Centre for European Volunteering
The Platform is a full member of the Centre for European Volunteering (Centre européen du volontariat - CEV), based in Brussels.
The CEV brings together more than 80 national, regional and local volunteer centres and agencies promoting volunteering in Europe. The CEV promotes and supports volunteering through advocacy, knowledge sharing, capacity building and training. Through this network, it has an impact on thousands of volunteers and voluntary organisations seeking support in volunteer centres and brings a European dimension to their work. Together with other European networks active in volunteering, it shares strategies, information and good practice experiences to ensure that the objectives of the European Year of Volunteering 2011 are pursued in an effective and coherent manner. It also does so by implementing the various recommendations summarised in the P.A.V.E (Policy Agenda for Volunteering in Europe). In 2020, following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the CEV underwent a transformation linked to a rebranding after in-depth analysis and reflection.
Government Council for Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organisations
The Platform is a member of the Government Council for Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organisations. In the Council it promotes interests in favour of the development of volunteering in Slovakia.
The Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organisations was intensively involved in the preparation of the Concept for the Development of Civil Society approved by the Slovak Government in February 2012.
Members of the Platform worked on the drafting, commenting and amending Act No. 406/2011 Coll. on Volunteering and on Amendments and Additions to Certain Acts and as part of the Government Council on the drafting and commenting of the Act on the Register of NGOs.
Voice of Civil Society Organisations, a nationwide platform of non-profit organisations
Since autumn 2019, we have been members of the Voice of Civil Society Organisations, a platform of civic initiatives and non-governmental non-profit organisations that wants to actively participate in the protection and development of civil society in Slovakia. The principles of its functioning are voluntarism, partnership approach, democratic decision-making, pluralism, personal civic engagement and encouragement to it, solidarity and subsidiarity.
The main objectives are:
- To promote the positive development of the institutional, legislative and financial framework for the functioning of CSOs.
- To strengthen the integrity, transparency and coherence of the civil society sector.
- Create opportunities for cooperation between CSOs and organisations and support their activities.
For more information see: www.platformahlas.sk.
Global Network of Volunteering Leadership
Global Network of Volunteering Leadership (GNVL) is a new programme of IAVE that brings together networks from national and regional levels dedicated to promoting, developing and raising awareness of the value of volunteering to work together towards their goals.
Membership of GNVL offers us the opportunity to:
- participate in online meetings, webinars, lectures and discussions dealing with various topics that are current in the world of volunteering,
- apply for grants to develop the organisation's capacity,
- apply for an internship in an organisation's leadership development programme,
- the opportunity to work together to advocate for volunteering and strengthen its recognition by engaging in global initiatives.
International Association for Volunteer Effort
The Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organisations became a member of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) as of April 2020. The latter has been promoting, empowering and celebrating volunteering for 50 years, using the myriad of ways that volunteering takes place in the world.
IAVE has members in more than 70 countries around the world, bringing them together in a global network of volunteer leaders, NGOs, businesses and volunteer centres that share a belief in the power of volunteering to make a meaningful contribution to solving the world's most pressing problems.
By being part of such a network, we have the opportunity to stay up-to-date on the world of volunteering, to be inspired by examples of good practice and to share our expertise. We can also participate in interesting educational events.
In addition to becoming a member, organisations and individuals can also become a "Global Friend of Volunteering" and strengthen the global volunteering movement, free of charge. For more information on opportunities and benefits, please visit: www.iave.org/join-now.
To learn more about IAVE, visit the organization's website: www.iave.com.