Volunteering as a Vehicle for Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Active Eu Citizenship of Youth

Volunteering is an active expression of civic participation which strengthens common European values and solidarity. Volunteering works beneficial to people who need help because it helps them to integrate better into society. It also gives them the feeling of not being alone in challenging moments. Volunteering also works well on people providing help because it gives them a sense that they have done a good job. In the article, we focus on the importance of volunteering for young volunteers. Youth constitutes a group that is very vulnerable to social exclusion. In the last years, a lot of attention has been paid to volunteering as a driver for social inclusion of youth. Besides, volunteering also enhances employment opportunities for young people - it gives young people opportunities to develop new skills, extend networks, build CVs, try new vocations and gain experience. Active citizenship of youth is another dimension that volunteering promotes- it is often argued that volunteers are those who identify what shall be improved in society before the general public or authorities do. In the article, the data about the involvement of young people in volunteering activities in the EU in 2011 and 2014 are presented too.