Youth in Action programme : focus on youth volunteering : European good practice projects.
Date: 2012-07-26
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
Subjects: EU programme, alternative service, citizens' Europe, social participation, young person, youth policy

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

Focus on: 

(cid:55)(cid:77)(cid:83)(cid:82)(cid:70)(cid:553)(cid:52)(cid:77)(cid:74)(cid:83)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:76)(cid:69)

European  
good practice  
projects

Youth in Action
Programme 

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YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

Focus on: 

(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:3)(cid:9)(cid:4)(cid:10)(cid:5)(cid:11)(cid:11)(cid:12)(cid:13)(cid:10)(cid:14)

European  
good practice  
projects

Androulla Vassiliou
Commissioner for Education, Culture,  
Multilingualism and Youth

The European Award Ceremony held on 17 May 2011 in Antwerp brought together 
young people who had taken part in the European Voluntary Service projects featured 
in this brochure. Three of them were presented with awards by Commission President 
José Manuel Barroso, Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, and Member of the European 
Parliament Georgios Papanikolaou.

European voluntary service for a more 
inclusive, innovative and global society 

Volunteering promotes solidarity and social inclusion, Europe’s core values. It gives 

people the opportunity to build knowledge, skills and social networks — stimulating 
personal, social and professional development.

Some 100 million people of diﬀerent age groups are currently working as volunteers across 
Europe, dedicating their time and skills to give something back to the community. It is to 
highlight their work and to encourage others to follow their example that the European 
Commission made 2011 the European Year of Volunteering. 

Since 1996, the EU has promoted voluntary work by young people across Europe and 
beyond through the European Voluntary Service (EVS), which is part of the “Youth in Action” 
programme. The EVS, which celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2011, has so far helped 50 000 
young Europeans to become volunteers. 

“For me, it’s about taking on a challenge and overcoming my own barriers”, says Ingrid 
from Austria, who did her EVS in Greece. I think these words epitomise the value placed on 
volunteering by young people. 

The EVS scheme is also being showcased through our “Youth on the Move” initiative, which I 
launched in September 2010.

Young people who take part in the EVS receive training and support to prepare them for their 
speciﬁc volunteering role. The skills that they acquire are recorded in a “Youthpass” certiﬁcate. 

The experience they gain in meeting and working with people from diﬀerent countries and 
cultural backgrounds opens their eyes to other ways of life which can have a lifelong impact 
on them. Volunteering can also improve people’s job prospects; employers value skills such as 
the ability to work in a team, to communicate eﬀectively in a multicultural environment and to 
be able to speak foreign languages. 

The EVS is open to all young people from 18 to 30. By working to help others, they o(cid:3)en 
discover things about themselves that they didn’t know, as well as developing new skills. 
Indeed, most young people come back from voluntary work with greater self-conﬁdence and  
a fresh outlook on life. 

I hope we can inspire many more young people to volunteer and help shape a selﬂess 
European society which is more inclusive, innovative and global.

Androulla Vassiliou
Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“I think the European Voluntary Service project at the Youth 
for Environment (YEE) is perfect for people with initiative, 
who want to learn a lot and constantly ask questions.” 
(Małgorzata, 27)

Project funded by
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Czech Republic

Hosting organisation: 
Youth and Environment Europe 
www.ecn.cz/yee

Sending organisations: 
Angelus Silesius House 
www.silesius.org.pl
Association of YWCA/YMCA of Latvia  
(IMKA Latvija) 
www.imka.lv 

Activity dates: 
15/07/2008 – 30/06/2009 
(ca. 12 months)

POLAND: Małgorzata, 27 years

LATVIA: Beatrise, 20 years

CZECH REPUBLIC

4 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

 
GLOBAL SOCIETY

WORKING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT 
IN TOULCUV DVUR, CZECH REPUBLIC

Małgorzata (27 years) from Poland spent a year (2008/09) as a volunteer at the Youth for 
Environment (YEE) headquarters in the Czech Republic, with another volunteer Beatrise (20 
years) from Latvia.

Youth for Environment (YEE) is a network of 50 youth organisations working to protect the 
environment in some 28 countries in Europe. Sponsored by the Council of Europe it has its 
headquarters at the ecological centre Toulcuv Dvur, an old medieval stronghold in Prague. 
Its mission is to promote active citizenship among young people by organising a variety of 
projects in the ﬁeld of nature protection. Set up some thirty years ago by young people it 
continues to be an organisation run entirely by people under 30.

Małgorzata’s tasks at the centre were of two kinds: helping with the administration and taking 
part in the activities organised for the public. She helped by preparing in-house publications, 
updating  the  website,  keeping  in  touch  with  member  organisations  and  attending  events 
organised by the Council of Europe. She started her year by taking part in the 2008 annual 
general  meeting  of  YEE  in  Romania  and  completed  it  by  preparing  papers  for  the  2009 
meeting  in  Spain.  Her  other  activities  were  mainly  devoted  to  organising  workshops  for 
children, helping out in a nearby kindergarten and participating in events such as a local fair 
and carnival. 

Working  in  the  oﬃce  taught  Małgorzata  useful  administrative  skills  and  she  learned  a  lot 
about graphic design and layout techniques. She became more conﬁdent in taking decisions 
and working in an international team. By getting involved with the local community she was 
able to learn Czech and acquire a deeper understanding of Czech culture. She practised her 
English and improved her intercultural competencies with the international community of YEE. 
She also learned a lot more about ways of protecting the environment and continued to work 
for YEE a(cid:3)er ﬁnishing her European Voluntary Service project.

The YEE is an organisation for young people and thrives on the enthusiasm and fresh ideas 
brought to it each year by volunteers coming from diﬀerent countries. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 5  

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“My European Voluntary Service project has had a twofold 
impact:  it  sought  to  arouse  society  to  these  issues,  both 
locally and internationally, and it allowed me to learn and 
evolve as a person and as a citizen.” (Marisa, 25)

Project funded by
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Germany

Hosting organisation: 
Sti(cid:2)ung für die Rechte zukün(cid:2)iger 
Generationen 
www.srzg.de

Sending organisation: 
Associacao para a Formacao Proﬁssional e 
Desenvolvimento do Montijo 
www.pai.pt

Activity dates: 
01/10/2009 – 31/07/2009 
(10 months)

PORTUGAL: Marisa, 25 years

GERMANY

6 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

 
 
GLOBAL SOCIETY

WORKING FOR THE NEXT 
GENERATION IN OBERURSEL, 
GERMANY

Marisa (25 years), a law graduate from Portugal, spent 10 months in 2009 as a volunteer in 
Germany, working on global responsibilities towards the next generation.

The  hosting  organisation  was  the  Foundation  for  the  Rights  of  Future  Generations  (FRFG), 
based  in  Oberursel,  Germany,  a  research  institute  working  on  the  links  between  science, 
politics and the business world. It focuses in particular on the rights of future generations 
and, with the help of research carried out by scientists working on interdisciplinary issues, it 
seeks to raise awareness of intergenerational justice in political circles. Its aim is to eﬀect 
fundamental changes in society rather than simply carry out academic analyses. The network 
“Friends of FRFG” provides the Foundation’s ﬁnancial basis and ensures its independence.

Marisa was invited to choose a topic for the Foundation’s publication The Intergenerational 
Justice  Review  (IGJR).  Her  choice  was  to  launch  a  Europe-wide  dialogue  on  the  global 
responsibility of people living today for the well-being of future generations. She contacted 
authors for the issue and with the chief editor oversaw its editorial and lay-outing process. 
In  addition,  she  took  the  initiative,  on  her  return  to  Portugal,  to  organise  an  international 
conference on the topic in Lisbon. She was able to ﬁnd partners in Portugal for the conference 
and raised additional funds to invite expert speakers. Additionally, she was invited to a second 
conference  on  the  same  subject  in  Versailles,  France.  An  English  version  of  the  IGJR  was 
widely distributed at conferences.

During  her  volunteering  Marisa  improved  her  English  skills  and  was  able  to  learn  German. 
She developed extensive knowledge about intergenerational justice and took advantage of 
the opportunity to write her masters thesis on the topic. She developed a strong sense of 
initiative and entrepreneurship which she displayed in organising the international conference 
in  Portugal.  Her  multicultural  competencies  were  strengthened  through  working  in  an 
international environment. As a direct result of her time spent as a volunteer she was invited 
to advise a Portuguese political party on intergenerational issues.

The contribution made by Marisa, such as her work on the review and setting up the conference 
in Portugal, created a much larger public for the principles and work of the Foundation. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 7  

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“WWF Greece’s mission is to conserve the rich biodiversity of 
Greece, to prevent and eventually to reverse environmental 
degradation, seeking the harmonious coexistence of humans 
with nature.” (World Wildlife Fund)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Greece

Hosting organisation: 
WWF Greece 
www.wwf.gr

Sending organisations: 
ADICE www.adice.asso.fr
Asociacion LibreZ 
EIL Cultural & Educational Travel
www.eiluk.org

Activity dates: 
15/12/2007 – 14/12/2008 
(12 months)

SPAIN: Luisa, 26 years

FRANCE: Emeline, 25 years

UNITED KINGDOM: Zoe, 23 years 

GREECE

8 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

GLOBAL SOCIETY

MONITORING BLACK VULTURES 
IN THE DADIA FOREST, GREECE

Luisa (26 years), had already experienced working with eagles and other raptors in her home 
country Spain before she decided to work as a volunteer looking a(cid:3)er black vultures in Greece 
with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). She joined for one year (2007/08) two other volunteers 
Emeline  from  France  (25  years)  and  Zoe  from  the  UK  (23  years),  both  of  whom  had  also 
worked in the ﬁeld of nature conservation.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF Greece) was founded in 1990 and joined a worldwide network 
of 29 other national organisations set up to build a future where people lived in harmony with 
nature. The Dadia Forest Reserve in north-east Greece is one of the last refuges for predatory 
birds in Europe with 36 species living in a protected habitat, including the black vulture and 
sea eagle. One of the principal objectives of WWF’s work is to ensure that this protection is 
long-term by appropriate legislation. 

Much of their time the volunteers spent carrying out ﬁeld work, monitoring the reproductive 
activities and feeding habits of black vultures. They also studied the impact of wind farms 
on  large  birds.  Luisa  took  a  lead  in  using  sophisticated  GPS  transmitters  attached  to  a 
sample of vultures to study the pattern of their movements. They also participated in local 
environmental events and accompanied staﬀ members to Bulgaria to discuss cross-border 
cooperation.

All  three  volunteers  learned  a  lot  about  monitoring  birds  of  prey,  about  vulture  trapping 
and chick ringing and how to use the new electronic monitoring processes. Not having lived 
abroad for such a long period before they learned how to be autonomous and their social 
and interpersonal skills improved considerably. They also learned to accept diﬀerence and 
developed strong team work skills, important in carrying out systematic scientiﬁc research. 
They all learned Greek and Luisa made such remarkable progress that she could converse 
in this language quite ﬂuently at the end of her stay. She intended to continue the study of 
Greek on her return to Spain. In fact the experience gave them all a clearer idea of the career 
they would follow a(cid:3)er their European Voluntary Service project.

The presence of the volunteers enriched the ﬁeld centre because of their personalities and 
the  freshness  and  curiosity  they  brought  to  their  work.  Their  contribution  to  strengthening 
relations with local people and convincing them of their responsibility for conservation was 
particularly appreciated.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 9  

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“I  was  fascinated  to  learn  that  another  economy  exists 
and that it is possible to do business diﬀerently by placing 
human values and not the ﬁnancial capital at the heart of 
an economic system.” (Ágnes, 23)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Luxembourg 

Hosting organisation: 
Institut Européen pour l’Economie Solidaire, 
INEES 
www.inees.org

Sending organisation: 
Tegyünk Együtt az I(cid:3)úságért Alapítvány 
www.teisalapitvany.hu

Activity dates: 
01/12/2008 – 30/11/2009
(12 months)

HUNGARY: Ágnes, 23 years

LUXEMBOURG

10 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

GLOBAL SOCIETY

ADVOCATING A SOLIDARITY(cid:3)
BASED ECONOMY IN SCHIFFLANGE, 
LUXEMBOURG

Ágnes (23 years) is a graduate of the Budapest Business School in her native Hungary and is 
currently carrying out research for her masters in Learning and Development in Multicultural and 
Multilingual Contexts in Luxembourg. Her combined interests in multiculturalism and alternative 
ways of running the world’s economy prompted her to apply to spend a year (2008/09) working 
on an international conference on this theme.

The host organisation, Institut Européen pour l’Economie Solidaire (the European Institute for a 
Solidarity-based Economy) carries out research on economic and social issues and is an advocate 
for an alternative approach to running the economy. The Institute gives advice to the Luxembourg 
government on economic matters and provides technical background for the government’s annual 
economic work plan. In 2009, it undertook to run the 4th International Forum “Globalisation of 
Solidarity”. It was the ﬁrst time that the Forum, given the title of Lux’09, was held in Europe and 
the three day conference attracted 1000 participants from around the world. Themes discussed 
included responsible production and consumption, fair trade and concerns for the environment.

The  Institute  gave  Ágnes  ample  space  in  which  to  use  her  own  initiative  in  helping  to  set  up 
Lux’09.  She  was  directly  concerned  with  making  travel  and  accommodation  bookings  for  the 
150  volunteers  at  the  conference  and  organising  an  exhibition  and  evening  events  such  as  a 
concert  and  theatre  visit.  Besides  the  conference,  Ágnes  was  involved  in  organising  a  youth 
exchange and participated in the work of consolidating a world-wide network linking individuals 
and organisations active in the ﬁeld of solidarity-based economies.

The experience of living in the multilingual setting of Luxembourg and working on an international 
conference  on  the  economy  helped  Ágnes  to  make  extensive  progress  in  her  twin  academic 
interests. Her work was so appreciated by her hosts that she was oﬀered employment at the 
Institute to work on the follow-up to the conference. At the same time she also decided to embark 
on  research  for  her  masters  at  the  University  of  Luxembourg.  Her  already  strong  interest  in 
languages has been reinforced through her work with the multilingual gathering at the conference 
and her contacts with the tri-lingual population of Luxembourg. 

By  reaching  out  to  young  people  Ágnes  helped  to  broaden  the  Institute’s  target  public  and  
it has consequently been able to set up a number of successful activities for young people in  
the  community,  including  further  European  Voluntary  Service  projects  and  training  courses  on 
active citizenship. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 11  

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“My European Voluntary Service taught me a lot about the 
possible  outcomes  of  global  warming  and  about  what  we 
can do to mitigate the results; it also helped me to develop 
my practical, professional and personal skills.” (Pablo, 26)

Project funded by
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Hungary 

Hosting organisation: 
Messzelátó Egyesület 
www.messzelato.hu

Sending organisation: 
Centro Andaluz de Iniciativas 
Internacionales 
http://iniciativasinternacionalescordoba.
blogspot.com/

Activity dates: 
01/02/2009 – 31/12/2009 
(11 months)

SPAIN: Pablo, 26 years

HUNGARY

12 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

GLOBAL SOCIETY

HELPING TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE 
IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

Pablo (26 years), from Córdoba in Spain, worked as a volunteer in Hungary a(cid:3)er graduating 
in  Administration  and  Business  Management.  His  hosts  in  Hungary  were  the  Natural 
Conservation Association, where he worked for 11 months in 2009. His experience as a 
volunteer helped him to ﬁnd a job in the UK within a month of completing his service.

The association, Messzelátó Egyesület, was founded in 1999, and its mission, as its name 
in Hungarian indicates, is “to look into the future”. It helps people to recognise the value of 
their natural environment and the need to protect it. Central to its role is highlighting the 
dangers of global warming and providing educational tools on the subject for use in schools.

One of Pablo’s most important contributions to the work of the Association was to organise 
a  photo  competition  for  schools  inspired  by  the  work  of  environmental  organisations 
promoting urgent action at a global level to combat the amount of CO2 gas released into 
the earth’s atmosphere. Entries for the competition needed to demonstrate the challenges 
of climate change and propose concrete solutions that could be applied. Pablo also helped 
to  organise  events  such  as  the  Climate  Bath  Party  in  Budapest  and  assisted  with  data 
collection  and  the  organisation  of  workshops  for  schools  on  climate  change.  He  gave 
Spanish lessons to Hungarian youngsters and, in return, studied Hungarian.

The  experience  of  volunteering  represented  a  major  learning  exercise  for  Pablo  and  he 
acquired  knowledge  about  biodiversity,  eco-farming,  waste  prevention,  the  natural 
resources of Hungary and the main factors which endanger them. He also learned how to 
live and work in a foreign community and improved his knowledge of photography, as well 
as his computer skills. 

Messzelátó  Egyesület  in  Budapest  clearly  beneﬁted  from  the  commitment,  energy  and 
skills  of  their  young  volunteer  and  continues  to  use  materials  that  Pablo  had  produced 
during  his  stay  amongst  them.  His  diﬀerent  way  of  working  and  approach  to  problem 
solving was enriching for his hosts and the people he met and worked with in Budapest. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 13  

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“I have seen big changes in some volunteers who arrive shy 
and insecure and leave with a very social and self-conﬁdent 
character.” (Nature Trust Malta)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Malta

Hosting organisation: 
Nature Trust 
www.naturetrustmalta.org 

Sending organisations: 
Allianssi Youth Exchanges 
www.nuorisovaihto.ﬁ
Legambiente Volontariato Ecopolis Torino 
Associazione 
www.legambiente.to.it 

Activity dates: 
01/03/2009 – 28/02/2010 
(12 months)

FINLAND: Karin Marie, 21 years

ITALY: Angela, 25 years

MALTA

14 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

GLOBAL SOCIETY

SAVING TURTLES IN 
SAN LUCJAN, MALTA

Karin Marie (21 years), who is now taking courses in forestry in her native Finland, and Angela 
Bianca Maria (25 years) from Italy spent a year (2009/10) as volunteers in Malta, helping to 
rehabilitate turtles. 

Their hosts were the Nature Trust Malta, whose marine rescue team in San Lucjan nurse back 
to health some 20 injured turtles a year which have been accidentally caught in ﬁshermen’s 
nets or injured by a harpoon. Their rehabilitation usually takes between six to nine months 
and when fully ﬁt again the animals are released back into the open sea. Before that they 
are  weighed  and  tagged  as  part  of  a  Europe-wide  research  project.  Educational  activities 
are  organised  around  these  events  to  raise  awareness  of  the  risk  to  the  environment  of 
irresponsible behaviour, such as dumping plastic bags into the sea which can suﬀocate the 
turtles.

The  volunteers  were  fully  integrated  into  the  work  of  the  rescue  team  and  assisted  with 
the various stages of the turtles’ rehabilitation, which included their medication, under the 
supervision of a vet, their cleaning and feeding and their eventual release back into the sea. 
They  were  involved  in  the  educational  activities  of  the  centre  and  accompanied  students 
and adults on guided walks to promote environmental protection. They also helped with the 
organisation of visits by schoolchildren by devising environmental quizzes and other games 
and  took  part  in  beach  management  activities  such  as  inspecting  Blue  Flag  beaches  and 
preparing water quality reports.

Both volunteers were encouraged to take ownership of their work and, as a consequence, felt 
empowered to make suggestions on how to improve the work of the centre. This enhanced 
their  self-esteem  and  sense  of  initiative.  The  volunteers  also  gained  basic  competency  in 
research work and deepened their experience of environmental protection. They mixed well 
with local people and improved their social skills and knowledge of English. Thanks to their 
experience in Malta some of the volunteers were able to ﬁnd work in a similar ﬁeld on their 
return to their own countries.

The contribution made by the volunteers had a positive impact on the nature conservation 
work  of  the  Trust.  This  was  evident  from  turtle  recovery  rates  and  the  positive  feedback 
concerning  the  educational  activities  in  which  the  volunteers  were  closely  involved.  The 
European  awareness  of  the  local  community  was  also  enhanced  by  the  frequent  contact 
made with the volunteers.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 15  

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“Working for the Anne Frank House was a great way of getting 
familiar  with  the  activities  of  a  leading  European  NGO  and 
its  outstanding  approaches  in  teaching  about  tolerance  and 
human rights. I am now convinced that countries like Ukraine 
need  a  stronger  development  of  NGOs  that  strive  for  a  civil 
society  and  that  young  people  can  play  a  signiﬁcant  role.” 
(Sergey, 24)

Project funded by
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

the Netherlands

Hosting organisation: 
Anne Frank Stichting (Anne Frank House)
www.annefrank.nl 

Sending organisation: 
The Jewish Foundation of Ukraine
www.jew-fund.kiev.ua

Activity dates: 
01/12/2008 – 31/12/2009 
(12 months)

UKRAINE: Sergey, 24 years

THE NETHERLANDS

16 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

GLOBAL SOCIETY

COMBATING RACISM AND 
DISCRIMINATION IN AMSTERDAM, 
THE NETHERLANDS

Sergey (24 years), a researcher with the Jewish Foundation of Ukraine, spent a year (2008/09) 
as a volunteer with the Anne Frank House (AFH) in the Netherlands. 

His host, the Anne Frank Stichting (Anne Frank House — AFH) in Amsterdam, is a museum 
which  houses  the  secret  annex  where  Anne  Frank  and  her  family  and  four  friends  hid  for 
more than two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The museum has a well-
developed educational programme and disseminates teaching materials promoting a critical 
reﬂection on World War II and on what anti-semitism and discrimination can lead to. One of 
the AFH activities is a worldwide travelling exhibition Anne Frank — a history for today and 
one of its copies is currently on tour along the Dutch-German frontier, stimulating a cross-
border dialogue between young people.

Sergey spent most of his time working at the AFH headquarters in Amsterdam and helping 
to organise the exhibition in four diﬀerent schools and the town hall. His role was to make 
logistical arrangements for the tour and train the exhibition guides, many of whom were of 
Moroccan-Dutch descent. Half-way through his stay, he was obliged to return home to renew 
his visa and whilst back in Ukraine for one month he helped to establish the AFH educational 
programme. He completed his year in Amsterdam helping with the day-to-day activities of 
the international department, guiding museum visitors and organising events. Because of his 
experience with the AFH he has found employment as a free-lance historian and educator for 
diﬀerent NGOs in Ukraine and elsewhere on racism and anti-semitism.

Working  on  a  daily  basis  in  a  Dutch  NGO  introduced  Sergey  to  the  diﬀerent  way  in  which 
some administrative procedures are conducted in the Netherlands. The intercultural activities 
of the AFH in which he was involved taught him how to combat present forms of racism and 
intolerance in his own country. His conﬁdence increased as well as his knowledge of Dutch 
and he was able to assume a higher proﬁle in the seminars organised around the exhibition. 

The  guides  trained  by  Sergey  learned  a  lot  from  him,  and  the  work  of  the  AFH  in  general 
beneﬁted from the information he gave on the war-time history of his own country which was 
also faced with the horrors of anti-semitism and intolerance under the Nazi regime. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 17  

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“I would certainly recommend other people to do the European 
Voluntary Service because it is something that may open new 
doors for you, new doors to gaining something new and useful 
which later on could brighten your life and future.” (Andrei, 27)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Austria

Hosting organisation: 
Caritas, Flüchtlingshaus
www.caritas-salzburg.at

Sending organisation: 
Pädagogische Universität “Ion Creanga”

Activity dates: 
01/07/2009 – 01/09/2010 
(12 months)

MOLDOVA: Andrei, 27 years

AUSTRIA

18 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

GLOBAL SOCIETY

HELPING TO GIVE RELIEF IN 
SALZBURG, AUSTRIA

Andrei (27 years) from Moldova had never been involved in social work before spending  
12 months (2009/10) as a volunteer in the Caritas Home for Refugees in Salzburg, Austria. 
It opened his eyes to a whole new world and perhaps to a future professional commitment.

CARITAS is a network of Catholic relief, development and social service agencies operating 
in some 200 countries around the world. Its centre in Salzburg runs a home for refugees, 
many of them asylum seekers caught up in recent conﬂicts in South-East Europe, the Middle 
East and Africa. The centre provides shelter for them until the legal proceedings allow them 
to move on.

Andrei’s main contribution to the work of his hosts was to make the residents feel welcome 
in their new surroundings. He used his communicative skills and big-hearted personality to 
allay the fears of children and adults seeking refuge from their recent experience of conﬂict 
and natural disasters. His ﬂuency in various languages helped him to communicate directly 
with the refugees and made them feel at home. He accompanied the refugees in their daily 
routines, helping the children do their homework, going to the doctors with the adults, doing 
translations and simply making himself available to answer their needs.

Andrei was always thinking and acting as a member of a greater team in the service of others 
and not just as a private individual. He discovered social work as a volunteer and developed 
a deep commitment to the mission of Caritas. He earned the trust of the refugees and clearly 
enjoyed his stay at the centre. The experience awoke in him the ambition to continue working 
in the ﬁeld of humanitarian aid and to contact other agencies with a similar mission.

Andrei clearly established friendly relations at every level and the residents of the centre 
beneﬁted from his open-minded and generous approach. His presence also helped the 
centre’s ﬁght against xenophobia. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 19  

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“The European Voluntary Service experience is a privilege. It 
is a way to promote the European integration and solidarity.” 
(Katharina, 21) 

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Portugal 

Hosting organisation: 
A Rocha, Associação Cristã de Estudos e 
Defesa do Ambiente
http://en.arocha.org/portugal/

Sending organisation: 
Eurowerkstatt Jena e.V. 
www.eurowerkstatt-jena.de

Activity dates: 
01/02/2009 – 31/07/2009 
(six months)

GERMANY: Katharina, 21 years

PORTUGAL

20 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

GLOBAL SOCIETY

HELPING TO PROTECT 
RIA DE ALVOR IN PORTUGAL

In  2009,  Katharina  (21  years)  from  Germany  spent  six  months  as  a  volunteer  working  on 
nature  preservation  on  the  Alvor  estuary  in  Portugal.  She  intended  to  study  biology  and 
considered that the experience in Portugal would help her with her university education.

The  host  organisation,  the  Associação  Cristã  de  Estudos  e  Defesa  do  Ambiente,  was 
established in Portugal in 1986 and is part of the A Rocha International network that spans 
18 countries. Its mission is to make a contribution to nature conservation and to this end it 
conducts scientiﬁc research in several areas of the natural world. In Portugal, it has worked 
with the government to combat the loss of bio-diversity and to classify the nature reserve 
of the Alvor estuary as a Natura 2000 site. A large number of young volunteers apply each 
year  to  come  to  Ria  de  Alvor  and  the  Association  usually  selects  candidates  with  some 
training in the natural sciences. 

Katharina’s main task was to help with the running of the Field Study Centre. This involved her 
in showing visitors around the site and carrying out general maintenance tasks. She also took 
part in on-going programmes, such as ringing and counting birds and carrying out scientiﬁc 
studies on local wildlife and habitats as a ﬁeld assistant. Data collection and the maintenance 
of a data base was another of her tasks and she ran classes on the environment for children 
visiting the site (some 1000 secondary age students visited the centre in 2009). She also had 
the opportunity to become involved in a number of cultural and sporting events.

The  experience  of  her  European  Voluntary  Service  in  Portugal  far  exceeded  Katharina’s 
expectations. She learned a lot about diﬀerent habitats and species in the area, how to ring 
birds and extract them from the nets. By taking part in a university devised course on sea 
bird research techniques, she gained an insight into scientiﬁc research which proved of great 
value in her university studies. She also learned to communicate in Portuguese and enjoyed 
her contacts with local villagers. But the most important value of the experience for Katharina 
was  that  taking  part  in  a  European  Voluntary  Service  project  with  other  young  Europeans 
helped her to understand what it means to be European. 

The Association were particularly pleased with Katharina’s work and willingness to play such 
an active part in the life of the community; it gained a new friend and a committed supporter 
of their work and mission.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 21  

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“At  a  professional  level  my  experiences  with  this  project 
helped me ﬁnd some kind of artistic voice, leading to several 
exhibitions and residencies.” (Reg, 27)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in:

Iceland 

Hosting organisation: 
Umhverﬁsstofnun (The Environment and Food  
Agency of Iceland) 
www.ust.is

Sending organisations:
Fédération Régionale Maison des Jeunes 
et de la Culture Région Centre
www.mjc-cmjcf.asso.fr/Centre
Anﬀas Onlus Pordenone 
www.anﬀas.net 
AFS Interculturele Programma’s VZW
www.afsvlaanderen.be 
Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza, Servicio de Juventud 
www.zaragoza/juventud
BTCV www.btcv.org.uk 

Activity dates: 
01/05/2008 – 01/01/2009
(eight months) 

BELGIUM: Reg, 27 years

FRANCE: Alexandre, 27 years

SPAIN: Marta, 23 years

ITALY: Nicola, 29 years

UNITED KINGDOM: Alistair, 28 years / Carmel, 26 
years / Rachel, 24 years / Margaret, 25 years

ICELAND

22 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

GLOBAL SOCIETY

MENDING THE NATURE TRAILS IN 
ICELAND

Reg (27 years), an artist from Belgium, spent eight months (2008/09) as a volunteer 
carrying out conservation work in Iceland with seven other volunteers: Alistair (28 years), 
Carmel (26 years), Rachel (24 years) and Margaret (25 years), all from the United Kingdom, 
Alexandre  (27  years),  from  France,  Marta  (23  years)  from  Spain  and  Nicola  (29  years)  
from Italy.

Umhverﬁsstofnun is the Environment and Food Agency of Iceland, operating under the Ministry 
for the Environment. It’s role is to promote the protection and sustainable use of Iceland’s 
natural  resources,  as  well  as  public  welfare  by  helping  to  ensure  a  healthy  environment 
and safer consumer goods. One of its ﬁelds of operation is the conservation of designated 
protected areas and it is to help with this work that some 150 volunteers are invited each 
year from around the world.

On  arrival,  Reg  and  his  co-volunteers  were  put  through  some  intensive  training  to  ensure 
they could cope with the particular demands of the project. Divided into teams with a trained 
leader, o(cid:3)en a former volunteer, they were then involved in all aspects of pratical conservation 
tasks  in  a  variety  of  locations.  Much  of  the  work  focused  on  upland  trail  construction  and 
maintenance,  repairing  heritage  sites  and  the  removal  of  invasive  plant  species  from 
protected wilderness areas. The volunteers also carried out domestic duties around the camp 
and day to day problem solving.

The  programme  was  very  challenging  and  having  to  work  outdoors,  sometimes  in  severe 
weather conditions, with volunteers from diﬀerent cultural backgrounds greatly improved the 
team  work  skills  and  mutual  understanding  of  young  people.  Out  of  the  eight  volunteers, 
three have obtained jobs in the environmental ﬁeld due to their experience as a volunteer 
and ﬁve have returned to Iceland at their own expense to oﬀer their services a second time. 
The landscapes of Iceland have inﬂuenced Reg’s art in a major way and led to his ﬁrst solo 
exhibition. For him, with his artistic eye, digging a hole and building a stone step could be 
interpreted as the ﬁrst important cultural act one can perform.

The condition of Iceland’s exceptionally beautiful and well-kept environment is in no small 
way due to their policy of inviting committed volunteers from around the world to help them 
in their work of preservation.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 23  

GLOBAL SOCIETY

“Both the volunteers and children developed their skills and 
self-esteem  which  will  enable  them  to  be  active  members 
of  society  and  to  engage  in  activities  aimed  at  a  global 
dialogue.” (EHT-Network)

Project funded by the Education,
Audiovisual & Culture Executive Agency 
in Brussels

Hosting organisation: 
Embracing Hidden Talents (EHT-Network)
http://orgs.tigweb.org/embracing-hidden- 
talents-network

Sending organisations: 
Zavod Voluntariat Slovenia 
www.zavod-voluntariat.si 
SCI Germany www.sci-d.de
UNA Exchange Wales www.unaexchange.org
INEX-SDA Czech Republic www.inexsda.cz 

Activity dates: 
01/08/2009 – 01/02/2010 
(seven months)

SLOVENIA: Petra, 28 years / Masa, 22 years / Maja, 24 years

GERMANY: Ulrike, 23 years / Cassandra, 23 years / 
Stephany, 27 years

UNITED KINGDOM: Ashleigh, 18 years / Stacey, 22 years

CZECH REPUBLIC: Paula, 27 years / Gabriela, 22 years / 
Martin, 27 years

GHANA

24 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

 
GLOBAL SOCIETY

EMPOWERING YOUNG PEOPLE IN 
ACCRA, GHANA

Petra  (28  years)  from  Slovenia,  spent  almost  seven  months  (2009/10)  with  10  other 
volunteers working with disadvantaged children in Ghana. The other volunteers were Masa 
(22 years) and Maja (24 years), both from Slovenia, Ulrike (23 years), Cassandra (23 years) 
and Stephany (27 years), all from Germany, Ashleigh (18 years) and Stacey (22 years), both 
from Wales (UK), and Paula (27 years), Gabriela (22 years) and Martin (27 years), all from 
the Czech Republic.

The hosting organisation, Embracing Hidden Talents (EHT-Network) in Accra, Ghana coor-
dinates  projects  in  the  educational  sector,  such  as  organising  camps  for  disadvantaged 
children and young people and oﬀering activities in a community library. It arranges discus-
sions about HIV/AIDS and provides educational support for children whose parents are HIV 
positive. It runs workshops on child labour and promotes the education of girls. Finally it has 
established training centres for homeless school drop-outs and street children.

Petra and the other volunteers helped to organise workshops for deprived communities in 
Accra, using art and other creative methods such as drama, dance, acrobatics and singing. 
They  also  gave  support  to  the  workshops  on  issues  related  to  HIV/AIDS,  drug  abuse  and 
teenage pregnancies. A ﬁlm they made during their stay was sent to all the organisations 
that had participated in the project.

All the volunteers were deeply aﬀected by their experience which for many was described 
as  life  changing.  They  encountered  a  diﬀerent  culture  in  Ghana  which  taught  them  new 
approaches to work and family life. Their stay in Ghana has stretched their horizons, developed 
their professional and team working ability and improved their organisational skills. They also 
learned some of the local language and greatly improved their spoken English.

The  greatest  achievement  of  this  project  was  the  impact  it  had  on  the  young  Ghanaians 
who were empowered by discovering their talents in drama, painting and the other creative 
activities, and as a  consequence, gained conﬁdence  and a more positive attitude towards 
their own lives. The multinational make-up of the volunteers brought a European dimension 
to this African setting and created bonds of respect and solidarity.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 25  

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

“I  noticed  that  many  people  in  Germany  still  ﬁnd  East 
European  countries  far  away  and  strange,  although  they 
are the new EU member states, and demonstrate almost no 
interest in them; ignorance and prejudice instead are widely 
spread.” (Rebekka, 19)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Bulgaria 

Hosting organisation: 
Association for Democratic Education (FAR)
www.farburgas.eu

Sending organisation: 
Internationaler Bauorden, Ludwigshafen 
www.bauorden.de

Activity dates: 
01/09/2009 – 31/07/2010 
(11 months)

GERMANY: Rebekka, 19 years

BULGARIA

26 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

BUILDING BRIDGES IN BURGAS, 
BULGARIA

Rebekka (19 years) from Germany, wishing to discover a new EU member state, spent 
11 months as a volunteer with the Association for Democratic Education (FAR) in Bulgaria. 

FAR (which means lighthouse in English) was set up in 1995 in Burgas, Bulgaria, to contribute 
to the development of stable democracies in South-Eastern Europe and the fostering of a 
democratic society in Bulgaria. In its early years, projects and seminars were organised in 
cooperation with the Academy for Civic and Social Education in Heppenheim, Germany. It is 
now part of a major network of non-governmental organisations in the Balkans, promoting 
democracy and encouraging people of all generations to be involved in civil society and the 
political process. Building bridges between young people across Europe through volunteering 
is one of FAR’s major aims. 

Besides helping with oﬃce duties — she was responsible for creating FAR’s website in German, 
French and English — Rebekka was involved in promoting the activities of the Association 
and the principles of volunteering in seminars and visits to schools and universities. She also 
worked with youth groups and with children in an orphanage during her free time. 

Rebekka greatly beneﬁted from the non-formal education she received carrying out her work 
as a volunteer. She learned to deal with people from diﬀerent backgrounds and developed 
empathy  for  the  disadvantaged.  She  became  competent  in  using  non-formal  teaching 
methods, such as how to use interactive games to animate language classes. Her involvement 
with the administration taught her a lot about project and ﬁnancial management and how 
to  deal  with  public  authorities.  She  learned  Bulgarian  and,  by  taking  part  in  a  number  of 
seminars, acquired an extensive knowledge of Bulgarian political life and history. Her interest 
in  Bulgarian  culture  led  her  to  join  a  Bulgarian  choir  to  record  and  translate  the  lyrics  of 
Bulgarian folk songs. She also subsequently changed her course of studies to psychology as 
a result of her experience.

The project Bridge for Europe was one of the most successful projects of the host organisation. 
Rebekka’s personal commitment has motivated other people and institutions. Her innovative 
ideas, as well as her diﬀerent ways of seeing and doing things, have positively inﬂuenced 
the work of the host organisation. Even today, she continues her link with the Association by 
participating in diﬀerent cultural events around Europe promoting Bulgarian folklore.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 27  

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

“I have learnt to learn by watching and imitating, which has 
meant  a  lot  to  me  in  my  personal  development,  and  I  am 
really hungry for learning now.” (Anne, 20)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Denmark 

Hosting organisations: 
SOS Kinderdorf Berlin-Moabit  
www.sos.kinderdorf.de
SOS Kinderdorf, Schulhort  
www.sos-kinderdorf.de
Nestwärme e.V. www.nestwaerme-berlin.de
urban-consult GmbH www.urban-consult.de

Sending organisation: 
Faaborg-Midtfyn Ungdomsskole
www.fmusfaaborgmidtfyn.dk

Activity dates: 
01/05/2009 – 01/11/2010 
(seven months)

DENMARK: Anne, 20 years / Camilla, 20 years / Lina, 20 years / 
Thomas, 19 years

GERMANY

28 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

 
INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

WORKING IN A KINDERGARTEN IN 
BERLIN, GERMANY

Anne (20 years) from Denmark, spent seven months (2009/10) working in a kindergarten  
in Berlin. She joined three other volunteers, also from Denmark: Camilla (20 years), Lina  
(20 years) and Thomas (19 years).

Their  sending  organisation,  Faaborg-Midtfyn  Ungdomsskole  (informal  education  centre)  in 
Faaborg, Denmark, has a long-standing link with four organisations running kindergarten and 
day-care  projects  in  Berlin  (urban-consult,  SOS-Kinderdorf  Berlin-Moabit,  SOS  Kinderdorf 
Schulhort,  Nestwärme)  and  for  some  time  has  been  sending  young  people  to  volunteer 
their  time.  The  kindergartens  and  day  care  centres  are  o(cid:3)en  located  in  fairly  run-down 
neighbourhoods and the children looked a(cid:3)er by the volunteers are from a variety of diﬀerent 
social backgrounds. Although some are from stable, supportive families, a high proportion 
are  seriously  disadvantaged.  Some  have  parents  who  are  unemployed.  Others  have  been 
diagnosed with HIV or severe behavioural problems. 

Anne and her friends were well prepared for their work. Before leaving Denmark they made 
two visits to Berlin and former Danish volunteers, still working or studying in Berlin, showed 
them around the city, explained practicalities and discussed German culture and society. They 
also gave them tips on how to build up networks. By working in the kindergarten Nestwärme 
Anne provided extra care for the individual child. A special bonus for the children was when she 
talked to them about her family back home in Denmark and taught them Danish songs and 
games. In fact, Anne used Danish lullabies to calm the children when they became boisterous. 
A(cid:3)er  school  hours,  she  met  the  parents  and  became  involved  in  the  local  community  by 
attending meetings and other events. 

Every  step  of  the  way  the  sending  organisation  in  Denmark  made  sure  that  the  young 
volunteers received the maximum beneﬁt from their volunteering. A mentor from Denmark 
visited them several times during the year. They learned a lot about how to work with children, 
particularly those with the sort of problems encountered in the kindergarten. And of course 
they learned to speak German ﬂuently and to live successfully in a multicultural setting. The 
experience changed their lives and made such an impact on Anne that she decided to move 
to Berlin to take up her studies there.

Anne’s  volunteering  took  place  within  the  framework  of  a  well-established  relationship 
between  the  organisation  in  Faaborg  and  the  hosting  organisations  in  Berlin.  Both  have 
shown how much they value the arrangement by creating a network of former volunteers 
who help to recruit new volunteers and to train them before they start their work. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 29  

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

“The project gave a chance to four volunteers from ethnic 
minorities  in  Estonia  and  facing  problems  of  long-term 
unemployment  to  gain  a  new  experience  and  test  their 
abilities in new domains and situations.” 
(Volunteers Centre Skopje)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Estonia 

Hosting organisation: 
Volunteers Centre Skopje
www.vcs.org.mk

Sending organisation: 
Estonian UNESCO Youth Association
www.euya.ee

Activity dates: 
01/04/2009 – 31/05/2010 
(two months)

ESTONIA: Irina, 26 years / Maria, 20 years / Vadim, 24 years / 
Andrei, 22 years

THE FORMER YUGOSLAV 
REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

30 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

ALTERNATIVE THEATRE FESTIVAL 
IN SKOPJE, 
THE FORMER YUGOSLAV 
REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Irina  (26  years),  from  Estonia  chose  to  work  as  a  volunteer  for  two  months  in  2010  in 
the  Alternative  Theatre  Festival,  Faces  without  Masks,  in  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic 
of  Macedonia  because  of  her  interest  in  the  performing  arts.  She  had  already  followed 
courses in juggling, theatre and music in her native Estonia. She joined three other Russian 
speaking volunteers from Estonia, Maria (20 years), Vadim (24 years) and Andrei (22 years).

The festival was organised by the Volunteers Centre in Skopje, the former Yugoslav Republic 
of  Macedonia,  using  the  theatre  to  show  disadvantaged  young  people  how  creative 
expression can contribute to the general well-being of society and economic prosperity. 

The volunteers worked with actors and performers from diﬀerent countries, providing them 
with technical support and taking part in a range of theatre and musical performances.  
They  put  to  good  use  their  own  particular  artistic  and  creative  skills;  Irina  was  able  to 
display  her  juggling  skills  in  the  workshops  the  volunteers  organised  for  local  children. 
She  also  gave  a  ﬁve -week  Russian  language  class  to  a  group  of  local  students.  Other 
volunteers gave ballroom dance classes and the whole group ran workshops in a day centre 
for disadvantaged children.

The experience changed their lives. Working creatively in the stimulating atmosphere of 
the Festival helped the volunteers overcome the low self-esteem that came from being 
unemployed — they had all been out of work for at least six months — and to take greater 
pride in their own individual potential. Having to work daily with a range of diﬀerent people 
from  around  the  world  visiting  the  Festival,  along  with  the  local  population,  gave  an 
immense boost to their self-conﬁdence and greatly improved their social skills and cultural 
awareness. All four volunteers are now in employment or full-time education.

The presence of the volunteers had an impact on the local community in Skopje and their 
work was widely publicised through the local media. They met local people informally or by 
organising events on Estonia and bringing a real sense of Europe to their hosts. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 31  

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

“My  European  Voluntary  Service  in  Redon  gave  me  the 
conﬁdence to tackle the impossible. It was a life changing 
experience  for  me:  it  helped  me  to  understand  who  I  am.” 
(Elisa, 24)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

France

Hosting organisation: 
MAPAR 
www.mapar.fr

Sending organisation: 
Comune di Torino
www.comune.torino.it/infogio

Activity dates: 
09/06/2009 – 09/06/2010 
(12 months)

ITALY: Elisa, 24 years

FRANCE

32 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

YOUNG WORKERS ON STAGE IN  
REDON, FRANCE

Elisa  (24  years),  a  graduate  of  Turin  University  in  Italy,  had  already  been  on  a  youth  ex-
change to Ireland before starting her year as a volunteer at the MAPAR in France (2009/10).  
The arrangement was made with the support of the municipal authorities of Elisa’s home 
town, Turin. 

The host organisation, Maison d’Accueil du Pays de Redon (MAPAR), in Brittany, France, is a 
young worker centre which oﬀers temporary accommodation to young people 16 – 30 years, 
as well as providing them with informal education activities and advice on ﬁnding employ-
ment. The centre has hosted EVS volunteers since 1997 who enrich its work by bringing their 
diﬀerent perspectives from other parts of Europe.

Elisa’s duties included helping out in the multimedia centre, running workshops for residents 
and local young people and generally helping them to access the centre’s information re-
sources. She also helped with the organisation of a Europe week in the town. On arrival in Re-
don, Elisa presented a script for a musical that she wanted to put on with local young people. 
This became her personal project and an important part of her volunteer year. Although ini-
tially reticent, her hosts translated the musical into French and recruited a group of 20 young 
people to take part. Rehearsals were held twice a week over a period of several months and 
the performance was ﬁnally put on to a full house and a ﬁve-minute standing ovation. The 
activity acted as a catalyst, bringing together a wide cross-section of young people, as well 
as local artists and institutions. 

The staging of her concert was the fulﬁlment of a dream for Elisa, not only because of her 
interest  in  musical  theatre  and  dance  but  because  its  theme  dealt  with  problems  facing 
young people and the arts. She learned a lot about how to put an idea into practice and how 
to motivate other people. Her unfailing enthusiasm earned her the respect of both the centre 
and the community at large.

Elisa’s theatre project was the ﬁrst time her hosts had worked in the cultural ﬁeld and this 
new experience had enriched their work. A new relationship had been created with the local 
community and the project proved highly motivating for a number of disadvantaged young 
people. The work of the centre was also given high praise in the local press. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 33  

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

“My  European  Voluntary  Service  inﬂuenced  me  greatly:  
my passion for the European idea which led me to my studies, 
my stage in Brussels, my idea of what I want to do in my life, 
my way to face other people, my convictions, my everyday 
life would be completely diﬀerent without this experience.” 
(Lara, 20)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Italy

Hosting organisation: 
Cesvov, Centro di Servizi per il 
Volontariato della provincia di Varese
www.cesvov.it

Sending organisations: 
Ayuntamiento de Burgos, Concejalía 
de Juventud www.aytoburgo.es/juventud
Bezirksjugendring Unterfranken/
Jugendbildungsstätte Unterfranken
www.jubi-unterfranken.de
Volunteers Centre Skopje 
www.vcs.org.mk

Activity dates: 
15/09/2008 – 14/08/2009 
(11 months)

SPAIN: Soﬁa, 28 years 

GERMANY: Lara, 20 years

THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA: 
Natasha, 26 years

ITALY

34 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

PROMOTING VOLUNTEERING IN 
VARESE, ITALY

Lara (20 years), who studies Governance and Public Policy in her native Germany, spent 
11 months  (2008/09)  promoting  volunteering  in  Varese,  Italy.  She  joined  two  other  EVS 
volunteers, Soﬁa (28 years) from Spain and Natasha (26 years) from the former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia.

CESVOV  (the  Centre  of  Volunteer  Services  for  the  Province  of  Varese)  is  an  association  
created in 1997 to promote and support the development of volunteering in the Province of 
Varese. It oﬀers services such as training and legal consultancy. It also works with several 
high schools in the Province and the university of Varese, encouraging young people to take 
up the opportunity of volunteering. Amongst its members are 80 associations working in  
this ﬁeld. 

At the beginning of their year, the volunteers were introduced to the work of the local volun-
tary organisations, as well as to the European Voluntary Service club which brings together 
former volunteers from the Province for debates and an exchange of information. They were 
also given intensive Italian lessons. The volunteers met students from the local high schools 
and shared their knowledge with them about opportunities provided by EU programmes. Each 
of the three volunteers then pursued her own personal project. Lara’s choice was to support 
a  youth  exchange  and  to  create  and  publish  “CESVOV  News”  which  appeared  at  intervals 
during the year.

Because of her frequent contact with the member associations of CESVOV, Lara was able 
to  gain  a  wide  knowledge  of  volunteering  and  the  areas  where  it  operates:  support  for 
health and social care, people’s rights, cultural and environmental heritage and the ﬁght 
against  xenophobia.  This  experience  proved  very  useful  in  Lara’s  personal  development  
and  professional  future:  a  strong  interest  in  EU  policies  resulting  in  studies  focusing  on  
European integration.

The young volunteers brought an added value to the work of CESVOV and the diﬀerent activi-
ties to which they were associated. Their personal projects introduced innovative ideas and 
activities which were adopted by their hosts, such as Lara’s newsletter. They also helped to 
spread the culture and cause of volunteering among the young people and community at 
large in the Province of Varese.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 35  

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

“The experience I had during my European Voluntary Service 
project  was  a  time  of  challenge  and  an  expansion  of  my 
limits. My personality and attitude towards life were shaped 
by this project and even now, some of the lessons I learned 
are helping me in my work and plans for the future.” 
(Andreea, 25)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Romania

Hosting organisation: 
Toplum Gönüllüteri Vakﬁ
www.tog.org.tr

Sending organisation: 
A.R.T. Fusion Association
www.artfusion.ro

Activity dates: 
10/02/2009 – 10/02/2010 
(12 months)

ROMANIA: Andreea, 25 years

TURKEY

36 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

USING STREET THEATRE FOR  
SOCIAL CHANGE IN ISTANBUL, 
TURKEY

Andreea (25 years) from Romania was the coordinator of the international department of 
A.R.T. Fusion for three years in Bucharest before spending a year (2009/10) as a volunteer 
with the Turkish youth organisation Toplum Gönüllüteri (TOG) in Istanbul. 

A.R.T. Fusion was set up in Bucharest in 2005 at the initiative of seven young people. Its mis-
sion was to contribute to the personal development of children and young people by using 
the participative arts — theatre, street animation, music, dance — to promote the principles 
of global responsibility and active citizenship. The host organisation in Turkey, Toplum Gönül-
lüleri (TOG), an organisation of community volunteers, was also set up following an initiative 
taken by young people in 2002. 

The project was based on Andreea’s own ideas and experience; its aim was to stimulate the 
active participation of young people in problems that concern today’s society by using drama 
techniques and creative street animation, bearing in mind that the society in which she would 
now be working was very diﬀerent in many ways from her own. The position of women in 
society was one of the topics treated. Some 60 young people were trained to be multipliers 
in social theatre and more than 10 streets campaigns were organised to raise awareness of 
diﬀerent topics.

Working in Turkey with its diﬀerent social problems and cultural constraints opened up many 
new horizons for Andreea. She was so encouraged by her stay in Istanbul that she produced 
a guide, Challenge You and Your Community, explaining to youth organisations how to use 
street animation for social change. 

The young Turkish participants eventually overcame their initial hesitation at Andreea’s meth-
ods and were increasingly attracted by the idea of acting out on stage the role of responsible 
citizens bent on making social change in the communities where they lived.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 37  

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

“It was a combination of common sense and creativity and 
an  example  of  what  society  can  do  to  put  to  good  use  an 
empty space and lots of straw bales and empty beer crates.” 
(Truc Sphèrique)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Slovakia

Hosting organisation: 
Truc Sphèrique 
www.stanica.sk

Sending organisation: 
Latvian Young Farmers’ club
www.jzk.lv

Activity dates: 
01/02/2008 – 31/12/2008 
(11 months)

LATVIA: Ints, 24 years

SLOVAKIA

38 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

ART AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN 
ZILINA(cid:3)ZARIECIE, SLOVAKIA

Ints (24 years), from Latvia spent 11 months (2008) as a volunteer working on a theatre 
project in Slovakia.

The  host  organisation  Truc  Sphèrique,  which  was  set  up  in  1998,  runs  the  centre  for 
contemporary  arts,  Stanica,  located  in  the  old  railway  station  in  the  Slovakian  town  of 
Zilina-Zariecie. Activities include theatrical performances, art exhibitions, and workshops on 
various themes. The arts complex is central to the redevelopment of the area as a social and 
community amenity and public park. 

Ints,  who  had  a  particular  interest  in  the  development  of  rural  and  urban  spaces,  worked 
as a volunteer alongside professionals on the construction of a new theatre, located under 
the  arches  of  the  railway  bridge  and  made  entirely  from  natural  and  recycled  materials. 
3 000 beer crates, 800 straw bales, 120 old railway sleepers, one old shipping container, two 
lorry-loads of clay etc. ensured that a new venue for contemporary theatre and dance was 
established in the town at minimum cost, doubling the capacity of the Stanica arts centre. 

By living and working in an entirely new environment Ints learned to speak Slovak well enough 
to communicate with native speakers. His contact with the local population and involvement 
in an arts centre extended his knowledge of the country and its culture. He learned a lot about 
the technical side of theatre, particularly lighting. But above all Ints learned how to work in 
a team and to undertake tasks for which in many cases he had no previous experience. Like 
other members of the team he was o(cid:3)en le(cid:3) to his own devices to ﬁnd solutions to problems 
arising in constructing such an unconventional building and this developed in him a strong 
sense of his own autonomy and greatly increased his self-conﬁdence.

His hosts beneﬁted from Ints’ commitment to their programme and in particular to the work 
on the theatre project. A(cid:3)er he had ﬁnished his volunteering, Ints returned to work in Stanica. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 39  

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

“This  work  is  essential  if  Northern  Ireland  is  to 
move  away  from  a  legacy  of  violent  conﬂict.”  (Public 
Achievement)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

United Kingdom

Hosting organisation: 
Belfast Museum Group-Public Achievement
www.publicachievement.com

Sending organisation: 
Las Niñas del Tul http://lasdeltul.net/
Ibo Italia www.iboitalia.org

Activity dates: 
01/08/2009 – 31/07/2010 
(12 months)

SPAIN: José Miguel, 30 years 

ITALY: Sabrina, 27 years 

UNITED KINGDOM

40 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

HELPING TO MEND FENCES 
IN NORTHERN IRELAND, UK

Sabrina (27 years) from Italy joined another volunteer, José (30 years) from Spain on a 
placement working for a year (2009/10) with young people in Northern Ireland. 

Their host in Northern Ireland was the organisation, Public Achievement, whose mission is to 
build democratic communities in Northern Ireland by working with young people and adults 
in ways which encourage active citizenship. Its focus is on communities facing major social 
and economic problems and which still bear the scars of the inter-communal conﬂicts that 
have so troubled Northern Ireland over the past few decades. Diﬀerent venues — schools, 
youth clubs, museums — are used for meetings with people where they can debate issues 
and prepare projects together under the guidance of a coach.

Sabrina and José played a full part in the programme of meetings and seminars for young 
people. The themes they dealt with were mainly connected with citizenship in a society which 
was still divided and sectarian in spite of the peace accords and power sharing. Their mission 
was to engage young people on public issues that can help them to learn the skills of working 
democratically and non-violently. They made a short ﬁlm which was uploaded onto the hosts’ 
website and made a lot of use of Facebook and Youtube.

Debating  this  crucial  issue  with  young  people  was  an  intensive  learning  exercise  for  the 
young volunteers. They were told both versions of the history of the conﬂict and could more 
easily understand the background to a problem that has bedevilled the island of Ireland for 
centuries. They also learned how to negotiate and to guide a debate towards a consensus. 
Their knowledge of IT and project management greatly improved and their competence in 
spoken English was an added bonus. 

The volunteers brought to their hosts the neutral ground that is so useful in conﬂict situations. 
The  local  young  people  could  relate  to  them  more  easily  because  they  were  from  other 
countries. The volunteers brought their own example of mobility to young people for whom 
visiting other parts of their own town was sometimes a challenge. The success of their work 
conﬁrmed  Public  Achievement  in  its  belief  that  international  work  and  volunteering  are 
essential to the ethos of the organisation.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 41  

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

“Normally these young people have the feeling that they have 
no skills and are losers. Inga helped them to feel more conﬁdent, 
to  discover  artistic  skills  and  to  experience  some  successful 
moments.” (Sozialpädagogische Jugendwohngruppe)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Liechtenstein

Hosting organisation: 
Verein für Betreutes Wohnen 
in Liechtenstein www.vbw.li

Sending organisation: 
Youth in progress www.yip-info.org

Activity dates: 
05/05/2008 – 05/11/2008 
(six months)

LATVIA: Inga, 23 years

LIECHTENSTEIN

42 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

WORKING WITH 
THE UNEMPLOYED IN VADUZ, 
LIECHTENSTEIN

Inga (23 years) has dual nationality, Latvian and Russian, and graduated from the University 
of Riga. She currently lives in the UK where she is following a course in ﬁlm studies. Knowing 
already a lot about the cultural ﬁeld she wanted to gain experience in social work and chose 
to spend six months in 2008 as a volunteer working with the unemployed in Liechtenstein. 

The hosting organisation was the Sozialpädagogische Jugendwohngruppe (Home for Young 
People)  in  Vaduz  which  works  with  the  social  services  in  Liechtenstein  to  support  young 
people in diﬃculty. The organisation provides help and short and longer term accommodation 
e.g. for unemployed young people, for young mothers with their babies and for young workers 
in employment, as well as for youngsters of school age. 

Inga’s main task was to support the residents of the centre in their daily routines, helping 
when  needed  with  personal  matters  and  generally  acting  as  a  coach  in  chores  such  as 
cooking,  shopping  and  doing  the  housework.  She  also  helped  the  school-aged  youngsters 
with  their  homework.  She  accompanied  a  number  of  outings  organised  for  the  residents, 
such as ski trips and camping as well as visits to cultural events. In her free time, she made 
a ﬁlm about the life of the centre and interviewed the young people about their views on 
Europe.  The  ﬁlm  project,  which  also  involved  disadvantaged  residents  of  the  Home,  was 
shown later in diﬀerent places in Liechtenstein and at an event during European Youth Week 
to an audience of 800 young people.

The views expressed in the ﬁlm and the reactions of the people who saw it gave Inga a new 
more critical perspective on Europe seen through the eyes of disadvantaged young people. 
Making  the  ﬁlm  was  also  a  preliminary  to  her  decision  to  follow  a  ﬁlm  studies  course  in 
London. Working at the centre gave her very valuable experience in conﬂict resolution and 
conﬂict prevention and introduced her to social work. She improved her language skills both 
in German and in English.

Her contribution to the life of the centre was valuable. The young people, many of whom 
were from severely disadvantaged families or facing major diﬃculties at school, gained self-
respect through their contacts with Inga and the artistic and cultural activities she arranged, 
particularly the making of the ﬁlm.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 43  

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

“The  volunteers  learned  to  show  sensitivity  and  tolerance 
toward  the  cultural  diﬀerences  and  modes  of  operation.” 
(Aile Eğitim Derneği)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 
Turkey

Hosting organisation: 
Aile Eğitim Derneği
www.aileegitimdernegi.org

Sending organisations: 
AFS Interkultur www.afs.dk
Logo Jugendmanagement GmbH www.logo.at
European Youth For(est) Action www.eyfa.org
Jugendwerk der AWO Württemberg e.V. 
www.jugendwerk24.de
Volunteer Action for Peace www.vap.org.uk

Activity dates: 
15/10/2009 – 15/04/2010 
(six months)

DENMARK: James, 27 years / Elisabeth, 19 years

AUSTRIA: Angelika, 23 years

THE NETHERLANDS: Leilani, 23 years

GERMANY: Christina, 19 years

UNITED KINGDOM: Samuel, 19 years

TURKEY

44 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

HELPING THE NEEDY IN ISTANBUL, 
TURKEY

Six volunteers spent six months (2009/10) helping with the work of the Aile Eğitim Derneği 
(AED)  in  Istanbul,  Turkey.  They  came  from  ﬁve  diﬀerent  countries,  James  (27  years)  and 
Elisabeth (19 years), both from Denmark, Angelika (23 years) from Austria, Leilani (23 years) 
from the Netherlands, Christina (19 years) from Germany and Samuel (19 years) from the UK. 

Aile Eğitim Derneği (AED) is an educational organisation established in Turkey in 2006 with 
the aim of helping anyone in need, regardless of background, colour, or creed. Supported by 
volunteers,  it  runs  a  number  of  programmes,  distributing  relief  to  the  poor,  improving  the 
lives of patients in hospital, providing education programmes for refugees. There is a special 
emphasis on helping young people to grow up as responsible active citizens. 

The volunteers shared their time across activities of several programmes: they had hands-on 
experience in the “Empowerment through Education” programme, by teaching English to Iraqi 
refugee children; the “Colouring their World” programme, by painting colourful, child-friendly 
wall murals in hospital children’s wards; the “Building Bridges” programme, by giving musical 
performances for underprivileged children so as to build bridges between cultures and the 
“Caring for the Elderly” programme, by organising physical activities to improve their health. 
They also contributed to institutions needing additional support, by seeking sponsorship and 
distributing goods and services. 

Although the outcome for each volunteer was diﬀerent depending on their own personality 
and the activities they covered, they all received training in ﬁelds in which they had no previous 
experience.  They  gained  in  self-conﬁdence  and  their  communication  skills  were  greatly 
improved by having to interact with people from a wide range of diﬀerent backgrounds. They 
learned Turkish, some of them at the end being able to speak it ﬂuently, and improved their 
knowledge  of  English.  Other  gains  included  improved  mathematical  skills  from  having  to 
keep careful accounts of expenditure and draw up budgets, computer literacy and the all-
important skill of learning to learn. 

The host organisation was very satisﬁed with the contribution made by the volunteers and 
has laid plans to expand and improve opportunities for future volunteers. All six of the young 
volunteers have remained in regular contact with AED and some are continuing to work with 
it on various projects. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 45  

 
INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“European Voluntary Service was my best year so far, I learned 
more than I have ever learned before in just one year. I would  
deﬁnitely recommend European Voluntary Service to anybody  
who  is  open-minded  and  wants  to  gain  new  experience!” 
(Clara, 20)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 
The French-speaking community of Belgium 

Hosting organisation: 
Jozef Swinnen asbl 
www.swinnen-asbl.be

Sending organisation: 
AKBV e.V.   
www.akbv.de 

Activity dates: 
10/09/2009 – 10/09/2010 
(12 months)

GERMANY: Clara, 20 years

BELGIUM

46 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

 
 
INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

HELPING IN A MULTICULTURAL 
NEIGHBOURHOOD IN  
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Clara (20 years), from Germany, spent a year as a volunteer at the Jozef Swinnen community 
centre in Brussels, Belgium in 2009/10. The centre is located in a fairly run-down neighbour-
hood to the north of the city with a large immigrant population.

The role of the Jozef Swinnen community centre is to assist recently arrived immigrants to 
settle into their new environment. The neighbourhood is mainly working class and immigrants 
have taken up residence from Turkey and Morocco and countries in Eastern Europe and Africa. 
A number of them have large families with a high proportion of children under 12 and some 
of  the  parents  are  poorly  educated  and  unemployed.  Their  living  accommodation  is  o(cid:3)en 
inadequate, without a telephone, in over-crowded tenement buildings. Services oﬀered by the 
centre include a medical centre with four doctors and a community health worker; a women’s 
group helping with French language lessons, sewing and cooking classes and other cultural 
activities for women in the neighbourhood; a children’s group, with ﬁve youth leaders sup-
porting children at school from three to 12 years, running workshops and organising leisure 
pursuits and, ﬁnally, a nursery for children under three.

Clara was introduced to all aspects of work at the centre and was free to choose where she 
would like to focus her attentions. She opted to work with the children’s group and the nursery. 
Her tasks involved helping children with their school work and running various creative work-
shops. She also took children on excursions, helped to run a summer camp and coordinated a 
group of nursery age children at the Zinneke Parade, an intercultural event which takes place 
every two years in Brussels.

She applied herself very seriously to her work. Her activities in the centre gave Clara the op-
portunity to learn more about group management and animation, about conﬂict resolution 
and about the administrative procedures to be followed in running an organisation. Her work 
with children taught her a great deal about the problems they face and how to cope with 
them. The experience helped her to develop self-conﬁdence and a sense of autonomy. She 
also made progress in the French language. Her European Voluntary Service motivated her 
to study psychology.

Her  hosts  were  particularly  pleased  with  the  way  in  which  she  integrated  into  an  existing 
team and welcomed the diﬀerent cultural perspective she brought to their work as well as 
her own particular way of solving people’s problems. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 47  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“For vulnerable young people it is not easy to get in touch 
with  people  from  another  country.  They  must  overcome 
many barriers including their own feeling of inadequacy. But  
having  similar  problems  the  young  volunteers  connected 
with each other.” (Arbeidscentrum de Wroeter)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 
The Flemish-speaking community of Belgium 

Hosting organisation: 
Arbeidscentrum De Wroeter vzw
www.dewroeter.be

Sending organisation: 
Cooperativa Sociale Grado 16-oﬃcine 
dell’autopromozione
www.grado16.org

Activity dates: 
01/07/2008 – 31/01/2009 
(seven months)

ITALY: Alessandro, 24 years

BELGIUM

48 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

HELPING THE YOUNG 
UNEMPLOYED TO INTEGRATE 
IN KORTESSEM, BELGIUM

Alessandro (24 years) lives in a community centre in Italy for young people who have social 
problems which prevent them from easily ﬁnding regular employment. Through arrangements 
made by this centre, run by Cooperativa Sociale Grado 16, he was able to ﬁnd an organisa-
tion in Belgium where he spent seven months (2008/09) working as a volunteer on a farm. 

His  host  was  Arbeidscentrum  de  Wroeter,  an  organisation  in  Belgium,  which  provides  em-
ployment in a sheltered environment for the long term unemployed on its organic farm in 
Kortessem, Flanders. The organisation’s mission is to create conditions of work suitable for 
vulnerable young people and to help with their social integration. Grado 16 is a similar or-
ganisation in Italy, run by the social services, and the two organisations worked closely to-
gether to ensure that arrangements were suitable for Alessandro. He was accommodated for 
his seven month’s stay in the home of a mentor, which, in view of the social problems of the 
young man, was a mark of de Wroeter’s commitment to help young people in his situation. 

Alessandro enjoyed working on the farm with other young people from similar backgrounds 
with  whom  he  could  connect.  They  all  shared  a  love  of  growing  organic  fruit,  vegetables 
and herbs and this shared interest helped them to integrate as a group. During the summer 
months they sold their produce at the local market and in winter they carried out other tasks 
such as collecting wood and sorting fruit to be sold to the public. 

The experience had a major impact on Alessandro and on his self-conﬁdence and communi-
cation skills. Working with young people from other countries he was also able to appreciate 
what it was to be a European. 

The hosting and sending organisations in Flanders and Italy accepted the challenge of send-
ing a vulnerable young person to work as a volunteer; their optimism proved well-founded 
and it opens the way for other disadvantaged young people.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 49  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“The volunteers have a diﬀerent culture and diﬀerent ways 
to work. This is a good opportunity for the residents of the 
home and also for the staﬀ to learn new things and to feel 
Europe.” (Königin Fabiola Haus)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 
The German-speaking community of Belgium 

Hosting organisation: 
Behindertenstätten G.o.E. Königin 
Fabiola Haus 

Sending organisation: 
aha, Tipps und Infos für junge Leute 
www.aha.or.at
Social Action http://savanoriai.org/

Activity dates: 
01/09/2007 – 01/09/2008
(12 months)

AUSTRIA: Barbara, 22 years

LITHUANIA: Jurgita, 24 years

BELGIUM

50 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

 
INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

ENRICHING THE LIVES  
OF THE DISABLED IN EUPEN, 
BELGIUM

Barbara (22 years) from Austria and Jurgita (24 years) from Lithuania spent a year (2007/08) 
helping to enrich the lives of physically and mentally disabled young people in Eupen, capital 
city of the German-speaking community of Belgium. 

They spent their year at the Königin Fabiola Haus (Queen Fabiola House) in Eupen, situated in 
a rural area near the borders with Germany and the Netherlands. The House was set up some 
10 years ago to provide residential care for the disabled and to improve the quality of their 
lives. Each year young volunteers are invited from around the world to share the daily life of 
the residents, assisting them to achieve autonomy in a number of tasks. 

Barbara and Jurgita brought to the House a sense of the outside world, new ways of thinking 
and doing things. Going on walks and bike rides, shopping in the local community, going to the 
swimming pool or just having dinner together helped to establish new relationships between 
the residents. A(cid:3)er a period of introduction under the helpful eye of a mentor, the volunteers 
were free to develop their own ideas for workshops.

During their stay the volunteers learned how to make decisions for themselves as well as to 
work in a team with the regular staﬀ. They developed an acute awareness of cultural diﬀer-
ence and the needs of the disabled. They got to know people in the neighbourhood of the 
House and an account of their work featured in a local newspaper.

The  tasks  carried  out  by  the  volunteers  were  complementary  to  the  work  of  regular  
staﬀ  members,  adding  value  to  the  lives  and  intercultural  awareness  of  the  disabled  
residents as well as beneﬁting the staﬀ with their new ideas and fresh perspectives. In fact 
the whole community gained from the stimulation provided by the presence of the two 
young European volunteers.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 51  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“Jamie’s  biggest  achievement  was  to  have  recognised  in 
herself the inner strength to overcome her own diﬃculties 
and to help others with theirs.” (Adult Education Centre)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Ireland

Hosting organisation: 
Adult Education Centre of Cesis 
www.cesis.lv 

Sending organisation: 
Peter Mc Verry Trust 
www.itineraire-international.org

Activity dates: 
01/04/2009 – 01/10/2009 
(six months)

IRELAND: Jamie, 21 years

LATVIA

52 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

TEACHING THE DISADVANTAGED  
IN CESIS, LATVIA

Jamie (21 years), who had grown up in care in her native Ireland, spent six months in 2009 as a 
volunteer working in a community for the disadvantaged in Latvia.

The hosting organisation was the Adult Education Centre in Cesis, Latvia, established and funded 
by the local municipality. Its mission is to organise lifelong learning programmes for adults be-
tween the ages of 16 and 60 in the town of Cesis and surrounding area. Since 2005, the Centre 
has  developed  a  non-formal  education  approach,  involving  local  young  people  in  all  kind  of 
projects. Its focus is on social inclusion and there are workshops and activities for young parents, 
young people with disabilities and school drop-outs. Volunteers help with this work, bringing an 
intercultural learning opportunity to the young people at the Centre.

The sending organisation, the Peter McVerry Trust, in Ireland, provides a number of services to 
meet the needs of young homeless people, including temporary supported accommodation and 
residential drug-free a(cid:3)er-care for recovering drug users. The services are available to those who 
need help in breaking the cycle of homelessness, and to help their move towards independent 
living. The Trust has used European Voluntary Service to great eﬀect with this target group o(cid:3)en 
involving young homeless people in short term projects. 

During her European Voluntary Service Jamie assisted the youth worker in planning and organ-
ising diﬀerent activities and workshops for young people from a socially disadvantaged back-
ground.  She  worked  in  particular  with  three  groups  —  young  mothers,  a  teenage  group  and 
young people following treatment for drug addiction. She taught English and organised other 
group activities such as classes in photography and dance workshops. Twice a month she went 
with other volunteers to work in a rehabilitation centre for about 30 young people aged between 
10 and 18 trying to get rid of diﬀerent addictions. She also prepared promotional materials for 
projects carried out by the Centre.

The project was a challenge for Jamie but she overcame her fears and made a valuable contri-
bution to the work of the Centre. Teaching English, her mother tongue, helped her to gain conﬁ-
dence to take on other activities. She learned some Latvian and became familiar with various IT 
applications and used Skype for the ﬁrst time. 

Young people at the Centre beneﬁted from her presence. She was a very successful communica-
tor and her sunny disposition and willingness to speak Latvian made it easy for her to build up a 
relationship with young people. It helped the young Latvians overcome the barriers to speaking 
English and they became increasingly interested in learning about the world outside Latvia.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 53  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“Jairo has more consciousness now of what it means to be 
European and Spanish, as well as belonging to the community 
of young people with disabilities.” (Senator Neumann Heim)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Spain

Hosting organisation: 
Behindertenhilfe Hamburg, 
Senator-Neumann-Heim 
www.bhh-sozialkontor.de 

Sending organisation: 
Asociación Cultural en Construcción 
www.avilesenconstruccion.org

Activity dates: 
18/03/2010 – 18/04/2010 
(one month)

SPAIN: Jairo, 30 years

GERMANY

54 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

 
INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

DISABLED PEOPLE’S 
CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY 
IN HAMBURG, GERMANY

In spite of his cerebral palsy, Jairo (30 years) travelled to Germany from his centre for the 
disabled in Spain and spent a month as a volunteer at the Senator Neumann Heim (home 
for the disabled) in Hamburg in 2010. He was assisted by Santiago Gallego, also from Spain, 
who had been a long term volunteer at the Home. 

The hosting organisation, the BHH Sozialkontor GmbH, has funded the Senator Neumann 
Heim in Hamburg since 1960. It provides day centre activities and residential accommo-
dation  for  young  people  with  disabilities  to  help  them  face  the  everyday  challenges  of  
their disability. 

Jairo  wanted  to  learn  from  the  German  way  of  coping  with  disabilities  so  that  he  could 
spread the word back in Spain. For this purpose he made a video documentary during his 
stay, recording the daily life of the Home and the techniques used by the staﬀ. He interviewed 
people  with  disabilities  on  diﬀerent  topics,  such  as  physical  barriers,  relationships,  leisure 
time and integration in society. In support of the Home’s education programme he spent a 
lot of his time reading books to a blind Spanish resident. He also organised cultural events 
with other volunteers.

The experience of volunteering and living in the Home profoundly change Jairo’s view of his 
own disability. He also discovered a new sense of autonomy a(cid:3)er spending so many years 
being  the  over-protected  centre  of  attraction.  For  the  ﬁrst  time  in  his  life  he  took  part  in 
housework and cooking meals. Meeting people from around the world made him conscious 
of his Spanish and European identity. 

His work with other disabled people at the Home taught him that he was also capable of 
helping others and of making a contribution to society. His documentary allowed him and 
the other disabled residents to express their views. At the end of his stay he was ﬁrmly com-
mitted to the idea of volunteering and has used his video and an article in the local press 
to  convince  other  young  people  with  disabilities  to  take  up  the  opportunity  of  European 
Voluntary Service. 

Disabled  residents  at  the  Home  appreciated  very  much  being  able  to  take  part  in  Jairo’s 
video documentary and to express their feelings about disability. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 55  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“I discovered that music and dance can lead to a quite diﬀerent 
quality of communication and understanding between people 
— communication between two diﬀerent cultures and between 
the sighted and the sightless.” (Judith,21)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Cyprus

Hosting organisation: 
Pancyprian Organization of the Blind 
www.pot.org.cy 

Sending organisation: 
LeISA GmbH 
www.leisa-leipzig.de

Activity dates: 
11/01/2009 – 30/09/2009 
(nine months)

GERMANY: Judith, 21 years

CYPRUS

56 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

 
INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

CARING FOR THE BLIND 
IN NICOSIA, CYPRUS

Judith (21 years), a student of ethnology in the university of Leipzig in Germany, spent nine 
months in 2009 as a volunteer in Nicosia, Cyprus, working in the Pancyprian Organisation of 
the Blind. 

The Pancyprian Organisation was set up in 1980 to care for the needs and rights of blind 
people in Cyprus; it runs the only school for the blind on the island. Its mission is to assist blind 
people in their daily lives, besides providing for the community a library of recorded books and 
other specially adapted materials.

Judith’s became very much part of the life of the school helping the blind to face the chal-
lenges of everyday living. She enjoyed recording books and magazines in Braille and produc-
ing leaﬂets and publishing an international newsletter. She also helped to organise sporting 
events and other leisure activities and gave crucial assistance in locating diﬀerent funding 
programmes  for  the  blind  who  were  unable  to  do  this  for  themselves.  During  her  time  at 
the school she and her friends made a short ﬁlm documenting the life of blind and visually-
impaired people in Cyprus to show how their dreams are no diﬀerent to the dreams of people 
who can see.

With the help of her mentor, who also taught her Greek, the experience at the school rep-
resented for Judith a steep learning curve. She acquired negotiating skills in a very diﬀerent 
cultural setting to the one she was used to and a deep awareness of the needs and predica-
ment of the blind. She also became quite expert in the use of IT, particularly when applied 
to the methods and techniques developed for the blind community. The experience in Cyprus 
was clearly life changing for Judith in terms of her studies and future career. It showed her 
the path she wanted to follow in the future. 

Judith enriched the life of the visually impaired people through her hardworking and caring 
contribution and helped them to broaden their experience of Europe.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 57  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“You do not learn if you do not even try. It is important to be 
open for any challenge. I had the opportunity to test myself, 
do things that I have never done before in my life because  
I was afraid.” (Stephano, 30)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Latvia

Hosting organisation: 
Adult Education Centre of Cesis 
www.cesis.lv 

Sending organisations: 
Sezione Laziale della UILDM (Unione 
Italiana Lotta alla Distroﬁa Muscolare) 
www.uildmlazio.org
ONLUS www.quantoseiutile.org 
Peter Mc Verry Trust 
www.itineraire-international.org
Ushanga ry. www.ushanga.ﬁ

Activity dates: 
26/06/2009 – 21/07/2009 
(four weeks)

IRELAND: Andrea, 20 years / Megan, 18 yers / 
Sam, 19 years

ESTONIA: Kadri, 17 years / Liina, 17 years 

FINLAND: Hanna, 21years / Miika, 22 years 

ITALY: Stefano, 30 years

LATVIA

58 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

 
 
 
 
INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

CHALLENGING YOUNG 
PEOPLE IN CESIS, LATVIA

Andrea (20 years) from Ireland spent four weeks as a volunteer in Latvia (2009). She joined with 
seven other volunteers, Hanna (21 years) and Miika (22 years) from Finland, Stefano (30 years) 
from  Italy,  Kadri  (17  years)  and  Liina  (17  years)  from  Estonia  and  Megan  (18  years)  and  Sam 
(19 years) from Ireland. All the volunteers were disadvantaged facing social and economic obsta-
cles as well as having learning diﬃculties, behavioural problems, including substance abuse, and  
in one case suﬀering from a serious physical disability.

The host organisation, the Cesu Pieauguso Izglitibas Centrs, in Cesis (Latvia) is a government organi-
sation that provides non-formal lifelong learning opportunities for anyone between the ages of 16 
and 60. One of its priorities is to support young people who have experienced diﬃculties in integrating 
into adult and working life. The centre in Cesis is a member of the “To get there” network of organisa-
tions working in this ﬁeld in diﬀerent countries and which use volunteering as a tool to achieve social 
inclusion. This European-wide network provides a stable framework within which vulnerable young 
people can take part in volunteering in another country.

Andrea and the other volunteers took part in a project aimed at changing their attitudes towards the 
world of work and society in general by involving the young people in a variety of diﬀerent activities, 
including physical work. They helped to clear and maintain nature trails, worked on an organic farm 
where they lived under canvas and witnessed how Latvians lived 100 years ago. They helped the 
farmer cut grass, rake hay, pick berries and make jam. For some this was their ﬁrst glimpse of rural 
life. In their leisure time, so as to learn about Latvian culture, its history and traditions, they visited 
museums and a heritage site where they baked their own rye bread. Returning to Cesis they prepared 
and enacted a street animation on environmental topics which was the ﬁrst time that such a perform-
ance took place in this town. There was an overwhelming response from the local people. 

The experience taught the volunteers a great deal, personally, practically and creatively. From a per-
sonal point of view there were improvements in their self-conﬁdence, self-control, interpersonal com-
munication and problem-solving skills. Most importantly, however, the change of attitude they de-
scribe in their own reports was remarkable, from one which reﬂected a problematic past to one which 
looked far more positively at life and its opportunities. On the practical side they learned how to bake 
bread and make jam and they also learned about environmental issues and the animal world. The 
street animation showed them they were capable of creating an activity appreciated by the general 
public. Throughout their volunteering the role of mentors from their hosting organisation was crucial.

There was general approval of the work of the volunteers and the director of the nature trails wishes 
to continue inviting volunteers in the future. The hosting organisation intends to use this project as a 
resource in developing other European Voluntary Service projects for disadvantaged young people. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 59  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“One  year  on  the  European  Voluntary  Service  programme 
was a University of Life for me, a practical university that I 
continue now. I learned so many things, I built new life values. 
I  understood  what  I  want  from  life,  how  I  want  to  live  and 
spend my time. I learned how to be strong and conﬁdent. How 
to follow my goals!” (Jevgeniia, 22)

GERMANY: Isa Dorothea, 19 years

FINLAND: Patricia, 19 years / Inger, 22 years

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 
Lithuania
Hosting organisation: 
The Centre for Voluntary Youth Activities “Deineta” 
www.deineta.lt
Sending organisations: 
NGO “Union Forum” www.union-forum.org
Maailmanvaihto ry, ICYE Finland  
www.maailmanvaihto.ﬁ
League of Youth Voluntary Service www.lyvs.bn.by
JTM 35 Association Jeunes à travers le Monde  
www.international-jtm.com
AFSAI www.afsai.it
IFAP, Institut für Angewandte Pädagogik e.V. 
www.ifap-apolda.de
AFAIJ www.afaij.org
ADVIT/ ICYE Moldova www.icye.org
The League of Young Voluntary Georgians LYVG
Youth oﬃce in Nykarleby www.nykarleby.ﬁ
HUJ, Voluntary Service of Armenia www.huj.am
Activity dates:
15/09/2008 – 15/09/2009 
(12 months)

FRANCE: Pierre, 21 years

ITALY: Annunziata, 28 years

SPAIN: Pablo, 26 years

ARMENIA: Anna, 22 years

BELARUS: Diana, 23 years

GEORGIA: Ninu, 25 years

MOLDOVA: Julia, 27 years / Tatiana, 24 years

UKRAINE: Jevgeniia, 22 years

LITHUANIA

60 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

THE UNIVERSITY OF LIFE 
IN KAUNAS, LITHUANIA

Pablo (26 years) from Spain joined 11 other young people to spend a year (2008/09) work-
ing as a volunteer in Lithuania. The other young people were: Isa Dorothea (19 years) from 
Germany, Pierre (21 years) from France, Annunziata (28 years) from Italy, Patricia (19 years) 
and Inger (22 years) both from Finland, Jevgeniia (22 years) from Ukraine, Diana (23 years) 
from Belarus, Tatiana (24 years) and Julia (24 years) from Moldova, Anna (22 years) from 
Armenia and Ninu (25 years) from Georgia.

The Centre for Voluntary Youth Activities “Deineta” was established in Kaunas, Lithuania in 
1988 to promote and organise schemes for youth volunteering. With a small staﬀ of four it 
manages to run a wide range of European Voluntary Service projects in Lithuania and else-
where, as well as short term summer camps.

Pablo and the other volunteers worked in diﬀerent care centres in Kaunus and Jonava catering 
for refugees, children and young people with physical and mental disabilities, children from 
disadvantaged families and old people. They also worked on conservation in the Kurtuvėnai 
Regional Park which has its own natural ecosystem and whose recreational facilities are in 
constant need of maintenance and protection. In their leisure time they organised a number 
of  social  events  which  included  decorating  a  Christmas  tree  in  the  pedestrian  precinct  in 
Kaunas, an international football match and a week long bike tour. They used all the events 
to involve local people and to promote volunteering.

At the end of their stay all the volunteers felt the experience had helped personal growth. 
They  had  become  more  conﬁdent  and  welcomed  the  practical  experience  of  working  with 
refugees and people in care. It was real life as opposed to the rather abstract world of their 
university studies. They had learned a lot about social work in Lithuania and through their fre-
quent contact with the local population they had learned some of the local language. Living 
and working with an international group fostered a respect for diﬀerence and strengthened 
their European awareness. His experience in Lithuania helped Pablo to ﬁnd employment in a 
care home in Spain following his European Voluntary Service.

The working methods of their hosts were enriched by the injection of diﬀerent cultural ap-
proaches applied by the volunteers and their close involvement with the local communities 
brought a real sense of Europe to the people of Kaunas and the surrounding area. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 61  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“It is a challenge to adapt to a new culture, a new way of life 
and it is a challenge to be the same you in a very diﬀerent 
context, but the greatest challenges also carry the greatest 
rewards!” (Maria, 29)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Poland

Hosting organisation: 
Towarzystwo Opieki nad Niepełnosprawnymi  
w Ustroniu 
www.niepelnosprawniustron.pl 

Sending organisation: 
Youth Initiative Center 
www.yic.info.am

Activity dates: 
01/09/2009 – 31/08/2010 
(12 months)

ARMENIA: Maria, 29 years

POLAND

62 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

 
INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

MAKING LIFE HAPPIER FOR 
THE DISABLED IN USTROŃ, 
POLAND

Maria (29 years) is from Armenia and had previously visited the centre for disabled children 
and young people in Poland before she started her year-long service there as a volunteer in 
2009/10. Her sending organisation in Armenia was the Youth Initiative Centre.

The Education and Rehabilitation Centre is located in Ustroń, a health resort town in Silesia, 
southern Poland. The Centre is run by the Polish Association for the Care of Disabled People 
and  provides  support  and  education  for  38  disabled  children,  young  people  and  adults.  It 
serves the needs of a wide range of disabilities and is very well-equipped for various activi-
ties, including swimming, horse-riding and running workshops for music, theatre and painting. 

Following a Polish language course and familiarisation with her new surroundings, Maria lost 
no time in becoming fully involved in the life of the Centre. Her previous experience working 
with disabled children in Armenia was invaluable and her sunny, energetic disposition made 
her popular with the whole community. She assisted staﬀ in regular daily routines and helped 
prepare computer exercises and art, music and hydro-therapy classes.

Through her work at Ustroń, Maria was able to gain useful experience in the ﬁeld of disability 
and  to  develop  new  working  methods  with  the  support  of  specialists.  She  learned  ﬂuent 
Polish and was o(cid:3)en invited to the homes of staﬀ members where she learned more about 
Polish traditions and was proud to talk about her own country. She greatly improved her com-
municative skills and sense of her own identity.

The Centre and its residents greatly beneﬁted from having such a likeable and enthusiastic 
volunteer. They were also able to beneﬁt from the examples of diﬀerent ways of doing things 
that Maria had used in her previous experience working with the disabled in Armenia.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 63  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“When you are stranger in a strange country, but you never 
felt  alone,  when  you  are  out  of  money  but  you  have  never 
felt  poor,  when  you  cannot  explain  what  you  feel,  but  this 
emotion  makes  you  so  happy  and  peaceful,  then  you  start 
evolving… That is how I experienced my European Voluntary 
Service.” (Timotheos, 30)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Slovenia

Hosting organisation: 
Zavod za usposabljanje Janeza Levca 
www.zujl.si 

Sending organisations: 
TANDEM
SOS Kinderdorf, 
SOS Social Centre “Herman Gmeiner” 
www.sos-ds.ba

Activity dates: 
01/02/2010 – 15/07/2010 
(ca. six months)

GREECE: Timotheos, 30 years

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: Aldin, 25 years

SLOVENIA

64 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

LEARNING THROUGH PLAY 
IN LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA

Timotheos (30 years) from Greece and Aldin (25 years) from Herzegovina spent almost 
six months in 2010 working as volunteers in the Janez Levec Special Education Centre in 
Ljubljana. Timotheos had tried various jobs since completing his studies and had set up his 
own so(cid:3)ware business before leaving for Slovenia. 

The Janez Levec Special Eduction Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia, cares for children and young 
people with mental disabilities or who have learning or behavioural problems and for these 
reasons are o(cid:3)en excluded from society. Inviting young volunteers from other countries was 
a successful way of giving the young people in their care the opportunity to learn about  
diﬀerent cultures. They could also take part in discussions about democratic values and  
human rights. 

Timotheos and Aldin took part in the daily time-table of classes and assisted the staﬀ with 
the organisation of leisure time activities for the residents of the centre, such as a football 
tournament,  an  art  competition  and  a  festival.  They  used  learning  through  play  methods 
adapted for the special needs of the young people. The games were developed as a peda-
gogical tool to combat xenophobia e.g. during the festival Play with me which gave the young 
people in the care the opportunity to mix freely with children and young people of the same 
age from the local community. 

Taking part in the life of the centre gave the young volunteers an insight into the rights and 
educational needs of children and young people in their care. They also learned a lot about 
the pedagogical approach developed for special needs children which would be of value to 
them for their future career prospects. Their technical skills also improved by making the ﬁlm 
and producing an exhibition of photographs at the end of their stay. 

The presence of the two volunteers had a positive impact on the residents of the centre, both 
students and staﬀ. They appreciated the contribution the volunteers made to broaden their 
outlook and European awareness. Timotheos became so interested in special education that 
he has remained in Slovenia to continue volunteering his help to the centre; he also took part 
in last year’s festival Play with me.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 65  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“Finland gave me a wonderful chance to progress not only as 
a professional, but also as an individual.” (Zrinko, 24)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Finland

Hosting organisations: 
Myllylähde-yhteisö 
Lyhty ry www.lyhty.net
Ruskeasuon koulu www.ruskis.ﬁ

Sending organisations: 
HELP www.helponline.hr
Egyesek I(cid:3)úsági Egyesület www.egyesek.hu
Akdeniz University European Aﬀairs Oﬃce 
www.akdeniz.edu.tr/int
CVJM Schlesische Oberlausitz e.V.   
www.cvjm-schlesien.de

Activity dates: 
06/08/2008 – 05/08/2009 
(12 months)

CROATIA: Zrinko, 24 years 

GERMANY: Bianca, 23 years

HUNGARY: Zsuzsa, 18 years

TURKEY: Firat, 24 years

FINLAND

66 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

WORKING WITH THE  
DISABLED IN LYHTY, FINLAND

Already a volunteer with “Help” in his home town of Split in Croatia, Zrinko (24 years) was 
fascinated by Finnish hard rock music and decided to take a university course in Finnish. 
Before long he was volunteering to work in a centre in Lyhty, Finland, caring for the disa-
bled.  He  spent  a  year  there  (2008/09)  working  alongside  other  volunteers  from  around  
Europe: Zsuzsa (18 years) from Hungary, Bianca (23 years) from Germany and Firat (24 years)  
from Turkey.

The centre in Lyhty provides work experience for the disabled in a creative learning environ-
ment. It regularly hosts volunteers to give them the chance of sharing their lives with disabled 
children and young people and of learning about disability and the innovative methods used 
in care for the disabled in Finland. 

Zrinko’s interest in music and ability to play the guitar created strong bonds with the disabled 
young people and during their leisure time he helped to stage a full-scale concert, called the 
“Freak Circus”, that played for ﬁve nights to full houses in the city centre of Helsinki. He also 
helped out in the workshops, guiding the disabled through various tasks such as woodwork-
ing, laying concrete, gardening and using a snow plough. 

Volunteering in Finland heralded a new life for Zrinko and conﬁrmed in him his fascination 
for its culture and its people. His interest in social work and an outgoing personalty helped 
to integrate him in the community. He decided to stay on in Finland a(cid:3)er volunteering and to 
follow a course in nursing at the University of Laurea. He also continues his social work as an 
employee at the centre at Lyhty where he was a volunteer.

The host organisation and the young disabled in its care beneﬁted in many ways from the 
presence of their young Croatian volunteer. Not only did he bring them an awareness of a 
country at the other end of Europe but his love of their music and his own musical ability 
created a congenial learning environment.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 67  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“My European Voluntary Service was a pefect gi(cid:7) for me. It 
changed my life. Working with the disabled I learned many 
things  about  life  and  I  learned  about  me.  It  gave  me  self-
conﬁdence and the courage to do new things. I now want to 
ﬁnd work with the disabled in Turkey.” (Neslin, 23)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Sweden

Hosting organisation: 
Sundsvalls Kommun/Kultur&Fritid/
Ungdomsavd./FFA
www.ﬀasundsvall.se

Sending organisation: 
Tüm Renkler Eski Avrupa Gönüllü Hizmeti 
Gönüllülerinin Gençlik Derneği
www.trexevs.com

Activity dates: 
01/09/2009 – 31/08/2010 
(12 months)

TURKEY: Neslin, 23 years

SWEDEN

68 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

CHEERING UP THE LIVES  
OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN 
SUNDSVAL, SWEDEN 

Neslin (23 years), a graduate of Uludağ University in her native Turkey, spent a year (2009/10) 
as a volunteer with disabled young people in Sweden. 

The  hosting  organisation  was  the  Youth  Department  of  the  Municipality  of  Sundsval  in 
Sweden, which is responsible for the development of youth activities at the various rec-
reational and club houses and rehearsal rooms in the town. It encourages young people’s 
own initiative in running activities and oﬀers them facilities provided by the town. One of 
its responsibilities is the youth club where recreational activities are organised for young 
people with disabilities.

Neslin’s job at the youth club became easier, once she had progressed in her Swedish and 
English. When she arrived in Sundsval she had competence in neither language and this was 
her ﬁrst visit abroad. She worked with young people at the youth club who were both disabled 
and able-bodied. She also organised a(cid:3)er-school activities for mentally disabled teenagers 
and  simple  arts  and  cra(cid:3)s  for  children.  She  was  involved  with  other  members  of  staﬀ  in 
outdoor activities, such as camping and sporting competitions, including a hockey match with 
the disabled group to which local people were invited. Her own special project was to run a 
monthly disco for young people at the youth club. 

Her year in Sundsval has le(cid:3) a deep impression on Neslin and she le(cid:3) the town fully intend-
ing to ﬁnd work with the disabled on her return to Turkey. She discovered a part of Europe 
unknown to her before and worked with people who had a very diﬀerent way of life from hers. 
She also gained in self-conﬁdence and learned to take decisions. Finally, her communicative 
skills clearly beneﬁted from the intensive language course, which she attended in her ﬁrst 
months in Sundsval.

The Youth Department’s policy in employing the services of volunteers from other countries 
is to give young people in Sundsval a greater awareness and acceptance of other cultures. 
Neslin brought her new perspectives to the young people in her care and her diﬀerent work 
style broadened the experience of her colleagues.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 69  

 
INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“I can really recommend the European Voluntary Service to 
everybody! It is the perfect opportunity to deal with yourself 
as a person, to get to know what is important for you and 
what values you have in your life.” (Lena, 29)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in:

Norway

Hosting organisation: 
Peder Morset folkehøgskole 
www.pedermorset.no 

Sending organisations: 
Jugendhilfe und Sozialarbeit e.V. www.jusev.de
Experiment e.V. www.experiment-ev.de
Code-X International www.code-international.nl
Fundación EDE www.fundacionede.org
Verein 4YOUgend www.4yougend.at

Activity dates: 
01/09/2008 – 31/08/2009 
(12 months)

GERMANY: Marcel, 22 years / Lydia, 19 years

THE NETHERLANDS: Carolien, 25 years

SPAIN: Joseba, 24 years

AUSTRIA: Lena, 29 years

NORWAY

70 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

HELPING THE INTEGRATION 
OF DISABLED STUDENTS IN 
SELBUSTRAND, NORWAY 

Carolien (25 years) from the Netherlands spent a year (2008/09) as a volunteer in Norway 
with four other young people: Marcel (22 years) and Lydia (19 years) from Germany, Joseba 
(24 years) from Spain and Lena (29 years) from Austria. 

Their host in Norway was the Peder Morset Folkehøgskole in Selbustrand, a boarding school 
for over 18 year olds, most of whom have some form of mental disability. The policy of the 
school is based on the principle of integration, where disabled students live and learn along-
side other students in integrated groups. The students who are not disabled beneﬁt from the 
integrated classes and from the many activities the school organises, such as art and handi-
cra(cid:3), theatre events and outdoor activities e.g. horse riding and skiing. The school is a pioneer 
in this approach to integration which it hopes will become more wide-spread.

The  volunteers  were  given  a  large  measure  of  responsibility,  initially  assisting  teachers  in 
class but then, with more experience, taking the classes themselves. They also played a ma-
jor part in organising art and handicra(cid:3) and outdoor activities. They were given a free hand 
to develop their own projects.

The trust the school put in the volunteers encouraged their commitment to the students and 
had  a  very  positive  impact  on  their  self-esteem  and  decision-making  skills.  They  learned 
teaching techniques and took part in the debates about the integration of the disabled in 
society for which the school is such a notable exponent. They also learned Norwegian and 
improved their communication skills in English. The experience helped them to grow person-
ally  and  to  become  more  open-minded  about  cultural  diﬀerence.  It  also  greatly  improved 
their job prospects. 

The school recognised the value of receiving volunteers from other countries in Europe. Their 
approach to working with the disabled students was more natural than is usually possible 
in the normal teacher-student relationship. They widened the horizons of the students and 
staﬀ with their diﬀerent interpretations of disability and ways of thinking. They also had a 
multiplier eﬀect in helping to spread across Europe the ideals of the school and its examples 
of good practice in the education of the disabled. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 71  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“The aim is to promote the development of a civil and dem-
ocratic  society  based  on  a  culture  of  non-violence,  ethnic  
tolerance and a respect for human rights.” 
(Youth Peace Group “Danube”)

Project funded by 
the Youth in Action national agency in: 

Croatia

Hosting organisation: 
Youth Peace Group “Danube”
www.ypgd.org 

Sending organisation: 
Regionalne Centrum Wolontariatu  
w Gdańsku
www.wolontariat.org.pl

Activity dates: 
07/07/2009 – 31/08/2009 
(seven weeks)

POLAND: Krzysztof, 22 years

CROATIA

72 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

WORKING FOR PEACEFUL 
CO(cid:3)EXISTENCE IN VUKOVAR, 
CROATIA

Krzysztof (22 years), reading a degree in history and Slavic studies at Gdańsk University in 
his native Poland, wanted very much to learn Croatian and to do something useful for other 
people. He chose to spend two months as a volunteer with the Youth Peace Group “Danube” 
in Vukovar in 2009, an ancient city in Croatia on the border with Serbia. 

Vukovar was devastated during the war in 1990 and still faces tensions today between the 
Serbian and Croatian communities who make up the majority of the local population. The 
Youth Peace Group “Danube” was set up, as its name suggests, to combat intolerance and 
violence by promoting respect for diversity and by working towards better understanding be-
tween all the young people of the area. Their long term aim is to bring young people together 
in  a  multi-ethnic,  multicultural  environment  and  to  this  end  they  have  helped  to  create  a 
national youth programme.

Krzysztof’s main task was to assist with the annual summer camp for young people. The fact 
that he was not from the region made him more easily acceptable to young people from both 
communities and he became a popular youth leader. His work also took him into local youth 
clubs in the city and the surrounding rural area where he was able to meet up with a youth 
group from Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

Krzysztof managed to learn to speak Croatian almost ﬂuently. By communicating with chil-
dren and young people he learned a lot about the historical background of the recent con-
ﬂicts which had so traumatised the population. The experience improved his social skills and 
self-conﬁdence and he felt proud to be making a contribution to helping young people in this 
troubled community.

The best advocate for the work of the organisation was Krzysztof himself through his per-
sonality and contacts with young people. He brought ideas from another part of Europe to 
the work of the Peace Group and helped to trigger a re-think in the way they organised their 
activities. His successful contribution to the work of the hosting organisation strengthened 
its commitment to volunteering. The local community also clearly beneﬁted from the pres-
ence of the introverted young man from Gdańsk who moved quietly among them promoting 
dialogue and mutual understanding. 

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 73  

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

“For a young person it is very important to live this kind of 
experience. It made me more open, more tolerant and more 
ambitious to accomplish important things in my life.”
(Costica, 26)

Project funded by the Education,
Audiovisual & Culture Executive Agency 

in Brussels

Hosting organisation: 
VIEWS
www.views.be

Sending organisation: 
Pontes Association
www.pontes.ro

Activity dates: 
01/10/2009 – 15/02/2010 
(ca. ﬁve months)

ROMANIA: Costica, 26 years

BELGIUM

74 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

SHARING THE LIFE OF THE 
VISUALLY IMPAIRED IN 
LIÈGE, BELGIUM

Costica (26 years), from Romania, who is blind, spent almost ﬁve months (2009/10) as a 
volunteer helping in a school for visually impaired children in Liège, Belgium.

The hosting organisation VIEWS, is a European organisation, created in 2001, which groups 15 
associations in various European countries cooperating on a number of projects concerned with 
visual impairment. VIEWS’ members are parents, professionals and academics directly aﬀected 
or experts in the ﬁeld. There are also an increasing number of young people, visually impaired and 
sighted, who promote solidarity and are involved in the activities. 

Costica’s voluntary service took place in the Institut Royal des Sourds-muets et des Aveugles 
(IRHOV) in Liège, a primary and secondary school for deaf and visually impaired children and 
young people aged three to 21 years. It also provides support to students who attend classes 
in regular schools, and carries out experimental programmes for children with impaired sensory 
disorders. 

At a meeting with the parents, Costica proposed a number of free-time activities for the young 
people which included IT sessions, sporting events and cultural workshops. Other initiatives cen-
tred on Halloween, Santa Claus, Christmas and Chandeleur, a Belgian festival. The aim of running 
this programme was to show the young people and their parents that visual impairment does not 
stop a young person from being autonomous. By organising joint meetings Costica put a lot of 
emphasis on encouraging contacts between the families and the schools so that what was tried 
at school was fully supported by parents. He also taught Braille to some of the young people. 

Costica learned to communicate with more conﬁdence and to work in a team with people from 
diﬀerent cultures. He became more independent, at the same time developing his social skills 
in spite of his shyness. Sharing his days with other visually impaired people taught him new 
perspectives  on  disability  from  the  point  of  view  of  parents,  teachers  and  the  young  people 
themselves. He also discovered the country and living in a neighbourhood with a number of im-
migrants he gained insights into issues concerning integration. The European Voluntary Service 
experience motivated him to get involved in youth work a(cid:3)er returning to Romania.

The fact that a blind person was running activities in the school had an impact on the young 
visually impaired and their families. It helped to motivate the young people to undertake more 
ambitious activities and for the parents to become more involved in the school.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 75  

INDEX

GLOBAL SOCIETY:

1.  CZ 

Working for the environment in Toulcuv Dvur, Czech Republic ............................04-05

2.  DE 

Working for the next generation in Oberursel, Germany .........................................06-07

3.  EL 

Monitoring black vultures in the Dadia Forest, Greece  ...........................................08-09

4.  LUX 

Advocating a solidarity-based economy in Schiﬄange, Luxembourg .............10-11

5.  HU 

Helping to ﬁght climate change in Budapest, Hungary  ..........................................12-13

6.  MT 

Saving turtles in San Lucjan, Malta ..................................................................................14-15

7.  NL 

Combating racism and discrimination in Amsterdam, the Netherlands  ........16-17

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY

8.  AT 

9.  PT 

Helping to give relief in Salzburg, Austria  .....................................................................18-19

Helping to protect Ria de Alvor in Portugal  ..................................................................20-21

10. IS 

Mending the nature trail in Iceland  ..................................................................................22-23

11. EACEA  Empowering young people in Accra, Ghana  .................................................................24-25

INNOVATIVE SOCIETY:

1.  BG 

Building bridges in Burgas, Bulgaria  ................................................................................26-27

2.  DK 

Working in a kindergarten in Berlin, Germany ..............................................................28-29

3.  EE 

Alternative Theatre Festival in Skopje, the former Yugoslav Republic 

of Macedonia  ..............................................................................................................................30-31

4.  FR 

Young workers on stage in Redon, France .....................................................................32-33

5.  IT 

Promoting volunteering in Varese, Italy  .........................................................................34-35

6.  RO 

Using street theatre for social change in Istanbul, Turkey ....................................36-37

7.  SK 

Art and the environment in Zilina-Zariecie, Slovakia  ...............................................38-39

8.  UK 

Helping to mend fences in Northern Ireland, UK  .......................................................40-41

9.  LI 

Working with the unemployed in Vaduz, Liechtenstein  ............................................42-43

10. TR 

Helping the needy in Istanbul, Turkey ..............................................................................44-45

 
 
INCLUSIVE SOCIETY:

1.  BE-FR  Helping in a multicultural neighbourhood in Brussels, Belgium  .........................46-47

2.  BE-VL  Helping the young unemployed to integrate in Kortessem, Belgium  ..............48-49

3.  BE-DE  Enriching the lives of the disabled in Eupen, Belgium  ............................................50-51

4.  IE 

5.  ES 

6.  CY 

7.  LV 

8.  LT 

9.  PL 

10. SI 

11. FI 

Teaching the disadvantaged in Cesis, Latvia  ..............................................................52-53

Disabled people’s contribution to society in Hamburg, Germany  .....................54-55

Caring for the blind in Nicosia, Cyprus  ............................................................................56-57

Challenging young people in Cesis, Latvia .....................................................................58-59

The University of Life in Kaunas, Lithuania  ..................................................................60-61

Making life happier for the disabled in Ustroń, Poland ...........................................62-63

Learning through play in Ljubljana, Slovenia  ..............................................................64-65

Working with the disabled in Lyhty, Finland  .................................................................66-67

12. SE 

Cheering up the lives of young people in Sundsval, Sweden ..............................68-69

13. NO 

Helping the integration of disabled students in Selbustrand, Norway  ...........70-71

14. HR 

Working for peaceful co-existence in Vukovar, Croatia  ..........................................72-73

15. EACEA  Sharing the life of the visually impaired in Liège, Belgium ..................................74-75

GLOBAL SOCIETY

Youth in Action

Youth in Action is the European Union programme for all young 
people aged 15 to 28 (or in some cases 13 to 30). It enables more than  
150 000 young people and youth workers every year to exercise non- 
formal learning mobility across the EU and in 140 countries beyond by  
getting involved in educational activities outside schools. With a budget  
of EUR 885 million for the period 2007–13, the programme helps young  
people to develop skills and fosters their active participation in society.  
It promotes in particular the inclusion of young people facing obstacles in  
their lives. 

To achieve its objectives, the programme funds a wide variety of activities 
through ﬁve actions. The activities include exchanges, initiatives, democracy 
projects and a voluntary service. It also supports youth workers and youth 
organisations through training and networking, and promotes European 
cooperation in the youth ﬁeld.

78 YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

Programme Actions

■  ACTION 1: Youth for Europe

Encourages young people’s active citizenship,  
participation and entrepreneurship by supporting  
exchanges, initiatives and democracy projects.

■  ACTION 2: European Voluntary Service

Fosters young people’s sense of solidarity and  
tolerance by voluntary activities abroad carried out  
for the beneﬁt of local communities.

■  ACTION 3: Youth in the World

Promotes mutual understanding through exchanges  
and partnerships among young people and youth  
organisations across the world.

■  ACTION 4: Youth Support Systems

Helps youth workers and youth organisations  
improve the quality of their work.

■  ACTION 5: European cooperation in the youth ﬁeld
Supports youth policy cooperation at European level, 
and facilitates dialogue between young people and  
policymakers.

(cid:10)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:24)(cid:25)(cid:7)(cid:26)(cid:8)(cid:7)(cid:17)(cid:4)(cid:24)(cid:26)(cid:3)(cid:8)(cid:15)(cid:7)(cid:6)(cid:5)(cid:5)(cid:16)(cid:15)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:11)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:11)(cid:4)(cid:12)(cid:3)(cid:16)(cid:20)(cid:19)(cid:11)(cid:4)(cid:17)(cid:21)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:17)(cid:13)(cid:10)(cid:22)(cid:11)(cid:23)(cid:24)(cid:11)(cid:10)(cid:19)(cid:6)(cid:5)(cid:25)

GLOBAL SOCIETY

Youth in Action
2007 – 10

more than

527 000
participants:
390 000
young people and
137 000
youth workers;

30 100
projects were selected  
to receive grants out of
61 000
applications submitted;

20 000
project promoters a year:  
non-proﬁt / non-governmental  
organisations, public bodies,  
informal groups of young  
people.

YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME 79  

HOW TO OBTAIN EU PUBLICATIONS

via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu);

Free publications:
• 
•  at the European Union’s representations or delegations.  
You can obtain their contact details on the Internet  
(http://ec.europa.eu) or by sending a fax to +352 2929-42758.

Priced publications:
• 

via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu).

Priced subscriptions (e.g. annual series of the Oﬃcial Journal 
of the European Union and reports of cases before the Court 
of Justice of the European Union):
• 

via one of the sales agents of the Publications Oﬃce of the European 
Union (http://publications.europa.eu/others/agents/index_en.htm).

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