EVS

What is EVS


What is the European Voluntary Service?

The European Commission promotes the cooperation policy in the youth field through the “Youth in Action” program. Such a program, based on the experience of the previous “Youth for Europe” program (1988 -1999), the European Voluntary Service (1996- 1999) and the “Youth” program (2000 -2006), gives to young europeans the possibility to contribute to building an Europe more citizen-friendly, caring and respecful of differences, encouraging active participation, particularly through the commitment in associations and social utility organizations.

The European Voluntary Service (EVS) is an action of the “Youth in action” program that allows young people to develop volunteer activities in a foreign country for periods ranging from two months to one year. The spirit is to develop curiosity, creativity and youngsters' participation through educational and and training experiences to sustain local development projects and to facilitate the exchanges of experiences and working practices between the european organizations that work with and for young people.

An European Voluntary Service project foresees one ore more activities grouped in a single request and is contituted of three phases: planning and preparation, execution of the activity and evaluation (in which is took into account a possible follow-up.)

The European Voluntary Service activity is the fundamental part of the project and is composed of the service, the trainig an evaluating cycle and of the different types of assistance provided from the promoters to the volunteers.

  • Individual EVS activity: the volunteer is sent from e Sending to a Hosting Organization.
  • EVS group activity: from 2 to 100 volunteers are sent by one ore more Sending Organizations to one ore more Hosting Organizations. The EVS group activity's characteristic is that the volunteers execute their service during the same period and within an overall intervention area. An EVS group activity can also be linked to a specific event, in this case the activity foresees the existence of a strong relationship between the institute that organizes the event and the volunteers' work must be linked to the same event.

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The objectives

Il Servizio Volontario Europeo (SVE) aspira a sviluppare la solidarietà e a promuovere la tolleranza fra i giovani, in primo luogo per rafforzare la coesione sociale nell’Unione Europea. Promuove la cittadinanza attiva e migliorare la comprensione reciproca fra i giovani.

For young people, the European Voluntary Service constitutes an opportunity for a non-formal training

Discovering new horizions, integrating in other social and cultural contexts are, for every volunteer, an opportunity to develop personal aspirations, combining enthusiasm and responsibility, enhancing self-confidence and learning to work with a group.

Overall, young european volunteers can acquire from this staying abroad a stronger capacity for initiative and will be allowed to highlight an experience which is wideliy recognized, even at the official level.

The driving idea is to activate young people in order to give an impulse to the local development projects, that require the full integration of the volunteer in the community that receives him. This will contribute to the trainig value of the experience for the youngster, and will also be an important opportunity for the porjects' promoters.

  • for the young european volunteers the opportunity to act in the social, cultural or environmental field;
  • for the local responsible the opportunity to start new projects and to devolop the existing ones.

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Age

The European Voluntary Service (EVS) is opened to all the young people from 18 to 30 years old. Some insertion activities are opened to young disabled people from 16 to 30 years old, provided they are insured: qualified and personalized preparation, accompaniment and follow-up.

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Topics

An European Voluntary Service (EVS) may take place in various sectors or areas of intervento, as culture, youth, sport, social assistance, cultural patrimony, art, civil protection, environment, cooperative development, etc,... High-risk in immadiate post-crisis situations (humanitarian aid, immediately following disasters help,...) are excluded.

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Places

The countries participating in the program are divided in three groups: 27 Member States of the European Union, 3 EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area Free Trade countries that are members of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), 1 EU Accession Countries (Turkey).The European Voluntary Service also provides an opportunity to submit projects between Member States of the European Union and so-called "third countries" divided in four geographic macro-areas: countries of the mediterranean basin, East Europe and Caucase, South-Eastern Europe and Latin America.

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Duration

The duration of an EVS project musn't exceed the 24 monthes, including preparation and evaluation / follow up.

The EVS acivity carried out abroad must have a global duration range of at least 2 months to 12 months (excluding preparation and evaluation).

Normally a volunteer participates to only one EVS activity. In specific cases duly justified (particularly if, for pedagogical reasons, a step by step approach is foregone, if there were problems in the original ativity or if the volunteer has participated to a short term activity) the participation to two or more EVS activities is possible. Anyway, the total duration of the activity musn't exceed the 12 months for a single volunteer.

In the case of activities aimed to the involvment of disadvantaged young volunteers and to EVS goup activities, if duly justified,

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What is funded to the volunteer

Round-trip ticket, food, accomodation and training, insurance and a monthly pocket money are financed by the European Commission and partner organizations.

There aren't any costs predicted for the volunteer!

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Insurance

Every volunteer should be registered to the Commission's collective insurance plan for EVS volunteers, which serves as a supplement to the coverage of the national social security systems, if it's the case, guaranteed by the European Health Insurance Card (or similar) issued to the volunteer.

The insurance covers the volunteers in the event of disease, accidents and provides with a civil liabiliy insurance. Such an insurance completes the coverage of healthcare costs, guaranteed in most cases through community agreements.

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Youthpass

Each volunteer has the right to issue a Youthpass, which describes and validates the non-formal learning experience. This document can be a considerable advantage for the volunteer's future trainig and professional itinerary.

Through this Youthpass the European Commission certificates that the volunteer activity is ricognized as an educational experience and as non-formal and informal learning period.

The report on the achieved results is signed by both parts and directly delivered to the volunteer at the end of the volunteer activity abroad.

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Sending and hosting organizations

Each project foresees a partnership between: volunteer, sending organization, hosting organization and a coordinating organization which can be or the sending or the hosting organization.

The sending and hosting organizations are non-profit and non-governmental organizations, associations, local institution or initiatives. The sending and hosting organizations allow you to participate in the program, sustaining you in all its stages.

The sending organization has the task to realize the following activities:

  • select the volunteer and verify his suitability to the service
  • prepare the volunteer before his departure
  • stipulate the insurance covering for the whole duration of the volunteer's staying abroad
  • contact the hosting partner and the volunteer during the project in order to manage and prevent the possible insertion crisis
  • value the project results to facilitate the volunteer's reinsertion when he turns back

L'organizzazione di accoglienza ha il compito di svolgere le seguenti attività:

  • support the volunteer, to avoid and superate any type of difficulties the youngster can encounter
  • assist the volunteer with a mentor, which is directly responsible for the linguistic and pedagogic support
  • facilitate the volunteer's insertion
  • provide with board and lodging
  • guarantee a monthly pocket-money determined by the European Commission
  • value the skills acquired during the service

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ex EVS volunteers structures

Any volunteer can choose to be involved, during or after the EVS, in the national ex-EVS volunteers structures.

In order to get information about this, please contact your own National agency. Here you can find information about some ex-volunteers organizations.

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National structures

The young european volunteers' activities have to be as close as possible to their motivations and to the needs of the hosting collectivity. This requires a good coordination between all the interested parts. For those reasons, the action's execution will be based in every country on a "National structure" (Agenzia nazionale) that can take advantage of the existing experience concerning european programs for young people: knowledge of the environment and connection with the local initiatives, experience of partnership, training, networks, ect.

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Reference points

Every national structure will act as an interface betwen the European Commission, the promoters of the projects at the national, regional and local level, and the volunteers themselves. The national structure acts in the following fields:

  • diffusion of general information about the European Voluntary Service
  • encouragement to the creation of projects
  • information, advice, coordination
  • accompaniment of the volunteers' projects and activities; support to the volunteers, and in case of difficulty, to the local responsibles.

It can be necessary to put in contact the organizations interested in sending or hosting volunteers, but that haven't found a partner yet in another member State. The commission ant the National agencies will facilitate this meeting.

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Sostegno in caso di difficoltà

Despite a careful preparation, several problems may occur. Both the young volunteers and the risponsibles of the project can need help or advice. In such circumstances the first point of contact is the national Structure. The European Commission can also provide its assistance if necessary.

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Follow-up activity from the volunteer

The volunteer can realize a follow-up activity during the six months after the end of the EVS activity abroad. The follow-up activity can last up to one month and always takes place in the country of residence (sending country) or host country.

It has to be based on the EVS experience, aiming to highlight, spread and promote the EVS results and to strengthen its impact

The follow-up activity is developed by the volunteer, possibly with the assistance of the partner association and/or a national structure or a group of ex-EVS volunteers. It is an integrant part of the EVS project.

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Deadlines

The Youth in Action Program of the European Commission, Directorate-General for Education and Culture, in which the EVS is a part, foresees 5 fixed deadlines a year, to observe for the submission of applications:

  • February, 1st (for projects that start between may 1st and september 30th)
  • April, 1st (for projects that start between june 1st and nevember 30th)
  • June, 1st (for projects that start between september 1st and january 30th)
  • September, 1st (for projects that start between december 1st and april 30th)
  • November, 1st (for projects that start between february 1st and june 30th)

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