Wonderful way to travel, get to know other cultures, contribute
What is the European Solidarity Corps (ESC)?
The European Solidarity Corps (ESC) is one of the several European initiatives for young people. ESC helps young people to take part in projects that benefit European communities, either abroad or in their country. The young people between 18 and 30 who benefit from one of these projects are economically supported by European Solidarity Corps, which grants funds to the organizations which host national or international volunteers of ESC.
The European Commission advices young people to participate in these projects, because they offer an inspiring and empowering experience to them. These experiences usually help young people to develop new skills and competences and the projects do not requirement a payment for the participation.
How to apply to ESC:
A young European person who chose to register with the European Solidarity Corps can get involved in one of these activities: volunteering, traineeships, jobs, and local Solidarity Projects. All those activities cover a wide range of fields – education and training, citizenship and democratic participation, environment and natural protection, migration, culture, and many others.
People interested in participating in ESC’s activities just need to register in the European Solidarity Corps Portal. It must be said that the European Solidarity Corps funding is provided in the form of grants to organizations through calls for proposals. After the registration, European Solidarity Corps Portal becomes a place where young people and organizations can implement activities and keep in contact with each other.
The European Solidarity Corps is run by the European Commission, and it is implemented on the ground by: European Education and Cultural Executive Agency (EACEA), National Agencies in each participating country, SALTOs, and European Solidarity Corps resource center. You can register with the European Solidarity Corps as a person or as an organization in Europe.
Personally, I registered with the ESC as a person. The registration is quick and rapid, you only need to fill your personal data, several informations about your professional life or your skills and personality, your knowledge of foreign languages and the upload of your curriculum vitae in Europass format.
This last step can look hard at the beginning, but you only need to create your Europass curriculum vitae on the EURES portal. Moreover, the future volunteer can also choose the type of European Solidarity Corps which they are interested in and the experience and knowledge that they could bring to the European Solidarity Corps.
During your registration, you will realize that you can apply for many volunteering and occupational projects in many countries in Europe and beyond (for example you can apply for projects in the United Kingdom).
HOW TO FIND ESC’ OPPORTUNITIES:
At this point, you will ask yourself: what do I need to do know to apply for one of the numerous ESC’s projects? It is very simple; you just need to look at the opportunities on the ESC’s website. In the section “opportunities”, you can see many offered by the organizations which work in collaboration with the European Solidarity Corps.
You even have the option to choose the country, the period, and the activity type in which you are interested in. Moreover, you can choose an option in the section of your profile that makes visible your experiences and your curriculum vitae for the organizations which are looking for an ESC’s international volunteer. For example, I received an email some months after my registration from several organizations that were interested in my profile.
THE BENEFITS OF BEING AN INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER FOR ESC:
So, just take courage and apply for the European Solidarity Corps. Undertaking one of ESC’s projects would give you the opportunity to learn a foreign language, to get to know a different culture and to do something good.
Most European organizations which are funded by ESC are humanitarian associations which focus their mission on the respect for and promotion of human rights in several ways. Moreover, an ESC’s experience is good for your future curriculum vitae and the recruiters will considerably appreciate your high-quality experience. In conclusion, an ESC’s experience allows a young person to grow personally and professionally.