Conference ‘Volunteering Builds an Active Society’
It’s going to be a huge celebration for volunteers! On 8 September, we’ll be meeting at the National Freedom Institute – Centre for Civil Society Development annual conference. This year’s event is combined with the Volunteering Forum and forms the centrepiece of the celebrations for the International Year of Volunteering in Poland (IVY 2026).

Volunteering takes centre stage. The International Year of Volunteering (IVY 2026), proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, is currently underway. This is an opportunity to celebrate, mobilise and highlight the contribution of volunteers, who are the driving force behind positive change in communities around the world. A wide range of initiatives are taking place across Poland under the auspices of IVY 2026. The centrepiece of the celebrations for this special year will be the NIW-CRSO conference, with the theme ‘Volunteering builds an active society’. Volunteering will be the central theme of the planned debates, sessions and workshops. We want to discuss, amongst other things, the invaluable role of volunteers, as well as the potential of volunteering and the directions for its development.

Importantly, this year’s edition of the NIW-CRSO conference will also be combined with the Volunteering Forum. This regular event, which we organise as part of the Solidarity Corps – the Government Programme for the Support and Development of Systematic Volunteering – will take on a special character this year. The event will take place on 8 and 9 September in Warsaw.