Volunteering projects answer to societal needs and strengthen local communities. At the same time, young people who decide to volunteer in their own country or abroad gain the opportunity to develop their personal and professional skills and competences. Interested youngsters aged between 18 and 30 can volunteer within the Corps after registering in the European Solidarity Corps database. Project activities can last from 2 weeks to 12 months and volunteering can be done individually or in a group.

Volunteering offers a possibility of non-formal and intercultural learning and especially encourages the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities. Volunteering activities are structured, and the hosting organisations are obliged to offer support to the volunteer during the whole period. Besides, travel costs, food, accommodation, insurance and pocket money for the volunteers are covered by the project budget.

Volunteering projects can be implemented by non-profits, NGOs, associations, public bodies on a local, regional or national level and social enterprises.

Traineeship and job projects within the European Solidarity Corps offer young people the opportunity to gain relevant work experience and develop their skills and competences which ultimately increases their employability and facilitates the transition into the world of work. Meanwhile these projects develop their social awareness and add to the solution of important and current societal challenges. Although activities can be implemented in various fields and include many different professions, it is crucial that the type and scope of activity are directed towards achieving a common good and serving others. Traineeship activities can last between 2 and 6 months, while job activities can last from 3 to 12 months.

Navigating tradition – building experiences is our first European Solidarity Corps volunteering project. The project is going to include 20 youngsters with fewer opportunities aged 18-30 from Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland and Croatia. It is innovative also because it will be made up of two phases on two different locations: the first two weeks will be spent in the OBC educational center in Veliki Žitnik, while in the third week they will move to Sumartin on Brač island.

While the project’s focus is on finding sustainable ways of developing those two communities and intercultural and intergenerational sharing of knowledge, the volunteers themselves are also going to acquire numerous skills, such as handicraft, woodwork and knowledge about traditional maritime skills, as well as develop several competences for life-long learning. Through environmental actions in both communities, they will also raise their awareness of the importance of nature protection and waste reduction.

The first two weeks in Veliki Žitnik will be dedicated to woodwork with hand-tools and electrical tools, which the volunteers will use to build furniture for the Outward Bound center. In the third week of the activity, in Sumartin, they will work on restoring a traditional wooden vessel and cleaning the beaches and bays of the island of plastic pollution from the sea. During that week they will interact with the locals and learn about the specific challenges of their communities: how to traditional trades from the growing influence of mass-industrialization and mass-tourism and how to provide opportunities that will keep the young from emigrating.

„Outward Bound opportunity for growth“ is an innovative project insofar that it is the first time we’re opening a traineeship opportunity for two young people from Croatia motivated to learn more about work in a non-formal and outdoor education NGO. This traineeship project is part of the new European Solidarity Corps program and thus fosters the trainees’ engagement in and with the community.

This 6-month paid traineeship is going to serve as an opportunity for two youngsters to develop their personal, professional and social skills. By working in OBC they will increase their awareness on the importance of solidarity as a value upon which the European society is build. The trainees are going to develop skills connected to project management and organisation and implementation of non-formal and outdoor education activities for youth as well as develop a range of other competences which they will be able to use for their own and their community’s benefit.