SEEYN

Message from Valencia

2010-04-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

European Volunteer Centre (CEV) organized a Multi-Stakeholder Symposium in Valencia, Spain, from 28 to 30 April 2010 on the topic "Effectively communicating volunteering: the role of PR, media, and raising public awareness" - A contribution to the countdown towards the European Year of Volunteering 2011.

What does it take today to effectively communicate "volunteering"? How do we motivate people to get involved? How can we contribute to creating a positive image of volunteering in our societies? What are the best tools to communicate our work? Those are questions that 300 professionals from the volunteering sector, PR and communication specialists, as well as decision makers in the public and business sectors discussed.

4 representatives from SEEYN joined the event. We came to share, learn and have some fun. We presented workshop "Video as tool to communicate volunteering" when this short clips has been made. This message goes to all of you that volunteer and network.

Effectively Communicating Volunteering

2010-04-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

SEEYN will participate on European Volunteer Centre Multi-Stakeholder Symposium "Effectively Communicating Volunteering The Role of PR, media and raising public awareness - A contribution to the countdown towards the European Year of Volunteering 2011", 28th - 30th April 2010, Valencia, Spain.

On the way to Spain, SEEYN Steering Board and Director have visited member organizations in Bulgaria - Balkan Youth Club and CVS Bulgaria.

Here are some photos from our 24 hrs trip.

Happy Global Youth Service Day

2010-04-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Global Youth Service Day!

2,346 projects are registered in all 50 states and in 86 countries around the world.

A Message from Steve Culbertson, President & CEO, Youth Service America

This weekend, April 23-25, millions of children and youth around the world are taking action and addressing critical problems in their schools and communities - issues that range from climate change and environmental degradation, to childhood obesity and illiteracy. Young people are partnering with friends and family, teachers, community and faith-based organizations, corporations, media, and elected officials on service and service-learning initiatives to make real and sustainable change.

For some, GYSD is the culmination of a Semester of Service that launched on Martin Luther King Day of Service in January. For all, GYSD represents months of hard work by young people, investigating community needs, gathering partners, and creating processes to ensure that their work has a lasting impact. For others, this weekend of service is an introduction to volunteering - an introduction that can lead to a lifetime of service, philanthropy, and civic engagement. GYSD is also a time for celebration of why we serve, lifting our spirits and providing hope for a better, safer, and healthier world.

To date, there are nearly 2,500 GYSD projects from 86 countries on six continents already registered on our online map; 31 governors made GYSD proclamations; the U.S. Senate passed a resolution designating this weekend as Global Youth Service Day; the U.S. House of Representatives will soon pass its own resolution; and almost 11,000 teens are registered on Get Ur Good On, excited about their role as change agents in their communities.

On this Global Youth Service Day, if you are a young person, I challenge you to create or join a project near you and learn more about an issue affecting your local, national, and global community. If you are a parent, engage your kids in an activity that will provide them an opportunity to be active citizens in their neighborhoods. If you are a teacher, let your students lead a conversation and take action on an issue most important to them. If you are a community leader, consider how a youth strategy can impact your work and provide you with innovative ways of addressing local issues.

GYSD only occurs with the support of many key partners. State Farm Companies Foundation, the U.S. Presenting Sponsor, gives Youth Service America the opportunity to provide training and resources, and to serve as an effective advocate for the power of youth leadership. UnitedHealth Group, the Walt Disney Company, and Learn and Serve America at the Corporation for National and Community Service are providing critical additional support. The GYSD Network of global partners, Lead Agencies, Regional Lead Agencies, and National Partners are literally mobilizing hundreds of thousands of young people through their networks. And of course, I must thank the YSA staff and board who believe in the power of youth engagement.

As my good friend and board member, Harris Wofford, says, let's make service of all kinds a common expectation and a common experience of every young person around the world.

Best regards,

Steve Culbertson
President & CEO
Youth Service America
steve@ysa.org

Global Youth Service Day Mini Grant Competition

2010-04-20T02:42:00.000-07:00

The first 5 registered projects and winners of mini grant are:

1. Earth Day 2010, Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina

2. Playing with the garbage, Bitola, Macedonia

3. Priboj for the planet Earth, Priboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina

4. Big spring cleaning, Valjevo, Serbia
5. Use imagination - the world is your creation!", Sofia, Bulgaria

You can still register you projects and participate in the content for 2 days free of charge in house training in fundraising. The award goes to organizers of the event with most people involved.

We wish you nice weather for celebration of Earth Day and Global Youth Service Day!

Global Youth Service Day, an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service, is quickly approaching! GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in over 100 countries.

This year, Global Youth Service Day is April 23 – 25.

Global Youth Service Day is a grassroots movement of youth improving their communities and changing the world - and would not achieve the scale, diversity, and impact it does each year without the tireless efforts of thousands of Local Organizers in NGOs, schools and universities, youth programs, government agencies, faith communities, and families around the world. Local Organizers play a critical role - everyone who plans, registers and implements a GYSD project is a Local Organizer. To be recognized as a Local Organizer, register your project at http://gysd.org/node/add/gysd-international.

Number of Countries officially registered to participate in GYSD to date: 71

Number of GYSD projects registered to date: 1,525

THINK LOCALLY, ACT GLOBALLY! CELEBRATE GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY AND EARTH DAY TOGETHER!

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity - an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean environment now and for the future.

This year Earth Day coincides with Global Youth Service Day and we encourage youth around the world to think about addressing environmental issues in their communities. Earth Day April 22 is a pivotal opportunity for individuals, organizations and governments to join together and create a greener and healthier environment for future generations.

Global Youth Service Day is coordinated by Youth Service America while South East European Youth Network acts as Regional Lead Organizer. We would like to promote Earth Day activities in South East Europe as part of Global Youth Service Day campaign.

We can offer 5 mini grants of 200,00 Euro for materials and refreshment costs. Any youth group or organization from South East Europe can apply with any type of creative activity.

We will grant first 5 registered events, having in mind geographical balance. The events can be registered till April 25^th and we invite all kinds of initiatives to be registered on GYSD map, but we can support only the fastest 5J

In addition, an organizer of the event that gathers the most people on the event will receive 2 days free of charge in house training in fundraising.

If you need an idea or resources, you can check the map of events in 2010 on http://www.gysd.org/map. Youth Service America publishes a set of posters, toolkits, and curricula guides to help you plan your Global Youth Service Day event on http://www.gysd.org/resources. Earth Day Network provides all the information you need to organize your own event, get involved, and help combat climate change on http://www.earthday.net/resources.

How to participate

1) Create an account and post your event on http://gysd.org/howtopost.

2) Send us email with name of your project and phone contact to domagoj@seeyn.org.

3) We will get in touch with you with practical details.

4) Make your results visible. Make an article, upload photos and video clips on GYSD map and other social platforms.

We wish you to have great events, nice weather and some luck with small competition:-)

Workcamps 2010 in South East Europe

2010-03-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

SEEYN is proud to present more than 40 international volunteer workcamps organized by our members in Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Bulgaria.

Workcamps are short term volunteer projects. For 10 days to four weeks an international volunteer team that works closely with the local community on issues related to environment, inclusion, art, culture... Many projects also include a study component, related to the local and global issues addressed by that project.

On the map below you can explore workcamps in South East Europe:

View SEE workcamps 2010 in a larger map

If you are interested to become volunteer on workcamp in SEE you can:

- apply to SEEYN member organization, if you are coming from SEE countries;

- find sending organization in your country and contact them with the name and the code of the workcamp from the map.

Usually, volunteers pay their travel costs and sending fee, while some workcamps has participation fee. Accommodation, food and costs of the programme are secured by workcamp organizers.

You can find organization in your country on the web sites of two major global networks - Alliance of European Voluntary Service or Service Civil International.

Mark your calendars - GYSD 2010 will be April 23-25

2010-03-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning.

Established in 1988, GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in over 100 countries. On GYSD, children and youth address the world’s most critical issues in partnership with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and governments.

In many countries, a National Lead Agency serves as the national convener and organizer of Global Youth Service Day. National Lead Agencies promote GYSD in their country, organize high profile events, engage local media and government officials, and coordinate project registration and reporting. All NLAs will be selected and supported by the new Regional Lead Agencies. Apply to serve as a National Lead Agency at: http://www.gysd.org/node/add/nla-reg.

Local Organizers play a critical role - everyone who plans, registers and implements a GYSD project is a Local Organizer. Global Youth Service Day is a grassroots movement of youth improving their communities and changing the world - and would not achieve the scale, diversity, and impact it does each year without the tireless efforts of thousands of Local Organizers in NGOs, schools and universities, youth programs, government agencies, faith communities, and families around the world. To be recognized as a Local Organizer, register your project at http://gysd.org/node/add/gysd-international.

If you need ans assistance, contact SEEYN as Regional Lead Agency for South East Europe,

Innovations in management of volunteering services through European cooperation and EVS promotion

2010-03-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

SEEYN and Volunteering Ireland are presenting a new training course on volunteer management “Innovations in management of volunteering services through European cooperation and EVS promotion”. It is follow up of our successful training course in Bitola, last November.

This time, training will be hosted by Educational centre Krusevac, in Krusevac, Serbia. Training dates are 18th to 26th September 2010.

The main aim of the Training course “Innovations in management of volunteering services through European cooperation and EVS promotion” is to improve implementation of high quality volunteer management of volunteering services that operates on local, national and/or European and international level.

SEEYN Youtube Channel

2010-03-27T04:54:00.000-07:00

Check:

www.youtube.com/seeyn2000

You can preview it directly from the video box on the right.