Overview

At a national level, volunteering is a widespread phenomenon with a long tradition. The national legal system recognizes the social value and function of volunteering as an expression of participation, solidarity and pluralism.

The provisions of the Third Title of the Third Sector Code (l.d. 117/17) also apply to youth volunteering. The article of the code on the promotion of the culture of volunteering invites public administrations, within the limits of available resources, to support volunteering among young people, also through specific initiatives to be carried out on the premises of schools and universities, and with the involvement of volunteering organizations and other entities of the Third Sector.

On a national level, one of the main tools for promoting youth volunteering is the Universal Civil Service - Institute of the Republic regulated by a specific law (Legislative Decree 6 March 2017, n.40) which was established as an instrument of the unarmed and non-violent defense of Homeland - accessible to young people between the ages of 18 and 28, managed by the Department for Youth Policies and Universal Civil Service of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.