Young people living in any EU member state can take part in volunteering opportunities, lasting from two weeks to 12 months, through the European Voluntary Service (EVS). EVS gives you the chance to experience other cultures and languages up-close and the opportunity to try out the type of work you might like to do in the future. Future employers will like the fact that you have international experience and you will be able to impress them at interviews with your new-found skills.

What?

European Voluntary Service allows young people aged 17-30 to take part in unpaid and full-time voluntary service for up to 12 months in another country within or outside the European Union. Young volunteers are given the opportunity to contribute to the daily work of organisations and bring community benefit, as well as develop their own skills. Voluntary service may take place in health and social care, environmental conservation or other community projects.
 
An EVS project can include between 1 and 30 volunteers who can do their voluntary service either individually or in a group. To send or host volunteers through EVS, organisations will need to apply for EVS accreditation which includes signing up to the EVS Charter. If you are planning on including 17 year old volunteers in your project please contact us prior to the application deadline, as there are Child Protection requirements to discuss, before project approval.

Where?

Volunteers can undertake their activity in any of the other 32 Programme Countries or in any of the Partner Countries neighbouring the EU.

​European Voluntary Service accreditation for youth organisations

Any youth organisation wishing to take part in European Voluntary Service (EVS) activities to host and/or send volunteers as part of Key Action 1 mobility for young people must have EVS accreditation. This includes signing up to the EVS Charter.
 
EVS accreditation is designed to ensure consistently high standards in EVS and to help organisations find partners. Accreditation is a quality assurance process so that all parties involved are aware of the values, objectives and rules of EVS. All accredited organisations must show they are able to implement EVS projects according to the rules of the Erasmus+ programme.
 
To send or host volunteers, all youth organisations involved in the project (i.e. the applicant and all partners) must have current EVS accreditation. The accreditation for all organisations must cover the entire duration of the project and should be in place before the application deadline.
 
Accreditation is an organisation's entry ticket for EVS, and proves that it complies with the programme's quality standards, but it does not automatically lead to an EVS project grant.
 
The EVS accreditation of your organisation can be valid for the entire duration of the Erasmus+ programme, or for a shorter period, depending on the outcome of the accreditation process. Once you have your EVS accreditation, your details will be published on the volunteering database of the European Youth Portal, where you can attract potential volunteers for your projects by promoting your opportunities to volunteer. The volunteering database is a revamped version of the EVS database and offers new features.
 
Informal groups of young people cannot apply for EVS accreditation.

​Funding

​Erasmus+ funding will cover everything from travel and accommodation to food and insurance, as well as provide you with a small monthly allowance.

​Erasmus+ Key Action 1 - Mobility project for young people - European Voluntary Service

Organisations active in the fields of education, training and youth receive support from the Erasmus+ Programme to carry out projects promoting different types of mobility. The mobility project for young people supports the European Voluntary Service. European Voluntary Service allows young people, from 17 to 30 years old, to personally commit through unpaid and full-time voluntary service for up to 12 months in another country within or outside the European Union.

Young volunteers will have the opportunity to contribute to the daily work of organisations dealing with youth information and policies, young people's personal and socio-educational development, civic engagement, social care, inclusion of disadvantaged, environment, non-formal education programmes, information and communication technologies and media literacy, culture and creativity, development cooperation and others.
An EVS project can include between 1 and 30 volunteers who can do their voluntary service either individually or in group.

Participating organisations will
  • arrange subsistence, lodging and local transports of volunteers;
  • envisage tasks and activities for volunteers that respect the principles of the European Voluntary Service,
  • support volunteers throughout the duration of the activity.

Role and tasks of participating Organisations
  • Coordinator of a youth mobility project: applying for the whole project on behalf of all the partner organisations. If the project foresees only one activity, the coordinator will act either as sending or receiving organisation. If the project foresees more than one activity, the project coordinator can (but not necessarily has to) act as sending organisation or receiving organisation. In all cases, the coordinator cannot be an organisation from a Partner Country.
  • Sending organisation: in charge of sending young people and youth workers abroad (organising practical arrangements; preparing participants before departure; providing support to participants during all the phases of the project).
  • Receiving organisation: in charge of hosting the activity, developing a programme of activities for participants in cooperation with participants and partner organisations, providing support to participants during all the phases of the project.

Eligible participating organisations
  • Non-profit organisation, association, NGO;
  • European Youth NGO;
  • Social enterprise;
  • Public body at local level;
  • Group of young people active in youth work but not necessarily in the context of
  • a youth organisation (i.e. informal group of young people);
  • Organisations;
  • All participating organisations must hold a European Voluntary Service accreditation.

Who can apply
  • Public body at regional or national level;
  • Association of regions;
  • European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation;
  • Profit-making body active in Corporate Social Responsibility.
  • Any participating organisation or group established in a Programme Country can be the applicant. This organisation applies on behalf of all participating organisations involved in the project. A mobility activity should involve at least two participating organisations (sending and receiving organisation) from different countries.
  • Activities within Programme Countries: all participating organisations must be from a Programme Country.
  • Activities with Partner Countries neighbouring the EU: the activity must involve at least one participating organisation from a Programme Country and one participating organisation from a Partner Country neighbouring the EU.
  • Either the sending organisation(s) or the receiving organisation(s) in each activity must be from the country of the National Agency receiving the application.

Eligible countries
  • 28 Member States of the European Union,
  • EFTA/EEA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway,
  • EU candidate countries: Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
  • Partner countries neighbouring the EU: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Territory of Ukraine as recognised by international law, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Territory of Russia as recognised by international law.

Eligible activities
  • European Vountary Service.

Duration of project
  • 3 to 24 months.

Where to apply
  • National Agency of the country in which the applicant organisation is established.

Deadlines:
  • 2 February 2016 at 12 (midday Brussels time) for projects starting between 1 May and 30 September of the same year;
  • 26 April 2016 at 12 (midday Brussels time) for projects starting between 1 August of the same year and 31 December of the same year;
  • 4 October 2016 at 12 (midday Brussels time) for projects starting between 1 January and 31 May of the following year.

More info:
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Disclaimer

The international secretariat of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw is financially supported by the European Union, through its 'Erasmus+'-programme, and by the Council of Europe, through its 'European Youth Foundation'. This website is a publication of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw. The website reflects the views only of the author, and neither the European Commission nor the Council of Europe can be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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