On Friday, June 19, the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) participated at the first edition of the Regional Volunteering Conference of the Valencian Community, which was held at the Elche Convention Center. This event aimed to serve as a meeting point for volunteer organizations, the private sector, governmental agencies, public institutions, as well as other stakeholders involved in volunteerism. UMH representatives included the Director of Development Cooperation and Volunteerism, Juana Aznar; the head of the Cooperation Unit, Laura Parrilla; and the co-director of the UMH Headquarters in Rwanda Chair, Lis Gaibar.

The slogan chosen for this inaugural event was “Volunteering: the Best Version of Our Region,” and in it, the Valencian Council for Volunteering was established. This council will serve as a body for participation, consultation, and coordination. Its goal is to strengthen dialogue between public authorities, volunteer organizations, and all stakeholders involved in volunteer work. In addition, the council will provide opportunities for discussion and for gathering proposals and input from these three groups as they work together to prepare the First Master Plan for Volunteering within the Valencian Community. This plan will create a roadmap for public policies on volunteering in the coming years.

Conference organizers included the Valencian Regional Government together with the Elche City Hall, in collaboration with the Valencian Community Volunteer Platform. The goal is to strengthen cooperation between governmental agencies and the greater civil society.

Regional Volunteer Act of the Valencian Community Law 4/2025

This conference comes one year after the passage of Law 4/2025 on Volunteering in the Valencian Community, a regulation that marked a step forward in the recognition, promotion, and regulation of volunteering throughout the autonomous community. What’s more, in the coming weeks, the Valencian Regional Government is scheduled to approve the implementing regulations, which will enable the implementation of the new measures provided for in the law.

Along these lines, the conference presented the main instruments for recognizing and promoting volunteerism, as set forth in Law 4/2025 and its implementing regulations. The goal is to assist organizations and volunteers to become familiar with the new tools that will make it possible to promote, recognize, and raise the profile of volunteer work.

With this event, the Valencian Community is taking new steps toward implementing more structured, participatory, and ambitious public policies on volunteering. This regulation recognizes the value of volunteer work as an essential expression of citizenship, solidarity, and commitment toward the common good.