CEV General Assembly and Symposium

„Volunteering and Active Citizenship: Two sides of the same coin? “

19th – 21st October 2011
Katholische Akademie, Hannoversche Straße 5, 10115 Berlin

While aspects of volunteering are widely discussed and the need to value and recognize voluntary activities is highlighted, we are still lacking a profound discussion on the link and interdependence between volunteering and active citizenship.
How does volunteering complement active citizenship – and the other way around? Where do we draw the borderline? Or is volunteering a means to perpetuate the state of affairs instead of questioning the reality? These are the pressing issues participants will explore at the CEV Symposium „Volunteering and Active Citizenship: Two sides of the same coin?“.

The Symposium aims to accomplish the following main objectives:

· To further grasp the link between volunteering and active citizenship;

· To ensure a space for debate starting from concrete, specific projects implemented at local level by comparing and contrasting similar projects from across Europe;

· To identify the most effective ways to empower citizens to be active through volunteering.