World Volunteer Web: Volunteering policy

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Policy

Many countries are seeking to foster voluntary action through the development of policies and legislation. These serve to define volunteerism, to clarify the roles and relationships among stakeholders and to identify necessary legal, social, administrative and financial support. Here is a selection of news and resources related to policy and legislation initiatives all over the world.

If you have any news, press releases, events, documents, links or other information resources related to this volunteering issue, send them to us at info@worldvolunteerweb.org and we will post them here.

22 April 2009
Obama signs national service legislation

Washington, D.C., United States: President Obama signed into law a measure designed to strengthen national community service efforts by boosting federal funding for thousands of volunteers in fields ranging from clean energy to health care and education.

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From: CNN

More about: United States Activism Advocacy Civil society Infrastructure Management

03 April 2009
Volunteerism is "a means to promoting social integration": UN

New York, USA: "Opening opportunities for volunteerism is increasingly seen as a means to promoting social integration," says the United Nations Commission on Social Development in its latest Chairperson's summary.

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More about: Advocacy Volunteering for Development

05 December 2008
'Building bridges' on IVD

United States: To mark International Volunteer Day, the Building Bridges Coalition calls for anyone having participated in an international volunteer programme to help raise awareness by writing about their experience.

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Go straight to PDF document (410 kb)

More about: United States Research

11 December 2007
What sort of universal service will candidates embrace? by Ross Mackenzie

In the run up to the US presidential elections next year, opinion writer Ross Mackenzie questions what kind of civic engagement or volunteering scheme candidates will support.

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More about: United States Infrastructure

04 December 2007
UNV Guatemala to conduct workshop on national volunteer policy

Guatemala City, Guatemala: On the occasion of the International Volunteer Day, celebrated each year on the 5th of December, the Planning Commission of the Government of Guatemala (SEGEPLAN), in a strategic alliance with JICA and UNV, decided to launch on the 6th of December a workshop on the development of a national volunteer policy.

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More about: Guatemala

More related articles

Public service on the cusp of becoming a national movement

Many non-profit organisations are seeing an increase in people looking to help. Non-profit organisations now have 9.4m employees and 4.7m full-time volunteers nationwide. Corporate America, too, is joining in. Moreover, the Edward Kennedy Serve America Act, passed on March 31st, will devote $5.7 billion over five years to expanding or creating national-service programmes.

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Formulate guidelines to promote volunteerism

The government should formulate guidelines to promote volunteerism, which is the best tool to achieve sustainable development, speakers at a national workshop on volunteerism said yesterday.

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US Senate moves to expand national service

The Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday to broadly expand national community service programs, increasing the number of positions to 250,000 from 75,000 and creating new cadres of volunteers focused on education, clean energy, health care and veterans.

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