Europa Nostra members adopted the ‘Amsterdam Declaration on Volunteers as added-value for Europe’s cultural and natural heritage’ during their 2011 General Assembly (11 June, Hermitage Amsterdam).
The Declaration states that EU institutions – and national, regional and local governments – should recognise the central value of volunteers for Europe’s heritage through a range of initiatives, such as investing in more comprehensive studies on volunteering (including an economic and social study of the impact of volunteering for cultural and natural heritage in Europe), and creating more funding opportunities for the education, engagement and management of volunteers and professionals working with them in the heritage field.
2011 is the EU Year of Volunteering, celebrated by Europa Nostra via a Forum on volunteering. More than 200 participants attended the Forum, which included keynote speakers who gave an overview of the ‘state of the art’ regarding valuing and managing volunteers in the heritage sector.
