Have you ever heard of the European Solidarity Corps?

When I decided to do voluntary service abroad, I had absolutely no idea how to go about it. I had questions upon questions. Where do I want to go? What do I want to do? How long do I want to stay? Can I afford it financially?

So I took out my laptop and entered the jungle of different initiatives, organisations and offers. But I soon realised that I have a completely different problem: my age. I knew that by the time I could start the voluntary service, I would be at least 27 years old. And with that, I would have reached the age limit of many voluntary services abroad. Disappointing and incomprehensible for me.

That's how I became aware of the European Solidarity Corps (ESC). And the more I looked into it, the more excited I became about the possibilities:

👍 The age limit here is 30

👍 A huge range of project topics, such as inclusion, health, environment, culture, sports, etc.

👍 The Projects last between 2 and 12 months

👍 A wide choice of project countries, even if they are mainly limited to the EU

👍 👍 It´s EU funded. Food, accommodation, insurance, arrival/departure costs and even pocket money - all included.

So I finally registered on the ESC database, created a profile and started applying. The application process is a bit more complicated (e.g. you need both a sending organisation from your home country and a hosting organisation in the project country), but absolutely doable. My ESC volunteering adventure has started.

I think the European Solidarity Corps programm is a great EU initiative and a great privilege for all young Europeans who want to work for a social and diverse Europe. Here you can find more informations about it: https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity_en

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