The President on Volunteerism

Bled, 18.1.2008  |  press release

This morning, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, attended the 6th Slovenian Congress of Volunteering organised in Bled. In his opening address, President Türk stressed the importance of values expressed by volunteerism. Free will and unselfish help are, in the words of the President of the Republic, “important values to be fostered and promoted in our society; they are best expressed through the volunteering movement. They constitute an important social capital of our society and contribute to its cohesion.” In his opinion, Slovenian volunteerism has a strong tradition, which became prominent in different periods, including the time of helping the refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nowadays numerous volunteers help when the sick and elderly as well as many others need assistance.

The President emphasised the importance of networking carried out by volunteer organisations and the significant role of volunteerism in strengthening the participatory democracy and intergenerational solidarity. “As much volunteerism as possible must be developed towards strengthening good relations between the older and the younger generation, which will promote the intergenerational solidarity,” added President Dr Danilo Türk. He went on to emphasise the importance of volunteerism in the global context and the need of Slovenian volunteerism to establish close links with similar movements in other countries of the world.


Bled, 18 January 2008 - President Dr Danilo Türk addresses the participants at the 6th Slovenian Congress of Volunteering (FA BOBO)