Are you between the ages of 18 and 30, living in Finland, and dreaming of volunteering abroad? Join the European Solidarity Corps for a 6- to 12-month volunteer placement!
The European Solidarity Corps is a European Union program that offers young adults the opportunity to live and volunteer abroad, primarily in Europe.
You’ll be part of meaningful activities and have the chance to learn new things in a variety of ways, develop your skills, and meet new people and cultures.
At Maailmanvaihto, we prepare you before your departure and support you throughout your volunteer placement. We have been sending volunteers abroad for decades.
You can go to many European countries, and you can participate in the program year-round! The start date and duration depend on the volunteer placement. These details are always provided on a case-by-case basis. We send volunteers for 6–12 months.
European Solidarity Corps program countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, (Finland), France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Türkiye.
Maailmanvaihto collaborates primarily with organizations in the ICYE network. Through them, volunteers are hosted in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Turkey.
“My nearly one year of volunteer work in Germany was filled with countless amazing and exciting memories that I still think about all the time.” – Vilma-Riikka
There are volunteer opportunities in many fields, such as
Our volunteers have worked, for example, in homes for the elderly in Greece, at a kindergarten in Austria, at a reception center for asylum seekers and refugees in Belgium, at a youth exchange organisation in Germany, and at a youth center in Estonia.
Accommodation is arranged for all participants. Accommodation varies from one volunteer placement to another. It may be arranged, for example, in a local home, a shared apartment for volunteers, or a student dormitory connected to the volunteer placement. Details about accommodation are provided in the description of each volunteer placement.
“When everything around me was new and different in so many ways, I got to know myself better. Getting to know new people and a new cultural environment was a rewarding experience that will surely stay with me for the rest of my life. I came away from the trip with friends and a place that feels like a second home.” – Venla
There is no participation fee for the European Solidarity Corps; the European Union covers the costs.
The volunteer placement includes:
Volunteering with the European Solidarity Corps is open to all young people. Participation does not require prior experience in volunteering, a specific educational or professional background, or knowledge of the language of the host country. During your volunteer placement, you’ll get to explore the field of your volunteer work and learn the local language.
The program is open to young people aged 18–30, with priority given to those who have fewer opportunities for international experience than other young people.
The program offers opportunities for individualized additional support. This may be arranged, for example, for volunteers with physical or sensory disabilities, as well as those with chronic health conditions. Feel free to contact us, and we’ll work together to see if we can provide the support you need!
The Austrian ICYE organization Grenzenlos recruits young people with disabilities annually for its project Grenzenlos without Barriers → Learn more about the project!
You can find more information and inspiration about international volunteering as a young person with a disability in the Beyond Borders videos.
“The best part of my volunteer placement in Slovakia was assisting English teachers at two schools and, together with another volunteer, leading English classes at the office of the youth exchange organization KERIC. When I prepared games, activities, quizzes, and competitions for school and language courses, I was able to use my creativity, and my language skills improved dramatically.” – Salla
You can apply for volunteer work throughout the year. We recommend applying at least six months before your planned departure.
We post information about open volunteer positions with our partner organizations on our website, and you can find additional open positions on the European Youth Portal (see links below).
Follow the application instructions for each posting. You may list Maailmanvaihto as your sending support organization in your applications.
In most cases, applications for positions listed on the European Youth Portal are submitted through the portal itself (registration is required; registration is free and does not yet commit you to participating in the program). However, sometimes applications may be submitted through other channels, so please read the announcements carefully and follow the instructions provided. When applying for opportunities on the portal, you may also mention Maailmanvaihto as your sending organisation in Finland.
We will meet with all applicants whom the volunteer placements abroad are interested in accepting for an interview. During the interview, you can ask more questions about volunteering with the European Solidarity Corps. If everything seems to be a good fit for both sides after the interview, we can agree on the collaboration.
Volunteer placements are confirmed once the EU has made a positive funding decision. The funding decision may already be in place when the volunteer placement is seeking a volunteer. Sometimes, however, the decision is made only after the volunteer has been selected.
>> See the full application instructions
“As a volunteer with the youth exchange organisation ICJA in Germany, I dramatically improved my language skills, gained experience in the day-to-day work of an international organisation, and helped organise global education workshops. I learned a lot about international volunteer work, including from the perspective of global power structures.” – Anna
(oph.fi)Would you like to ask something? Contact us, we’ll be happy to answer!
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