Honorary Chair:
The Honorable Alan D. Solomont,
U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra

Meridian International Center’s Global Service Leaders Initiative, the U.S. Embassy in Spain, and the Fundacíon Rafael del Pino will host a Service Innovation Summit in Madrid March 28-30, 2012, addressing the engagement of citizens in social issues.

As Governments increasingly look to new solutions to civil issues, corporations champion and expand employee based initiatives, and NGOs mobilize volunteers in greater, more coordinated ways, this conference brings these constituencies together to promote collaboration, learning, and networking.

The Summit will convene leaders from government, nonprofit and corporate sectors in Spain, Europe, and from around the world to explore innovations in volunteerism and service as a solution to address two of Spain’s most pressing social challenges: unemployment and economic development.

Plans for the Summit Include:

• European Volunteer Measurement Tool Orientation – a special session designed to introduce volunteer leaders, researchers, and government officials to the ILO Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work. This session will help leaders to understand the importance of accurate, comparable data on volunteering (Provided by Johns Hopkins’ Center for Civil Society Studies)
• Volunteer Leader: Train the Trainer – intensive session designed to equip local organizations and leaders to leverage the power of volunteer leaders as a key element in scaling volunteer service and creating sustainable volunteer activities (Provided by Points of Light)
• Half-day day service projects to benefit local non-profit organizations around Madrid who are working to address increased social needs due to rising unemployment.
• A report of the 10 year anniversary of the Year of the Volunteer (IYV+10) and the 2011 European Year of the Volunteer, and what this means for the future of volunteerism

This will be the first among a series of Service Innovation Summits that will convene to leverage service and volunteerism as a solution to addressing some of the world’s most challenging socio-economic issues. We welcome you to be a lead partner in launching this global initiative.

To learn more, please visit www.meridian.org/madridsummit2012/