Interested in international volunteering as a young person with a disability? Join us to learn about European Solidarity Corps volunteering!
The European Solidarity Corps is a funding programme of the European Union that creates volunteering opportunities around Europe for young people. The volunteering projects address a wide range of issues from inclusion to environmental protection.
Food, pocket money, accommodation, and travel expenses are covered by the European Union. If you are a young person with a disability, support can be tailored for you with the EU funding.
You can join the European Solidarity Corps for 6–12 months through Maailmanvaihto. We will be happy to explore together with you what kind of opportunities there might be available for you abroad or in Finland. Read more:
- get to know volunteering in Finland (in English) or
- get to know volunteering outside Finland (in Finnish).
Watch the videos below for your inspiration. The offer you further information on volunteers’ experiences and the support available. If you have any questions appear, please, don’t hesitate to contact us!
1) Beyond Borders: Susanna Halme – Volunteering as a Person with a Visual Impairment at a Youth Exchange organisation in Austria
In the video, you can meet European Solidarity Corps volunteer Susanna Halme. Susanna shares experiences of volunteering as a young person with a visual impairment at a youth exchange organisation Grenzenlos in Vienna.
00:00 – Introduction video
00:51 – Share us shortly where have you volunteered and what have been your tasks?
01:33 – What was your motivation for doing a volunteer project abroad?
02:03 – What did the volunteering experience abroad give you?
02:36 – What can an organisation benefit from co-operating with a young volunteer with disabilities?
03:19 – What obstacles did you face during your volunteering experience?
05:30 – What kind of support did you get for overcoming these obstacles?
06:09 – Based on your experiences, what kind of tips and recommendations do you have for future young volunteers with disabilities?
07:57 – How could the European Solidarity Corps better reach young people with disabilities to tell them about volunteering opportunities?
08:58 – What other advice, recommendations do you have for decision-makers and organisers of the European Solidarity Corps for making the program more accessible?
09:21 – What greetings do you have for young people with disabilities who might be interested in international volunteering?
10:24 – Credits
Music: AlexiAction – Good Vibes https://pixabay.com/fi/music/yritys-good-vibes-127577
2) Beyond Borders: Young people with Disabilities Volunteering Abroad I Jutta Kivimäki
In the video, you can meet Jutta Kivimäki, Senior Program Advisor at the Finnish National Agency for Education. Jutta talks about how the European Solidarity Corps supports young volunteers with disabilities.
00:00 – Introduction video
00:50 – In general, what does Finnish National Agency for Education do in regard to the European Solidarity Corps?
01:26 – What kind of support does the European Solidarity Corps offer for the young volunteers with disabilities?
02:20 – How common is it that young people with disabilities participate in the European Solidarity Corps volunteering?
03:16 – How can young people with disabilities find information about European Solidarity Corps volunteer opportunities?
04:24 – How can young people with disabilities learn more about financial and human support and insurance that the European Solidarity Corps offers for them?
05:27 – If a person with a disability participates in the European Solidarity Corps, this person will be asked to tell before starting the volunteering project, how much expenses will be involved in their support. What advice do you have for young people for calculating the expenses?
06:27 – What advice would you give to receiving and sending organisations for preparing to work with young people with disabilities?
07:57 – What would you like to improve in the future in the European Solidarity Corps, in order to make it more accessible to young people with disabilities? Whose support do you need in this regard?
09:06 – What greetings do you have for young people with disabilities who might be interested in applying for the European Solidarity Corps volunteering?
10:15 – Credits
2) Beyond Borders: Young people with Disabilities Volunteering Abroad – Viivi Kilpeläinen ja Susanna Haarala, Finnish Hearing Association
In the video, you can meet Viivi Kilpeläinen, youth specialist and Finnish Hearing Association (Kuuloliitto) and Susanna Haarala, member of Finnish Hearing Association youth committee. They share experiences of travelling abroad as a young person with hearing loss.
00:00 – Introduction video
00:53 – Let’s start. Please introduce yourself.
01:15 – Briefly, what is Kuuloliitto and what kind of activities and services do you offer for young adults?
02:12 – How typical is it in your network that young hard of hearing adults go and volunteer abroad?
02:43 – You said that it is not that typical for young hard of hearing adults to go and volunteer abroad. Do you know why?
03:16 – From your perspective, how can hard of hearing youth benefit from international experience?
04:05 – What barriers do hard of hearing youth face when travelling abroad?
04:47 – Kuuloliitto and Maailmanvaihto have jointly promoted European Solidarity Corps volunteering for young people with hearing loss. Why do you consider the program a good option for them?
05:22 – How can Kuuloliitto support young people wishing to volunteer abroad & volunteering organisations wishing to learn more about supporting young hard of hearing people?
06:06 – What greetings do you have for those young people with disabilities who would like to volunteer abroad?
06:40 – Credits
Music of the videos: AlexiAction – Good Vibes https://pixabay.com/fi/music/yritys-good-vibes-127577
The videos are a part of the project “Beyond Borders: Young People with Disabilities Volunteering Abroad” of the European Solidarity Corps volunteer Mariam Darbaidze at Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland. The volunteering period was co-funded by the European Union.
Every year, many young people take part in European Solidarity Corps volunteering. For people with disabilities, the process of joining international volunteering is often more difficult due to the challenges and obstacles they face in their lives.
The goal of the project is to create more knowledge about European Solidarity Corps volunteering as a young person with disabilities – for young people with disabilities interested in international volunteering, organisations hosting volunteers, and organisations coordinating and funding volunteering. In general, the project intends to promote equality of possibilities.
The European Commission is not responsible for the content of the videos.