Ballinasloe Active Retirement goes to Europe!

Douglas Rafter and Jane Tracy attending a seminar on “Volunteering of the Older Persons and the role of Public Policies” in Brussels.

This seminar was part of programme being developed by Marian Harkin. M.E.P. Marian is co-founder and co-President of the Parliament Interest Group on Volunteering.
This was a crucial concrete first step taken by the European Commission that will bring volunteering into the EU policy arena to recognise,value and support over 100 million volunteers across the EU
Marian Harkin along with four other MEPs from Germany, Greece,Poland and Portugal launched a Written Declaration calling on the European Commision to announce 2011 as the European Year on Volunteering.
The European Year of Volunteering will compliment and provide a structured link to 2012 as the European Year on Active Aging and Intergenerational Solidarity.