EVS

What does European Voluntary Service mean?

EVS (European Voluntary Service) is an international volunteer program funded by the European Commission. It enables all young people legally resident in Europe, aged between 18 and 30 years, to volunteer around the world in a public organization in Europe, Africa, Asia or South America for a period ranging from 2 to 12 months.

The program provides the reimbursement of travel expenses and complete coverage of the costs of food and accommodation for the international volunteer.

Thanks to the intercultural dimension and its learning by doing approach, European Voluntary Service is a great opportunity to get in contact with different cultures and to acquire new skills and abilities useful for the personal and professional growth.

European Voluntary Service is based on the following principles:

1. increasing your own skills through the practical experience of volunteering abroad;
2. encouraging the learning of another language;
3. encouraging the learning of another language;
4. developing the ability to interact with persons of different language and culture;
5. spreading tolerance among young people of the European Union;
6. promoting active citizenship;
7. supporting the development of local communities.

EVS proposes projects in different areas:

1. Culture;
2. International Mobility;
3. Sports;
4. Social care for the elderly, the disabled and the immigrants;
5. Art;
6. Leisure;
7. Media and communications;
8. Environmental protection and education;
9. Rural development and development cooperation.

European Voluntary Service is FREE OF CHARGE!! Travel expenses, accommodation, food, local transportation, health insurance, language lessons and monthly allowance are covered and financed by the European Commission.

It’s definitely the best occasion for volunteering for free, indeed often the volunteering experiences require a participation fee.

European Voluntary Service is based on a strong partnership between the sending organization, the hosting organization and the volunteer.

The sending organization is responsible for the preparation of the volunteer before departure. It informs and trains the candidate about the search procedures of EVS projects.

The volunteer will work 5 days out of 7 for a maximum of 40 hours per week and will have 2 days of leave per month (accumulative). He is obliged to participate in pre-departure, on arrival and mid-term training and must comply with the directives of the host organization performing the tasks specified in the international volunteering project.