MEP Marian Harkin delivers lecture on volunteering

Marian Harkin, the Independent MEP for the North and West constituency, delivered a lecture on volunteering last Friday at the Goldsmith Library in Athlone Institute of Technology. The event came after the European Parliament recently declared 2011 as the European Year of Volunteering. Ms Harkin"s visit to Athlone came after she presented a report on volunteering at a meeting of the European Parliament Regional Development Committee in March of last year. Three representatives of Athlone IT were present at that forum - Prof. Ciarán Ó Catháin, Fr Shay Casey and Chris McDermott - and following that meeting an invitation was extended to Ms Harkin to visit the local Institute. The title of Ms Harkin"s lecture was "As a nation let us be defined by our volunteers." A 2006 survey commissioned by the Taskforce on Active Citizenship, found that one in four adults classified themselves as active volunteers. Ms Harkin is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, the third largest party represented in the parliament. She is a member of the Regional Development Committee which oversees the targeting of financial aid to regions all over the EU and is a co-chair of the Carers Interest Group and also co-chair of the Volunteering Interest Group.