Ten European Capitals of Culture in Tartu to discuss issues relating to volunteering and youth work
From 1 to 7 September, ten European Capitals of Culture will meet in Tartu, Estonia, to look for solutions to the challenges in the field of volunteering. The meeting is part of the Erasmus+ project "Empowering youth through volunteering". The project is organised by Tartu 2024 in cooperation with the Tartu Youth Work Centre.
“Volunteering fosters creativity, draws strength from our passions, and connects us to those who need us most. Volunteerism is a global phenomenon that transcends boundaries, religions and cultural divides. Volunteers embody the fundamental values of commitment, inclusiveness, civic engagement and a sense of solidarity.” – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, on International Volunteer Day, 5 December 2015.
This week, past, present and future ECOC volunteers and coordinators, as well as volunteer leaders from nationally important organisations, will come together. Participating Capitals of Culture are Matera 2019, Rijeka 2020, Novi Sad 2022, Kaunas 2022, Timisoara 2023, Tartu 2024, Chemnitz 2025, Nova Gorica 2025, Oulu 2026 and Liepaja 2027.
The event will seek solutions to bottlenecks such as motivating volunteers, the legacy of volunteering and youth programmes, the sustainability of collaborative projects and how to raise awareness of the importance of volunteering in society. At the end of the meeting, the next steps for sustainable cooperation between all organisations will be set.
The project is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Agency for Education and Culture (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA is responsible for them.