Journal - Volume 4

FAMILYPLATFORM ONLINE JOURNAL VOLUME 4: VOLUNTEERING AND THE FAMILY

CONTENTS

1.    VOLUNTEERING IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: AN OVERVIEW OF NATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN THE EU MEMBER STATES - Birgit Sittermann (Observatory for Sociopolitical Developments in Europe, Institute for Social Work and Social Education, Frankfurt)

2.    VOLUNTEERS IN THE EU SPOTLIGHT: THE EUROPEAN YEAR OF VOLUNTEERING 2011 - John MacDonald & Sara Lesina (European Commission)

3.    DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE AND ITS IMPACT ON VOLUNTARY WORK - Christiane Dienel (Nexus Institute for Cooperation Management and Interdisciplinary Research)

4.    FAMILY AND EDUCATION TOWARDS VOLUNTARY ACTION - Francesco Belletti & Lorenza Rebuzzini (Forum delle Associazioni Familiari)

5.    TOWARDS THE EUROPEAN POLICY AGENDA ON VOLUNTEERING: TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE NEEDS OF FAMILIES - edited by Gabriella Civico (European Year of Volunteering 2011 Alliance Secretariat, European Volunteer Centre)

6.    VOLUNTEERING AND SERVICE IN THE UNITED STATES - Barb Quaintance (AARP)

EDITORIAL

This fourth and last volume of the FAMILYPLATFORM Online Journal is dedicated to “volunteering and family”. Not only has the European Commission announced 2011 as being the European Year of Volunteering, but the United Nations has also marked 2011 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the “International Year of Volunteers” in order to find new areas where volunteering can make a difference.

As representatives of mothers across Europe and the world, Mouvement Mondial des Mères (MMM) has operated since 1948 thanks to unpaid volunteers, like thousands of other non-governmental organisations in Europe and across the globe. From a recent survey of mothers launched by MMM across Europe , more than half (or 56 per cent) of the 11,000 respondents reported that they volunteer (mainly for non-profit associations, schools and faith-based institutions). There seems to be a strong correlation between the number of children, the age and at a lesser degree the time use of mothers:

• The more children mothers have, the more they volunteer (39% of mothers with one child, 48% with two children, 59% of mothers with three children, 72% of mothers with four children, 77% of mothers with five children).
• The older they are, the more they volunteer (44% for 26-40, 66% for 41-55 and 76% for 56-70).
• Retired (75%) and stay-at-home mothers (69%) are more likely to volunteer.  Those least likely are those on maternity or parental leave (41%).

Can we deny how mothers (and fathers) play an important role for their children in modelling the example of helping and volunteering? In a talk given in April 2007, an MMM affiliate in Lebanon recalled how mothers living in refugee centres during the recent armed conflict there dealt with everyday power conflicts to maintain peace and security: “Mothers model the example of service in the family…Just after the cease-fire, my daughter came with me to the South. Following that event, my daughter said in a TV interview: ‘When I was very small, I observed that even if we lacked nearly everything, we always had enough to share with the neighbours’”.
 
The objective of this volume is not only to pay tribute to the nearly 100 million Europeans who volunteer their time and talent to a cause and to families who instil values of volunteering in their children, but also to give voice to six contributors (from different professional backgrounds and different countries) who have accepted the invitation to write an article on this important topic. These authors walk us through different definitions and concepts of volunteering, and shed light on the national differences and public policies (or lack thereof) in the European Union Member States. Two articles are dedicated to explaining the origins, aims, programmes, activities and future of the 2011 European Year of Volunteering from two different perspectives, the European Commission and Civil Society. Another author provides a research perspective on how demographic change impacts on volunteer work, and another article focuses on how families educate to take voluntary action in Italy. Finally, we have the pleasure of including an article on volunteering in the US. All these articles demonstrate that families are a main source of voluntary help and assistance, and how volunteering has an impact on the lives of families in Europe. These articles also illuminate the need to strengthen institutional frameworks that support volunteerism, and highlight essential research gaps and questions.

To close with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s message on Dec 5, 2010: “Let us honour volunteering as an expression of our common humanity and a way to promote mutual respect, solidarity and reciprocity. It is a powerful means of mobilising all segments of society as active partners in building a better world.”

Anne-Claire de Liedekerke, Joan Stevens & Julie de Bergeyck
Editors of FAMILYPLATFORM Online Journal Volume 4
MMM Europe (Mouvement Mondial des Mères – Europe)

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