VOLUNTEERING AND VOLUNTEERING PROMOTION IN PORTUGAL

Abstract

This chronicle refers to the National Volunteering Plan 2013-2015, launched in 2013 by the Portuguese government. This Plan is situated in the international trend for the development of a volunteering infrastructure, but its weak implementation is acknowledged. The chronicle also refers to the national context of the evolution of volunteering and its promotion and some of its more prominent features. It indicates the relatively marginal place that volunteering occupies in the Portuguese society when one compares it with many other European countries. This weakness is interpreted in light of some of the most visible features of the Portuguese society and social protection. It is argued that policies oriented to the development of the volunteering infrastructure need to be articulated with broader policies that consider the interdependencies between volunteering activity and welfare and trust levels.