Volunteering in sports
A conference entitled “Volunteering in sports as an opportunity for enhancing social activity and cohesion” was held by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism on 22 June 2010, at the Olympic Centre of the Polish Olympic Committee. The meeting was attended, among others, by Adam Giersz, Minister of Sport and Tourism, Ryszard Stachurski, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, Andrzej Kraśnicki, President of the Polish Olympic Committee, Krzysztof Więckiewicz, Director of the Department of Public Benefit of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, representatives of the companies PL.2012 and EURO 2012 Polska, representatives of local governments, non-governmental organizations related to sports and of other organizations. In all, the event had 170 participants.
Referring to the new act on sports, Adam Giersz, Minister of Sport and Tourism, pointed out that the new regulations concerning coaches and sports instructors create greater opportunities for volunteering in sports. The minister stressed the importance of volunteering in sports for the social development of Poland.
Ryszard Stachurski, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, assured the audience that the Ministry is willing to support in various ways the organization and development of volunteering in sports and pointed to the potential role in this context of sports fields built under the programme “ORLIK 2012 – My sports field”. “Two thousand modern sports facilities may become the testing ground for volunteering in sports and help mobilize local communities”, added Mr Stachurski.
The main objective of the meeting was to present volunteering in sports as an important area of activity of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism, in line with the recommendations of the “Sports White Paper” and the “Strategy for the Development of Sports in Poland until 2015”.
The conference was one of a number of activities in preparation for the 2011 European Year of Voluntary Activities Promoting Active Citizenship, proclaimed by the European Council.
Presentations during the conference concerned, among others, recommendations developed by Grupa Wolontariat 2012+, experience of non-governmental organizations promoting voluntary work, and activities aimed at building broad cooperation between organizations and institutions representing various levels and sectors, aimed at effective transfer of know-how and promotion of best practices concerning volunteering in sports.
The conference marked the beginning of a public debate about the trends, current problems and the future of volunteering in sports.
On 1 July 2011, Poland will take over the European presidency, also in the field of sports. This means that we will be responsible for preparing EU meetings, including an experts meeting on the status of volunteering in sports in EU Member States.
Poland also participates in the meetings of the Working Group for Non-Profit Sports Organizations, as part of its cooperation with the European Commission.