I cannot believe that almost a month has passed since our 25th Annual Conference in Nantes, “Apathy or Action: Young Europeans Take a Stand,” where for two days young people from all over Europe discussed and shared their opinions,  experiences and ideas. Echoing the words that Rosalind Duignan-Pearson, our Communications and Network Development Officer, tells us in this blog, I also believe the conference gave a much needed platform for young people to share and showcase the invaluable work they are doing to support their communities across Europe.  

Firstly I want to convey a great thank you to our member La Ligue de l’enseignement FAL 44 and their volunteers. We could not have done it without their help. The conference itself was such an enriching experience for me because I got to see the participants’ enthusiasm and be reminded of why we do this job. Furthermore, it highlighted why it is important to foster active citizenship and volunteering as pathways to empowerment and confidence, eventually building resilience, employability and a feeling of inclusion, particularly among young people and marginalised communities.  

We’re keen to maintain the momentum and enthusiasm generated at the conference, so we invite everyone to join us on Volonteurope’s new online platform to continue online the discussions that were started in Nantes. This platform is also a space for our working groups and projects – such as EU Aid Volunteers – and it allows our members and associates to continue working to build a more inclusive and just society for all.  

During the conference we also presented the first draft of our report: “Apathy or Action: Supporting Youth Engagement in Europe,” that I had the honour to research with the help of our research assistant, Jesse Sperling. We are now finalising it, incorporating all the useful comments and reactions received during the conference and adding the final case studies.

So if you have a successful story of youth engagement that you would like included in the report, don’t forget to send it to us as soon as possible – as the final report will be published in January.