European Regional Meeting of Coordinators of Provincial Volunteering
From March 4 to 6, the Coordinators of Provincial Volunteering (CPVs) from the five administrative units of Europe Mariste held a meeting in Mindelheim, Germany. The directors of the Secretariat of Solidarity-Cmi of the General Administration, Brothers Ángel Diego García Otaola and Diego Zawadzky, were also present.
The meeting, conceived as an alternative strategy to the Volunteer Network assembly, which cannot be held this year due to its overlap with the General Chapter, provided an opportunity to follow up on the priorities approved at the last assembly. Initially, the participants recalled the priorities and reviewed the proposals put forward by the Network’s board of directors in their recent meetings, seeking the best ways to implement the priorities at the provincial and regional levels.
Another important moment was the dialogue around the processes and management of volunteering in each of the administrative units of the Region, with the aim of establishing a common framework and taking advantage of funding opportunities offered by some programs from both the European Union and different States. This way, they aimed to promote volunteer experiences in social works and communities.
The NEXUS platform was also reviewed, recalling the basic elements of its management and learning about the new functionalities that will soon be operational in the system. The team especially thanks Priscila Stanisky and her team for the time dedicated to improving the platform.
The CPVs developed a simple and very concrete action plan for the animation of volunteering in the Region until 2026, awaiting the calls of the next General Chapter and the strategic guidelines offered by the new General Council.
A very special moment of the meeting was the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Cmi-Germany, where, as a European Region, they expressed deep gratitude for the wonderful work done in helping many young people fulfill their dreams of service and solidarity in support of the Marist Mission in many parts of the world.
The participants thank the hosts, especially Renate Hacker, Brother Michael Schmalzl, and their entire team, for the attention they provided during the stay, making the success of the meeting and the achievement of its objectives possible.
“We are sure that the meeting will result in better and more coordinated animation of Marist volunteering in the Region,” emphasized Brother Diego from the Secretariat of Solidarity-Cmi.