Youth in Action programme: European Voluntary Service

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Youth in Action programme European Voluntary
Service

• Maria Podlasek-Ziegler
• European Commission
• Directorate-General for Education and Culture

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Volunteering

• 100 million Europeans engaged in voluntary
  activities
• Adults aged 30 to 50 years the most active in
  volunteering
• Many sectors concerned sport, social care,
  welfare, health as well as justice culture,
  education, youth, environment and climate
  action, consumer protection, humanitarian aid,
  development policy, equal opportunities
• Great impact beyond national borders potential
  for education, employment and citizenship

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Volunteering

• The added value of volunteering
• creating social and human capital, pathway to
  integration and employment, key factor in
  improving social cohesion
• translating European fundamental values of
  justice, solidarity, inclusion and citizenship
  into action
• shaping European society

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2011 the European Year of Volunteering

• Taking stock of volunteering in the European
  Union and its contribution to society
• Evaluation what the European Union and Member
  States can do to facilitate and promote
  volunteering notably in cross-border situation
• Communication on EU policies and Volunteering
  Recognising and Promoting Cross-border Voluntary
  Activities in the EU (20/09/2011)
• Report assessing the Years outcomes (before the
  end of 2012)

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EU funding opportunities for volunteering

• The European Voluntary Service as part of the
  Youth in Action programme
• The Europe for Citizens programme
• The Grundtvig programme as part of the Lifelong
  Learning Programme

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Youth and Volunteering

• EU Strategy for youth Investing and Empowering
  A renewed open method of coordination to
  address youth challenges and opportunities
• The Council Recommendation on the Mobility of
  young volunteers
• Youth on the Move flagship initiative of the
  Europe 2020 Strategy

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The European Voluntary Service

• Open to all young people aged 18 to 30 coming
  from the EU or from other countries of the world
• Involving young people, either individually or in
  groups, in voluntary activities in various
  fields, such as culture, youth, social care,
  cultural heritage, sports, environment, etc.
• Free of charge for volunteers, except for a
  possible contribution to the travel costs
• Involving different actors such as
  non-governmental organisations, local or regional
  public bodies, European NGOs, profit making
  bodies active in the field of volunteering,
  youth, culture or sport
• Offering volunteering opportunities in 175
  countries (main focus on 33 Programme Countries)

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The European Voluntary Service

• Programme Countries
• 27 Member States,
• EEA/EFTA countries Norway, Lichtenstein, Iceland
• Switzerland
• Croatia and Turkey
• Partner countries
• 22 neighbouring partner countries, among them
  EECA Armenia, Aserbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,
  Moldova, Russian Federation, Ukraine
• 118 other partner countries of the world

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The European Voluntary Service

• more than 50 000 young volunteers since its
  launch in 1996
• in 2010, 7 000 volunteers among them ca. 1500
  with fewer opportunities)
• Ca. 3700 projects submitted, ca. 2400 granted
  (success rate 65)
• Budget per year ca. 44,5 Mio
• Average funding per project 18,865,
• Average funding per participant 6,615

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The European Voluntary Serviceimpact on young
people

• Communication in foreign languages 97
• Social and civic competencies 79
• Personal development 93
• Interest in engaging in further educational
  opportunities 87
• Increased job chances 75
• More confidence to move around in other countries
  95

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The European Voluntary Serviceimpact on
organisations and local communities

• Interest in participating in similar projects
  85
• Increased project management competencies 91
• Increased appreciation of cultural diversity
  95
• More contact with other countries 85
• The project perceived as an enrichment by local
  communities 86

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The European Voluntary ServiceCooperation with
EECA countries 2007-2010
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The European Voluntary ServiceCooperation with
EECA countries 2007-2010
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Reinforced cooperation with neighbouring countries

• Commission Communication A new response to a
  Changing Neighbourhood (May 2011)
• Supporting progress towards deep democracy
• Supporting sustainable economic and social
• development
• Strengthening the Eastern Partnership and the
  Southern Mediterranean Partnership
• Providing efficient instruments fit to deliver
  these objectives

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Reinforced cooperation with neighbouring countries

• Relevance for youth
• strengthening people-to-people contacts,
  including youth
• expanding participation in EAC programmes,
  including Youth in Action
• A new Eastern Partnership Youth Window
• ca. 31,5 Miofor 2 years (2012-2013) from ENPI
  funds (DG DEVCO)
• (provisional figures)

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Reinforced cooperation with neighbouring countries

• Regional scope
• Eastern Neighbouring Countries (i.e. Armenia,
  Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine)
• Programme Countries
• Not included Russian Federation other
  Neighbouring Partner Countries
• Additional award criteria
• focus on young people living in rural or
  deprived areas
• project raising awareness about youth work and
  promoting the sharing of best practices

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European Voluntary Service

• Working for the Anne Frank House was a great way
  of
• getting familiar with the activities of a leading
• European NGO and its outstanding approaches in
• teaching about tolerance and human rights. I am
  now
• convinced that countries like Ukraine need a
  strong
• development of NGOs that strive for civil
  society and
• that young people can play a significant role.
• Sergey, 24, working as an EVS volunteer with the
  Anne-Frank
• Foundation in the Netherlands 01/12/2008-31/12/200
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