Crown Prince Haakon of Norway has agreed to take on a special role for the Norwegian Year of Volunteering which will be in 2022. The future king will be high protector for the event. The news was announced early on the morning of January 13th 2021.
It is the organization “Volunteering Norway” that leads the work for the implementation of the year, which the Norwegian Government has initiated. Secretary General of Volunteering Norway, Stian Slotterøy Johnsen, says in a press release: “Crown Prince Haakon’s yes to be our high protector is a great start to our further work to make the Year of Volunteering 2022 a magnificent celebration!”
Crown Prince Haakon has not yet commented but has already received praise from Norwegian politicians and volunteers who appreciate the Crown Prince’s commitment to volunteering. The Crown Prince himself has worked as a volunteer several times, among other things to remove plastic from the seas and in connection with the Norwegian Tourist Association. It is expected that the Crown Prince will continue to work as a volunteer this year and next year to shed light on this topic.
More than three out of four Norwegians are members of at least one voluntary organization and more than half are donors and supporters. The volunteers’ contribution is valued at almost 80 billion Norwegian crowns annually, according to figures from the Norwegian government.
Next year, 2022 is the year of Volunteering in Norway. This is anchored in the Volunteer Report from December 2018. The year will focus on volunteering as a cornerstone of the Norwegian social model and show the activity that takes place on a voluntary basis in local communities throughout the country. Overall goals for the Year of Volunteering 2022 are to get more new volunteers, make more arenas available for such work and create greater knowledge of the added value the voluntary sector creates in Norwegian society.
The Crown Prince is the high protector of a number of other organizations. The protection functions as a recognition of organizations and events in important areas of society. Normally, patronage is granted for a period of five years. The Crown Prince is at this moment high protector of a total of 16 other organizations including the Arctic Philharmonic to the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association.
