Over the past 30 years, EU-funded youth volunteering has created significant opportunities for learning, participation, and social impact. As volunteering continues to evolve, there is a need to better recognize the value of volunteers’ contributions and the skills and competences they gain through their experiences.
The Symposium brings together practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and experts from across Europe. Through discussions, exchange of practices, and collaborative reflection, the event aims to strengthen a shared understanding of recognition and validation, identify key challenges and opportunities, and contribute to practical recommendations for the future of youth volunteering.
The programme will also explore the links between recognition, inclusion, quality volunteering, and pathways into education, employment, and civic engagement.
Key objectives
- Build a shared understanding of recognition of volunteering and validation of skills and competences gained through volunteering.
- Identify gaps, barriers, and enablers.
- Develop actionable recommendations.
For more information have a look at the agenda
Day 1 | 3 November 2026
Morning
- Participants arrival
17:00
- Registration & Welcome
- Dinner
Day 2 | 4 November 2026
09:00
- Official Opening
- Key Note: Dr. Lorraine Tansey
- Diving into the topic of Recognition
- 1st round of workshops on:
- Recognition of volunteering formats
- Self-recognition
- Legal status and the role of the state
- Societal recognition
- Lunch
Afternoon
- Sharing results
- 2nd round of workshops on:
- Recognition of volunteering formats
- Self-recognition
- Legal status and the role of the state
- Societal recognition
- Dinner
- Evening Programme
Day 3 | 5 November 2026
Morning
- Key Note
- Diving into the topic of Validation
- Validation:
- Cross sector cooperation
- Support, mentoring and intergenerational mentoring
- Validation systems
- Tools for validations
- Conclusions and closing
- Lunch & Departures
We will look at questions such as
How can volunteering be better recognised in society, by policy makers, employers, and communities?
What support is needed for volunteers to recognise their own learning and value?
How can skills gained through volunteering be made visible and useful for education and employment pathways?
What works well in different countries, and what can we learn from each other?
How can existing tools and frameworks be used more effectively?
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The Symposium is part of the strategic cooperation on volunteering between 18 National Agencies for Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps and SALTOs (SNAC Vol). Through this partnership, we work together to strengthen youth volunteering across Europe and support its ongoing development.
This symposium is organised by
with the support of
Stay tuned for updates!
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