CSR360

Posted: Friday 18 December 09, 2.59pm GMT

Charles Duff speaking at the Brussels conference

Mr Duff brought the business perspective to the panel debate which was chaired by Pierre Mairesse, Director Education and Culture DG. Charles spoke about the difference that the business sector can make to the community when volunteers are harnessed and said to the conference, ‘we are all employees in this room’.

He highlighted that Employee Volunteering is a valuable tool for improving employability skills for communities and vulnerable Groups as was proven by the laboratory research carried out by the ENGAGE campaign and UPJ (CSR360 GPN partners).

Charles noted that the levels of employee volunteering have been rising and now provide a very significant benefit to society. He told the audience, around 300 delegates made up of Volunteering Alliance members, European Commission officials and national/regional government representatives about the success of the ENGAGE Key Cities model, now present in 11 cities across Europe and Dubai, Santiago de Chile and Hong Kong.

He did however, call for governments to do more to foster the relationships between business and communities and asked for the EU to invest in volunteering schemes as they may be surprised at the benefits. He invited the EU Commission to set up their own employee volunteering scheme and said that ENGAGE would be delighted to offer support!!

The 2011 European Year of Volunteering will aim to be the starting point for a sustainable approach to volunteering across Europe and supporters hope that the legacy will be integrated into European policy.