European Voluntary Service

The European Voluntary Service ( EFD ; English European Voluntary Service , EVS for short ) is a funding program of the European Commission that has existed since 1996 , with which young people a voluntary service in non-profit institutions in Europe is financially supported. The European Voluntary Service is part of the Youth in Action program , so it is part of the Erasmus + program . The primary goal of the voluntary service is to give young people the chance to develop skills that enable them to actively participate in social life and in building a new Europe. At the same time, the commitment of the volunteers should bring added value to the respective institutions.

Framework

Young people between the ages of 16 and 18 and 30 from countries of the European Union as well as from partner countries defined by the Erasmus + program, which are mostly neighboring countries of the European Union, can take part. The duration of the assignment is usually between 2 months and 12 months; in the case of a shorter duration, especially young people with increased needs should be addressed or larger groups of international volunteers should be deployed for a service. Areas of activity include the areas of social affairs, youth, the environment and culture.

Participation in accompanying seminars - a so-called introductory training course and a possible intermediate meeting -, supervision by a tutor and participation in a language course in the national language are mandatory. In particular, the EVS is also intended for young people with increased needs, e.g. B. Be accessible to volunteers with a main or secondary degree, with a migration background or a disability.

In Germany, the Youth in Action program and thus also the EVS is implemented by the National Agency YOUTH for Europe - German agency for the EU program YOUTH IN ACTION . In Austria, the Intercultural Center - Austrian Agency "Erasmus +: Youth in Action" is responsible and since 2016 the EVS service can also be counted as a substitute for community service .

Web links

Commons : European Voluntary Service  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• www.go4europe.de Website on the EVS of the German national agency YOUTH for Europe, the German agency for the EU program YOUTH IN ACTION
• Website for the EVS of the Austrian National Agency Intercultural Center - Austrian Agency "Erasmus +: Youth in Action"
• European Commission database of European accredited organizations in EVS
• European Voluntary Service Homepage of the European Commission
• youthreporter.de: Social network for young people in the European Voluntary Service, by YOUTH for Europe

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 14, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.