
majority of volunteers say that during their experience they receive as much as
they give.
During the conference various examples of projects
were proposed from associations all over the world: making it was a very good
opportunity to understand how volunteers can try to create a better world
simultaneously through different approaches.
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