Unveiling the path to Volunteering

An overview of how to find projects

by Stefanie Thaller

Find a sending organization for your ESC project

Finding a European Solidarity Corps project for volunteering can be overwhelming. There are endless opportunities, and finding the best project that fits you sometimes seems complicated. If you have no idea where to start looking for an individual volunteering project, the easiest way to go is to search for a sending/supporting organization in your town or city. These organizations are based in your home country and prepare you for your volunteering abroad, but they can also assist you to find opportunities in the first place, especially if you have special requirements that need to be considered.

European Youth Portal

If you are already pretty sure when you want to go volunteering abroad and where you can search for projects yourself. The European Union provides a database with all vacant positions of funded volunteering opportunities (over 1500 projects at the moment): the European Youth Portal. You can filter your search by country, type of activity, topic and the time period in which the project takes place. These individual volunteering experiences can last from 2 months up to 12 months and all EU citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 can participate once. They are usually full-time positions (between 30 and 38 hours per week) in various fields of work, from education, entrepreneurship to environment and citizenship and participation.

European Youth Portal

© youth.europa.eu

Team Volunteering

A nother possibility is team volunteering projects. Team volunteerings last between 2 weeks and 2 months with a group of volunteers between 10 and 40 participants. These are especially suitable for people who are unsure about the commitment to several months abroad. So, it’s a good place to start volunteering or team volunteerings can also be done after a longer project if you feel like you haven’t had enough yet. In these teams, volunteers will carry out tasks for a project over a short period of time (usually during holidays, breaks between study periods, and transition from education to work).

Workaway

The above-mentioned possibilities are funded by the EU and therefore they follow rather strict guidelines. If you prefer to do your own thing and have more freedom in organising, then workaway could be something for you. Workaway is a platform that enables members to arrange host families and cultural exchanges. Volunteers or “workawayers” are expected to contribute a pre-arranged amount of time per day in exchange for accommodation and meals provided by their host. Workaway is aimed at budget-conscious travellers and language students who want to immerse themselves more deeply in the country and culture they are visiting. At the same time, the hosts meet like-minded local people who can provide the help they need. Workaway is an online network for volunteers and hosts, almost comparable to Airbnb or LinkedIn. Hosts post their offers on the website and travellers contact them. With workaway there is less paperwork, but also less security.

Workaway platform

© workaway.com

European Training Calender

A part from volunteering projects, there are many other opportunities for self-improvement and continuing education. The European Training Courses have to offer many training activities in the field of youth and non-formal education throughout Europe. Their aim is for participants to develop skills to further work with young people, exchange experiences and make contacts for joint future projects. All courses are non-profit and can be found on the SALTO platform. This acronym stands for Support, Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities for Youth.

SALTO

© www.salto-youth.net

The projects presented in this article focus on Europe and partner countries. Unique projects exist all over the world. The choice of volunteering projects is almost endless. There are many great options to get involved. But of course, there are also scammers who do not have good intentions. So, no matter what you apply for, do your research thoroughly!

Personal growth

© pinterest