The International Volunteer Day (IVD) is celebrated today, 5 December all over the world.

Sport is the largest sector of the civil society in Europe and involves over 35 million Europeans volunteering for sports. Volunteering has many benefits – not just for sports, but also the individual volunteers, their communities, and society.

For instance, in the Netherlands, the Open Club programme has transformed traditional sports clubs to clubs that help increase sport participation. In partnership with a large Dutch bank, the programme is being implemented throughout the country.

Volunteers are considered as the main driving force of every big multi-sports event, and Minsk European Games Organising Committee (MEGOC) have received 12,000 applications from 53 countries so far. While many more are expected to join the volunteer programme – as it will be open till 1 April 2019 – a lot of them are already cooperating with MEGOC and have provided their support for the organisation of over 50 events in Belarus.

MEGOC is investing a lot for their training ahead of Europe’s premier event, which will take place next year in June.  A special language training in preparation for the event will be indeed organised for the big Minsk 2019 volunteer family. MEGOC CEO George Katulin has signed a deal with Eduard Tselyuk, the head of the Educational Technology Centre School of Foreign Languages. The school, which will employ more than 200 teachers, will develop a programme to improve foreign language skills of those wanting to become volunteers and will also provide glossaries for all kinds of sporting vocabulary.

To join Minsk 2019 volunteer programme click here https://volunteers.minsk2019.by/en

About IVD

IVD was mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1985 and is viewed as a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities.

This year, IVD celebrates volunteer efforts that strengthen local ownership and the resilience of the community in the face of natural disasters, economic stresses and political shocks. The event on 5 December 2018 will focus on how volunteers can build resilient communities.