The European Solidarity Corps is a
European Union initiative which creates
opportunities for young people to
volunteer or work in projects in their own
country or abroad for the benefit of local
communities and people around Europe.
Young people, aged between 18 and 30,
are the main target group of the Corps.
In particular young people
with fewer opportunities.
They can get involved in a broad range of
areas, such as for example: integration
of migrants, environmental challenges,
prevention of natural disasters, education
and training or health and wellbeing.
In order to join, young people
need to register on the European
Solidarity Corps Portal.
This allows them to access the following
actions: volunteering, traineeships
and jobs, and solidarity projects.
Volunteering offers young people the
opportunity to carry out full-time
voluntary service in-country or abroad.
Volunteering can be
individual or in teams.
Individual volunteering can last
from 2 months to 12 months [and
in case of young people with fewer
opportunities, it can start from 2 weeks].
Volunteering teams are solidarity
activities that allow teams of 10 to 40
participants from at least two different
countries to volunteer together for a
period between 2 weeks and 2 months.
Both in-country individual volunteering
and volunteering teams encourage and
facilitate the participation of young
people with fewer opportunities.
Traineeships and jobs provide
young people with the opportunity
of a job or traineeship in a wide
range of sectors which are engaged
in solidarity-related activities.
They are set up gradually through
partnerships with public bodies,
NGOs and commercial organisations
active in these fields.
For those young people who are ready
to carry out projects by themselves,
there are Solidarity Projects.
They are in-country solidarity activities
initiated, developed and implemented
by young people, for a period from
2 to 12 months, to make a positive
change in their local community.
Young people get involved in volunteering,
jobs and traineeships through
organisations that offer placements.
The Corps is open to a wide range of
organisations, from governmental bodies
and municipalities to non-governmental
organisations and private companies.
The placements within the Corps projects
should promote solidarity, address
important societal needs or provide
benefits to the local community.
As a general rule, organisations that
wish to submit a European Solidarity
Corps project must be established in a
Participating Country or a Partner Country
[subject to specific Action requirements].
Member States of the European
Union can fully take part
in all Actions of the Corps.
In addition, some Actions
are open for participation of
other countries and regions.
For the updated list of eligible countries
please check the latest version of
the European Solidarity Corps Guide.
All organisations that wish to take
part in Volunteering, Traineeships
and Jobs project need to obtain the
European Solidarity Corps Quality Label.
The Quality Label guarantees access to
the application process, but it does not
guarantee the funding which depends on the
quality of the submitted grant proposal.
There are 3 types of Quality Label: for
volunteering, traineeships and jobs.
Under volunteering, there is
a supporting and hosting role.
The supporting organisations select
participants, provide their adequate
preparation before departure and offer
support after their return as well
as coordinate the project in general.
These organisations also play a
key role in reaching out to and
involving disadvantaged young
people in the Corps activities.
The majority of Actions under
the Corps are implemented and
managed by the National Agencies
in Participating Countries.
In addition, the Education, Audiovisual
and Cultural Executive Agency, located in
Brussels, implements some actions, too.
Throughout the year, there are several
different opportunities to submit project
proposals for different types of Actions.
Use those opportunities and make the
most of the European Solidarity Corps!