European Voluntary Service
“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 carry out an international volunteer service in an organization or in a public body in Europe, Africa, Asia or South America for a period ranging from 2 to 12 months. It provides the reimbursement of travel expenses and complete coverage of the costs of food and accommodation for the international volunteer.”
The skills acquired as part of a voluntary work are recognized at European level through the YouthPass Certificate and is an unforgettable experience.
It is a experience that enables the acquisition of new skills on a personal, social and professional level, as well as learning new languages and discovering new cultures. In my case I am already in my second and last EVS, the first one was in Croatia for two months and the second one is happening right now in Finland.
Area: Depends the project (youth, cultural action, social action or protection of the environment)
Location: Depends on the selected project.
Conditions: Age between 17 and 30 years.
Travel and insurance: Funded by the project.
Food and accommodation: Provided by the project.
Pocket money: Included (the amount depends on the country)
Duration: from 2 weeks to 12 months.
How to apply?
Directly through the sending organization or with the host organization, it is always necessary to have a sending organization and a host organization. In my case, the organization that I chose was Pró Atlântico – which has a database with some Portuguese projects and with all the necessary information.
However, you can consult the database of volunteering opportunities on the European Youth Portal, which also contains:
- detailed information on the projects
- the contact details and the application procedure