Moldovan youth associates volunteerism with friendship and helping others according to a recent U-Report poll

Throughout the year, UNICEF used its open data technology U-Report to consult youth about their knowledge on volunteerism. A total of 2500 respondents were engaged in several polls. Results reveal  that most respondents – 80% - have heard about the International Volunteering Day. More than 85% believe that volunteerism can contribute to their future employment, while the vast majority – 95%, believe that volunteers can greatly contribute to building resilient communities. Moreover, young people would like to volunteer within a formal programme:  88% are interested in Erasmus + and 82% would volunteer with a youth-led NGO. About 15% of the respondents think that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research should be the main promoter of the volunteerism.

Not only are volunteers on the front lines in their own communities during hard-times, but groups of local volunteers build strength to cope with future crisis. Volunteerism contributes towards a sense of solidarity among people working together against the impact of natural disasters, economic stresses and political shocks.

If all the world’s volunteers were a country- ‘Volunteeria’- it would be the fifth largest workforce globally. There are over one billion people worldwide, dedicating time and effort to save lives and help others.

Join us in recognizing volunteers worldwide through our social media campaign for 2018 - Volunteers Build Resilient Communities, with the hashtags #resilient communities and #IVD208!

https://www.unv.org/internationalvolunteerday2018

About the International Volunteer Day

International Volunteer Day (IVD) is celebrated every year on 5 December to recognize and celebrate the contributions of volunteers worldwide to peace and development. This year’s theme- “Volunteers build Resilient Communities”- will recognize volunteers worldwide – with a special focus on local community volunteers – who contribute to making their communities more resilient against natural disasters, economic stresses and political shocks.

About the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. UNV contributes to peace and development by mobilizing volunteers, advocating for volunteerism globally and encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming. UNV’s vision is a world where volunteerism is recognized, within societies, as a way for all people and countries to achieve peace and development through the simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion.

About U-Report

U-Report is a digital tool for social monitoring in real time and encourages community development through social networks. The U-Report platform is present in more than 50 countries, including Moldova. It has over four million users globally, with 35 percent of U-Reporters being adolescents aged between 15 and 20. In Moldova, there are about 2,500 U-Reporters. Anyone can become a U-Reporter by following the U-Report Moldova account on Facebook, Twitter and Viber.