European Year of Volunteering

That the Parliament welcomes the recent announcement that the European Commission has started work to prepare for the European Year of Volunteering 2011; notes that over 100 million European citizens contribute to society as volunteers; further notes that the Volunteer Centre Network Scotland estimates that nearly half of all people in Scotland volunteer over the course of a year and that the Scottish Household Survey calculates that around eight million hours are volunteered in Scotland each month; agrees that volunteering can bring people together in areas such as sport, environmental work and charity; acknowledges the hard work and dedication of those who freely give up their time to contribute to society, and therefore encourages the Scottish Government to work alongside the UK Government to make 2011 a year when we can thank all of Scotland’s volunteers for their work in local communities across the country.