Roadshow Aalst - IVY2026

This roadshow is part of the ‘International Year of Volunteers 2026’ campaign and was created in collaboration with Stad Aalst This is a day to think along, talk along, and help shape the future of volunteering in Flanders. With this roadshow, we bring together a broad mix of organizations and local governments. The roadshow breathes the energy of the Internationaal Vrijwilligersjaar 2026. You will go home with new insights, concrete tools, and the desire to continue building on volunteering in your organization or local government. Across Flanders, organizations and local governments are looking for ways to continue attracting, supporting, and appreciating volunteers in a rapidly changing society. What works today? Where are the bottlenecks? And above all: how do we build a strong, sustainable volunteer policy for tomorrow together? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Program 9:30 AM – Welcome & coffee 10:00 AM – Welcome Short intro by Vlaams Steunpunt Vrijwilligerswerk (context of International Year of Volunteers 2026, goal of the roadshow) Introduction by mayor/alderman 10:15 AM – Volunteering as an ecosystem: towards a high-quality and sustainable volunteer policy – Keynote Birgit Loos 10:50 AM – Strong local volunteering – Explanation by Jan Verdée V-Wijzer and sharing of initial results 11:10 AM – 11:25 AM: Explanation of host city practice BREAK 11:40 AM – 12:30 PM: SDGs/sustainability V-Krachtmeter: presentation of initial results, encouraging people to fill it out themselves Inspiration: How do you make your organization sustainable? 12:30 PM – Lunch & network 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Discussion in groups of 5 to 6 people Discussing bottlenecks regarding volunteering in groups around themes Developing 1 recommendation per group BREAK 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM: Tips for looking broader/fishing from a different pond (3 × 15 min + 10 min vsvw (intermezzo + closing)) Give A Day – The new normal Intermezzo Compagnie Cordial Intermezzo Engage4 – employee volunteering and skills-based volunteering Closing by Eva Hambach 3:45 PM – Surprise