The Solidarité Proposal is a proposal for highly beneficial human resources activities inside the EU Institutions which involve the

participation of EU Institution staff and trainees in benevolent humanitarian and

social activities in order to keep in touch with citizens and as a form of professional and

personal development.

It offers many value-adding actions, yet primarily involves two things:

• Staff training through community engagement - Solidarité Days: facilitating one day per annum of current training (‘Team-Building’ or ‘Away Days’ etc) through community engagement

• Positive, benevolent humanitarian and social activities in one’s own time: supporting practical opportunities for staff and trainees to develop and participate in socially uplifting activities to help others - Solidarité Volunteering, DG Community Days and Vacation Solidarité

Research shows that if these activities are genuine, they are one of the most

effective means of community engagement, active citizenship and personal/professional development - saving costs, increasing efficiency,

boosting reputation and inspiring staff and society.

Four Concrete Actions.

EropeanCommitee ofthe Regions,

.

Court ofAuditors...etc

.

EuropeanExternalAction

Service

Vacation Solidarité.

Staff voluntaryactivity on their

holidays

Plus many other positive actions ranging from supporting transition into active retirementto creating links with the Erasmus programme

DG Community Days.

A DG's staff & familiesinvited to volunteer

together on acommunity projecta few hours a year

.

EuropeanParliament

.

Councilof the

EuropeanUnion

Solidarité Volunteering.

.

Staff & Trainees involvedin positive socialactivities togetherin their own time

.

EuropeanCommission

.

EuropeanEconomicand SocialCommittee

Solidarité

Solidarité Days.

Staff training throughcommunity engagement

and helping others

The activities would show the human face and soul of the institutions and implement

EU policy and political objectives and values - hands-on, from within.

 The proposal is being given to the EU

Institutions, requesting that they investigate its merits.

Your support is valuable.

Could the Solidarité proposal activities be part of the

human resources programme

for the staff and trainees

of the European Union Institutions...?

Could the EU Institutions’ human resources programme facilitate and encourage

staff and trainee involvement in benevolent humanitarian & social activities

via staff training through community engagement

and in one’s free time…?

The Solidarité proposal is about doing good deeds

to help others and making a positive

difference in our world.

Research shows enormous benefits.

The Solidarité proposal makes humanitarian and social actions accessible

And welcomes the contribution of each person’s skills and gifts

It engages with those less fortunate and develops awareness.

It fosters the spirit of social consciousness and action amongst the staff and trainees of

the European Institutions.

every small action makes a difference.

Solidarité …

“A union or harmony of interests, purposes, or sympathies among individuals in a group - fellowship of responsibilities and interests”

• Lead civil and international society by example

• contribute to staff morale and teamwork

Solidarité activities help others and make a positive difference in our world representing the

core values of the EU and corporate social responsibility

Solidarité activities range from the socially engaging, artistic and

entertaining to the challenging, confronting and sporting:

visiting the elderly

cycling or dancing together to raise awareness of a cause

organising or participating in a socially uplifting choir

working together in a soup kitchen or arranging collections of unwanted

clothes from EU Institution staff and giving them to the poor

The activities creates tangible individual and intra and inter-unit, department and institutional team-

building, networking, strategic planning, communication,

professional development and organisational and leadership

benefits.

1. It would be part of the human resources which aims to touch, move and inspire both staff and the widest community and which has corporate social responsibility, staff morale and public relations benefits

2. Should this be part of the culture and social responsibility of the EU institutions in line with their founding values?

steps towards the ‘common good’.

BENEFITS

Deploying EU values and leadership within larger perspective of corporate social responsibility and Institutional

responsibilities

1 Positive contribution to the European Union Institutions

Self Esteem Benefits

Political and Policy Benefits

- Excellent example to other organisations of the European Year of Volunteering 2011

- The ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme - brings the compassionate and human face of Europe

2 Provides the many benefits of staff training though community engagement

service to others is a unifying, team-building and inspiring group action with staff and broad social benefits

Studies show that engaging in this activity has many benefits for employers, employees, government and the

community as a whole.

3 Beneficial for Professional Development

4 Beneficial for Personal Development

5 Broadens the experience of staff and trainees

6 Unifying ,integrating, inspiring, non-political and non-denominational

7 It leads by example

1. To European citizens, to European civil society, to European countries, to other International Organisations and to the world

2. What gets achieved has multiplier effects for promoting and living shared values

3. Is representative of the people and serves the greater purposes of the European Union

4. Is a service for and by people leading Europe - representing, hands-on, all the core values of the EU - it is an example of the values of the European Treaties in practice

5. Is therefore an enhancement to:

• civil society

• the external identity of the EU Institution

• staff development and staff morale

• the development of future leaders and policy makers doing Traineeships at the EU Institutions

8 Social Capital

POLITICAL AND POLICY RATIONALE

The Solidarité proposal has political, policy, resource and value-based

rationale, justification, precedent and background.

1. The European Parliament ‘Resolution on volunteering’ 1983

2. The Council of Europe Policy Recommendation on Social Cohesion and Quality of Life 1991

3. The European Commission ‘European Declaration of Enterprises against Exclusion’ 1994

4. The Communication of the Commission on Promoting the Role of Voluntary Organisations and Foundations in Europe 1997

5. The Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on Voluntary Organisations and Foundations in Europe 1998

6. The Treaty of Amsterdam

7. The Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the role and contribution of civil society organisations in the building of Europe 1999

8. The Communication from the Commission ‘Towards a Europe of All Ages - Promoting Prosperity and Intergenerational Solidarity’ 1999

• Support for the investigation of the Solidarité proposal was given by the European Parliament when it adopted the Education and Culture Committee report ‘recognising and promoting cross-border voluntary activities in the EU’ in June 2012. In a positive step, the report says:

66. Supports a formal examination of the ‘Solidarité proposal’ for an inter-institutional human resources programme in the EU institutions to facilitate the involvement of the institutions’ staff and trainees in volunteering, humanitarian and social activities, both as part of staff training and volunteering in their own time;

67. Highlights the fact that the proposed programme is cost saving and highly value-adding and would help to implement EU policies and programmes;

• The proposal was supported in the European Economic and Social Committee opinion of the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship in the Communication on EU Policies and Volunteering in 2012.

• The proposal ideas have been steadily shared throughout the EU Institutions and 20 successful pilot activities have been carried out.

The Proposal corresponds to political and policy reports and speeches by

the EU Institutions, on

THE EUROPEAN YEAR OF VOLUNTEERING

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

LEADERSHIP AND FEELING EUROPE

EMPLOYER SUPPORTED VOLUNTEERING

INTER-INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION

MODERN HUMAN RESOURCES

“In all its different forms, volunteering plays a crucial role across the European Union”

‘The Manifesto for Volunteering in Europe’ The European Volunteer Centre www.cev.be

‘Purpose produces passion. Nothing energises like a

clear purpose’

We may not all do great things;

but we can all do small things

with great love. Mother Teresa

Always put yourself in others’ shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person too.

The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes along their way.

“Dream what you want to

dream; go where you want to go; be who you

want to be...”

The difference between

expressing love and having

regrets

is that the regrets

may stay around forever.

The great end of life is not knowledge but action.

Thomas Henry Huxley

AFP

‘Who am I not to change someone’s life for the better?

Am I being true to myself by not putting myself in a

position to help others?

Aim to leave the world better because you have lived;

to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived

that is to have succeeded.AFP