Sport et volontariat[en][de] 

These are busy times for the European Voluntary Service (EVS), which falls under Action 2 of the EU YOUTH programme. In 2003, almost 3,500 young volunteers participated in EVS, which had a budget of almost 25m euros. Due to enlargement, the budget for 2004 was increased to 33m euros. An internet database of approved host organisations contains more than 6,000 potential placements. Following a recent evaluation and facing a higher level of demand, the Commission is currently overhauling EVS to develop it further and make it more user-friendly.

Volunteers do not have to pay anything as travel, food, accommodation, insurance are all covered by Commission grants. EVS tries to provide not only a service to the local host organisation, but a learning experience for the young volunteer (between 18-25 years). The experiences and skills gained are documented in an EVS certificate signed by the commissioner dealing with education and sports-related issues in the EU.

One of the core quality features of EVS is the continuous pedagogical programme and support for the volunteer and the partnership between sending organisation, host organisation and volunteer. In most of the cases, EVS consists of highly individual projects in local projects a wide variety of areas: social, cultural, sporting, artistic, youth information, civil protection, environment, etc. But there are plans to create a new collective project format with higher number of volunteers (up to 60 in 2004, sometimes even more) in the same host project on the occasion of a specific event (sports, culture etc.).

Organisers and policy-makers are particularly anxious to do all they can to ensure that volunteers do not get bored and, in the worst case scenario, leave a given event prematurely. The Commission supported collective voluntary service projects for almost 200 European volunteers during the World Special Olympics in Dublin (2003) and for 53 European volunteers at the Euro 2004 Football Championships. It is very much aware of the difficulties in organising the logistics, training and support plus meaningful tasks for (European) volunteers.

European volunteers were sent to the Euro 2004 European Football Championships for two months (see EurActiv 4 June 2004) in a project organised by the Portuguese Youth Institute. The volunteer tasks lay in fields were they presented an added European and intercultural value (communication, liaison, press information etc.). Although modelled along the lines of EVS, the funding for this project, amounting to 200,000 euros, came from the European Year of Education through Sport. 

European volunteers were also present at the Olympic Games although this was not co-ordinated or funded by the EU. In the context of Prodi's hope that Member States use the EU flag as well as the national flag at future Olympic Games, it is interesting to note that many European volunteers wore T-shirts with the EU flag. This could be seen as a move by the organisers ATHOC to raise awareness about the EU.

Jens Mester, an EU official at the Youth Unit of DG Education and Culture, says that the key elements for the success of collective voluntary service projects on major sports events are: 

• timely logistical preparation and volunteer recruitment (starting at least 12 months beforehand)
• careful matching of volunteer interests/qualifications and tasks
• meaningful tasks which present a true added value and help volunteers to gain new skills
• transparent information to the volunteers on the project context/setting/practical arrangements
• task-related training and personal support to the volunteers 
  

Mester adds that some incentives are also important. For example, for the European Voluntary Service, the Commission provides volunteer allowances (pocket money), a group insurance plan covering health and civil liability risks and fully reimburses international return travel.

In the call for major projects (DG EAC 17/03), which comes under the Community Youth Action Programme, one of the four themes was "projects using sports and outdoor education as a tool for social integration and non-formal education".

There is currently a lot going on in terms of voluntary activity of young people at European level:  

November 2003 saw the Commission co-organise the First European Conference on Civic Service and Youth together with the Italian government, with the aim of strengthening the co-operation and exchange of volunteers among national voluntary civic services. A follow-up event is planned for the near future.

On 9 March 2004, the Commission adopted a communication on the future generation of programmes from 2007 on, among them the area of youth (and the new European Voluntary Service). The Commission's political aim is to virtually triple the number of volunteers under European Voluntary Service from 3,500 to 10,000 per year from 2007 on. This was underlined in the Commission's formal proposal for a new "Youth in Action" programme from 2007 to 2013, adopted on 14 July 2004. Already, the EU YOUTH programme (2000-06) provides grants and offers pedagogical tools to projects (eg youth exchanges, voluntary service, youth initiative or support measures) which are related to education through sports.

A Council directive defining admission conditions for third country nationals for the purpose of studies, pupil exchange, unremunerated training or voluntary service was formally adopted on 13 December 2004. 

A Commission proposal on common objectives for enhancing voluntary activities for young people at all levels was adopted by the Council on 15 November 2004.

The role that voluntary organisations play in promoting sport among the grassroots is sure to be on the agenda of EU policymakers as they discuss how the new 'sports article' in the EU Constitution is to be used.