Varese is running for “European City of Volunteering”

The plan to put Varese forward as the European City of Volunteering 2016-2017 is an ambitious one. For the third year running, the competition has been launched by the European Volunteer Centre. Varese’s candidacy was presented, on 8 October, in Brussels, by Town Councillor Mauro Pramaggiore and Dr Ambrogio Bandera, the chairman of Association of Hospital Volunteers.

The announcement was made by Mayor Attilio Fontana and the Councillor for the Family and for the Person, Enrico Angelini. “I believe it is a good idea for Varese to take part in this initiative, because the town is way ahead in this field. It certainly won’t be easy but this candidacy will highlight the great synergy that has built up between public and private in recent years and will give our Varese a good hand to play,” the Mayor said. Indeed, the town itself has no fewer than 134 volunteer associations operating in the social-welfare sector alone, and about a hundred operating in the field of social-cultural promotion.

The towns competing with Varese include Belfast, Bruges, Cascais, Cagliari, Lucca, London, Edinburgh, Perm (Moscow), Rome, Sligo and Viterbo. The announcement of the winner will be on 5 December.

Enrico Angelini has confirmed that, among the main reasons that prompted this step, there was one in particular. “Volunteering is the greatest resource, in human terms, that our city has. There are still many other things to do, especially for the neediest, and we will only be able to get things going if we exploit this great quality.”

Ambrogio Bandera is equally enthusiastic. “We presented Varese, and Varese will come out well. We hope to win irrespective of the competition.”

In addition to the quality of the local voluntary work, the committee of judges will take into consideration the acknowledgement and appreciation it receives from the council, volunteer training, the existence of awards and acknowledgements and the economic and financial provisions. Every year, for example, Varese town council launches a tender that is open to all volunteer groups, providing €50,000. And for projects linked to social need, it is the department that provides funds of €60,000. Furthermore, €22,500 is awarded through Italian Law No. 241/90. Councillor Enrico Angelini explained and concluded, “Last year’s competition was won by Barcelona and this year’s by Lisbon. People ask me what the victory of Varese might lead to. I think that it will certainly lead to greater visibility of our town throughout Europe, and to more effective relations between the authorities and the world of volunteering.”