Spending time in Albania brushing up on history and politics that are rarely taught and reported at home.

I delighted to be in Brussels today with colleagues from the Centre for European Volunteering!

In Busan I chaired a session at the prestigious 27th IAVE World Volunteer Conference - IAVE — the International Association for Volunteer Effort. Finally I delivered a lecture at the Sophia University in Tokyo.

In Ulaanbatar I met with colleagues of the Network of Mongolian Volunteer Organizations and delivered lectures at the Mongolian State University of Education and at the Global Leadership High School. Truly the land of blue skies!

In Beijing I met with colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, had discussions with the Volunteer Service Promotion Center of the Society Work Department of the Communist Party of China, delivered a lecture to future Chinese diplomats and met with old friends.

Volunteer Involvement is ubiquitous, universal and constitutes a major societal force. It is found worldwide and performatively promoted in the voluntary, public and private sectors, underpinning social and health services, leisure, political activity and mutual support. And look for Haribos!

As more colleagues are moving to this space, I am trying to familiarise myself with some recent updates.

In Oktober I went to Beijing, Ulaanbaatar, Busan and Tokyo in October, to strengthen existing ties and make new connections.