What is an European Voluntary Service

Within the philosophy of Erasmus+: Youth in Action, volunteering is very important as a way to learn and contribute to personal development, as well as to the society we live in.

What is volunteering?

Within the philosophy of Erasmus+: Youth in Action, volunteering is very important as a way to learn and contribute to personal development, as well as to the society we live in. Volunteering is considered an altruistic activity and is intended to promote participation and solidarity and improve quality of life. In return, this activity can produce a feeling of self-worth and respect. There is no financial gain involved for the individual. Volunteering is also associated with skills development, socialization, and fun. Volunteering may have positive benefits for the volunteer as well as for the person or community being served. It is also a way of making contacts for possible future employment. It is helping, assisting, or serving another person or persons without pay. European Voluntary Service (EVS) allows a young person residing legally in one of the member or partner countries, who is between 17 and 30 years old, to become a volunteer in another country for a specified period of between 2 and 12 months. The voluntary activities can be in various fields, such as the environment, arts and culture, activities with children, young people or the elderly, heritage or sports and leisure. The project has to take place in a country other than where the volunteer lives, it should be non-profit-making and unpaid. Each EVS project involves a partnership between a volunteer, a sending organisation, and a host organisation. One of the countries involved in a project must be an EU Member State or an accession country. It is possible to do EVS in all 28 European Union Member States and partner countries., it might also be possible to go outside of these countries, but this involves a different procedure, which you would need to contact your national agency about. European Voluntary Service is based on the following main principles:

1. Encouraging the learning of another language.
2. Promoting active citizenship
3. Developing the ability to interact with people of different languages and cultures;
4. Spreading tolerance among young people of the European Union;
5. Supporting the development of local communities.
6. Increasing your own skills through the practical experience of volunteering abroad;