The Centre for European Volunteering (CEV) Spring Volunteering Congress 2025 in Mechelen was a gathering of volunteering organisations from across Europe to talk about the future of volunteering. Participants shared ideas and experiences on how volunteering can support communities, promote inclusion, and develop skills. The event included visits to local projects, group discussions, and workshops.

CCIVS and SCI contacted CEV to speak at the congress about the results of the recent study session New Trends in IVS. Kerry Hargadon and Eve Hamel attended on 4th May, participating in some sessions, and presenting & participating in a panel discussion on “Democracy & Civic Engagement: Shaping Future Voluntary Service Models for the Next Generations”.

The first seesion attended was eQval Final Conference – Validation of Learning from Volunteering, a session focused on quality recognition in volunteering as part of the eQval project. This initiative was coordinated by the European Volunteer Centre (CEV) and carried out by several European partners. The project’s aim was to develop a tool that validates both hard and soft skills acquired through volunteering experiences. The result of this work is a manual titled European Quality Standards in Validation of Learning Outcomes from Volunteering, which is now available online. This manual can be partially adopted by organisations that wish to formally recognise and award the learning achievements of their volunteers.

The conference opened with remarks from Rina Rabau Nikolak, Deputy Mayor of Mechelen; Lejla Šehić Relić, President of CEV; Ernesto Villalba García from Cedefop; and Maida Pleso and Miguel Pineda from the Plataforma de Voluntariado de España.

There were also some Parallel Sessions. One session, titled “Sharing and Learning from Volunteers’ Validation Experiences: What’s the Potential for Future Volunteers?”, was conducted in a World Café format. It featured presentations by young volunteers from various organisations, sharing how their learning through volunteering has been validated. According to the volunteers, this process supported their personal learning and reflection, made volunteering more attractive, helped them feel recognised for their contributions, and improved their future prospects. An example highlighted was the ComPas system used in Antwerp, which enables young people to gain official qualifications for their CVs through accredited trajectories in partnership with local organisations.

Another session, “Sharing and Exchanging Volunteer-Involving Organisations’ Best Practices on Validation”, it featured speakers from different countries who shared practices either currently in place or in development to recognise volunteering. France Bénévolat presented their volunteer passport initiative, which provides a framework for dialogue, monitoring, and formal celebration of volunteer experiences. A representative from COCEMFE focused on recognising the competencies of individuals with physical and organic disabilities. The Antwerp municipality representative elaborated on the COMPAS programme, an established method that acknowledges youth volunteer time, recognising leisure as a valuable learning environment—empowering 93% of participants who reported enhanced personal development through this process. Additionally, a project from Ireland was introduced, outlining the creation of a national youth volunteer portfolio aimed at fostering early empathy interventions through collaboration with schools, social clubs, and community centres.

These sessions were opened by Gabriella Civico, Director of CEV; Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality; and Brendan Cox from the Together Coalition.

In the session titled “Democracy & Civic Engagement: Shaping Future Voluntary Service Models for the Next Generations”, both Kerry and Eve shared their insights and contributions, highlighting innovative approaches for future models of volunteer service and civic participation.

The other speakers were:
Simon Morris (Moderator), Head of Research, Allianz Foundation
Inge Stuer, Coordinator Management Erasmus+ Youth & European Solidarity Corps, JINT
Christine Weil, EU programme officer, SALTO European Solidarity Corps Resource Centre

The presentations were followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A, with points including:

1. To what extent do voluntary service programmes help against democratic backsliding or are they just nice to have opportunities for some young people?
2. How do you see the role of civic education and service learning in being a pathway to young people engaging in voluntary service programmes? 
3. Do you see a risk that anti-EU values organisations could access EU funding for these activities? How is this prevented? 
4. How does the full time voluntary service model sit alongside individual activism from young people not typically engaging in these structured volunteer service opportunities?
5. Are we vocal enough about the “political framework” for this kind of volunteering? What, if anything, should we do more?
6. What is the role of the sending organisation in ensuring the quality of the volunteering? How can we do more to strengthen the role of the sending organisation again?