How we feel about ourselves and others is a major force for the effectiveness and contentment of our lives, for our workplaces and for the well-being and happiness of society. Genuinely connecting with and supporting each other is one of the most meaningful and effective ways to build morale, understanding, social capital and inspiration for ourselves, our workplaces and for the community. THE SOLIDARITÉ PROPOSAL IS FOR A SYSTEM OF HIGHLY RESEARCHED HUMAN RESOURCES ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE EU INSTITUTIONS BASED ON HUMAN CONNECTION THROUGH STAFF TRAINING AND VOLUNTEERING. The activities have win-win outcomes and are a proven successful way to boost morale and to create social cohesion and cooperation. Such actions also reduce costs and increase team building, productivity and commitment of people at work. The activities would: * Connect the EU Institutions to the community and social realities * Connect EU policies and programmes to people * Connect EU Institutions, staff and trainees to citizens * Connect people with values Operated within the EU Institutions, these activities would lead by example, help implement up to 20 EU policies and programmes and directly serve EU values. The proposal offers many value-adding activities, yet primarily involves two things: 1. EU Institution staff training through community engagement - ‘Solidarité Days’: one day per annum of (current) staff training through helping others and community engagement 2. Supporting practical opportunities for EU Institution staff and trainees to develop and participate in positive, benevolent, humanitarian and socially uplifting activities in their own time - though ‘Solidarité volunteering’, 'DG Community Days' and ‘Vacation Solidarité’. The Solidarité proposal is in the process of being given to the EU Institutions, requesting that they investigate its merits.

3. The Solidarité Proposal is a proposal for
highly beneficial human resources activities
inside the EU Institutions which involve the
participation of EU Institution staff and
trainees in benevolent humanitarian and
social activities in order to keep in touch with
citizens and as a form of professional and
personal development.

4. It offers many value-adding actions, yet
primarily involves two things:
• Staff training through community engagement -
Solidarité Days: facilitating one day per annum
of current training (‘Team-Building’ or ‘Away Days’
etc) through community engagement
• Positive, benevolent humanitarian and social
activities in one’s own time: supporting practical
opportunities for staff and trainees to develop and
participate in socially uplifting activities to help
others - Solidarité Volunteering, DG
Community Days and Vacation Solidarité

5. Research shows that if these activities are
genuine, they are one of the most effective
means of community engagement, active
citizenship and personal/professional
development - saving costs, increasing
efficiency, boosting reputation and inspiring
staff and society.

6. Four Concrete Actions
. . . . . .
European European Council European European Eropean
Commission Parliament of the External Economic Commitee of
European Action and Social the Regions,
Union Service Committee .
Court of
Auditors...etc
Solidarité
Solidarité Days Solidarité Volunteering . DG Community Days Vacation Solidarité
. . . .
Staff training through Staff & Trainees involved A DG's staff & families Staff voluntary
community engagement in positive social invited to volunteer activity on their
and helping others activities together together on a holidays
in their own time community project
a few hours a year
Plus many other positive actions ranging from supporting transition into active retirement
to creating links with the Erasmus programme

7. The activities would show the human face and
soul of the institutions and implement EU policy
and political objectives and values - hands-on,
from within.
The proposal is being given to the EU
Institutions, requesting that they investigate its
merits.
Your support is valuable.

8. Could the Solidarité proposal activities
be part of the
human resources programme
for the staff and trainees
of the European Union Institutions...?

9. Could the EU Institutions’ human resources
programme facilitate and encourage
staff and trainee involvement in benevolent
humanitarian & social activities
via staff training through community
engagement
and in one’s free time…?

11. The Solidarité proposal is about doing
good deeds
to help others and making a positive
difference in our world.
Research shows enormous benefits.

13. The Solidarité proposal makes humanitarian
and social actions accessible
And welcomes the contribution of each
person’s skills and gifts

15. It engages with those less fortunate and
develops awareness.

16. It fosters the spirit of social consciousness
and action amongst the staff and trainees
of the European Institutions.

20. every small action makes a difference.

22. Solidarité …
“A union or harmony of interests, purposes, or
sympathies among individuals in a group -
fellowship of responsibilities and interests”

24. • Lead civil and international society by
example
• contribute to staff morale and
teamwork

27. Solidarité activities help others
and make a positive difference
in our world representing the
core values of the EU and
corporate social responsibility

29. Solidarité activities range from
the socially engaging, artistic and
entertaining to the challenging,
confronting and sporting:

30. visiting the elderly
cycling or dancing together to raise
awareness of a cause
organising or participating in a socially
uplifting choir
working together in a soup kitchen or
arranging collections of unwanted
clothes from EU Institution staff and
giving them to the poor

32. The activities creates tangible
individual and intra and inter-unit,
department and institutional team-
building, networking, strategic
planning, communication,
professional development and
organisational and leadership
benefits.

33. 1. It would be part of the human resources
which aims to touch, move and inspire
both staff and the widest community
and which has corporate social
responsibility, staff morale and public
relations benefits
3. Should this be part of the culture and
social responsibility of the EU
institutions in line with their founding
values?

34. steps towards the ‘common good’.

36. BENEFITS

37. Deploying EU values and leadership
within larger perspective of corporate
social responsibility and Institutional
responsibilities

38. 1 Positive contribution to the
European Union Institutions
Self Esteem Benefits
Political and Policy Benefits
- Excellent example to other organisations of the European
Year of Volunteering 2011
- The ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme - brings the
compassionate and human face of Europe

39. 2 Provides the many benefits of staff
training though community engagement
service to others is a unifying, team-building and inspiring group
action with staff and broad social benefits

40. Studies show that engaging in this activity has many
benefits for employers, employees, government and the
community as a whole.

42. 3 Beneficial for Professional Development
4 Beneficial for Personal Development

43. • Broadens the experience of staff and
trainees
• Unifying ,integrating, inspiring, non-
political and non-denominational

44. 7 It leads by example
1. To European citizens, to European civil society, to
European countries, to other International
Organisations and to the world
3. What gets achieved has multiplier effects for
promoting and living shared values
5. Is representative of the people and serves the
greater purposes of the European Union

45. 1. Is a service for and by people leading Europe -
representing, hands-on, all the core values of the EU -
it is an example of the values of the European Treaties
in practice
3. Is therefore an enhancement to:
• civil society
• the external identity of the EU Institution
• staff development and staff morale
• the development of future leaders and policy
makers doing Traineeships at the EU Institutions

47. 8 Social Capital

48. POLITICAL AND POLICY
RATIONALE

49. The Solidarité proposal has political,
policy, resource and value-based
rationale, justification, precedent and
background.

51. • The European Parliament ‘Resolution on
volunteering’ 1983
• The Council of Europe Policy Recommendation on
Social Cohesion and Quality of Life 1991
• The European Commission ‘European Declaration of
Enterprises against Exclusion’ 1994
• The Communication of the Commission on Promoting
the Role of Voluntary Organisations and Foundations
in Europe 1997

53. 1. The Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee
on Voluntary Organisations and Foundations in
Europe 1998
3. The Treaty of Amsterdam
5. The Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee
on the role and contribution of civil society
organisations in the building of Europe 1999
7. The Communication from the Commission ‘Towards a
Europe of All Ages - Promoting Prosperity and
Intergenerational Solidarity’ 1999

54. • Support for the investigation of the Solidarité proposal
was given by the European Parliament when it
adopted the Education and Culture Committee report
‘recognising and promoting cross-border voluntary
activities in the EU’ in June 2012. In a positive step,
the report says:
66. Supports a formal examination of the ‘Solidarité
proposal’ for an inter-institutional human resources
programme in the EU institutions to facilitate the
involvement of the institutions’ staff and trainees in
volunteering, humanitarian and social activities, both
as part of staff training and volunteering in their own
time;
67. Highlights the fact that the proposed programme
is cost saving and highly value-adding and would help
to implement EU policies and programmes;

55. • The proposal was supported in the European
Economic and Social Committee opinion of the
Section for Employment, Social Affairs and
Citizenship in the Communication on EU Policies and
Volunteering in 2012.
• The proposal ideas have been steadily shared
throughout the EU Institutions and 20 successful pilot
activities have been carried out.

56. The Proposal corresponds to political
and policy reports and speeches by
the EU Institutions, on
THE EUROPEAN YEAR OF VOLUNTEERING
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
LEADERSHIP AND FEELING EUROPE
EMPLOYER SUPPORTED VOLUNTEERING
INTER-INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION
MODERN HUMAN RESOURCES

59. “In all its different forms, volunteering plays a
crucial role across the European Union”
‘The Manifesto for Volunteering in Europe’
The European Volunteer Centre www.cev.be

62. ‘Purpose produces passion.
Nothing energises like a clear purpose’

68. We may not all do great things;
but we can all do small things
with great love.
Mother Teresa

71. Always put yourself in others’ shoes.
If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person too.
The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the best of everything that comes along their way.

74. “Dream what
you want to
dream;
go where you
want to go;
be who you
want to be...”

79. The difference between
expressing love and having
regrets
is that the regrets
may stay around forever.

80. The great end of life is not
knowledge but action.
Thomas Henry Huxley
AFP

81. ‘Who am I not to change someone’s
life for the better?
Am I being true to myself by not
putting myself in a position to
help others?

83. Aim to leave the world better because you have lived;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived
that is to have succeeded.
AFP