If you are aged between 18-25 years old and if you want ...

*to gain new skills
*to learn about a new country
*to learn a different culture by living within this country
*to bring an added value to the host organisation and the local community
*to introduce your culture to local community
*to learn a new language,

the European Voluntary Service (EVS) activity in the field of the environment, arts and culture, activities with children, young people or the elderly, heritage, youth sports and leisure, civil protection or similar subjects are just for You ...

Why have European Voluntary Service?

The aim of the European Voluntary Service action is based on three fundamental principles:

*To provide a non-formal intercultural learning experience for young people, encouraging their social integration and active participation, improving their employability and giving them opportunities to show solidarity with other people.
*To support the development of local communities.
*To encourage the establishing of new partnerships and the exchange of experience and good practice between the partners.

What is a European Voluntary Service project?

An EVS project allows a young person to be a volunteer in another country for a specified period.

Volunteers will participate in activities that comply with the following general principles.

Activities must:

*take place in a country other than where the volunteer lives,
*be non-profit-making and unpaid,
*be planned, implemented and followed up jointly in a spirit of partnership between the volunteer, the sending and the host organisations,
*bring an added value to the host organisation and the local community,
*not involve job substitution, nor be a substitute for military service or alternative service formulas,
*last for a limited period (normally between 6 and 12 months),
*involve at least one EU Member State.

Who are the partners in an EVS project?

An EVS project involves a partnership between three actors:

*a volunteer,
*a sending organisation,
*a host organisation

The preparation, implementation and follow-up of EVS projects are a joint activity and express a true partnership among these three key actors.

Who can be a volunteer?

The EVS Action is open to all young people who are legally resident in a Programme country or in an eligible third country and are, in principle, aged between 18 and 25 at the start of their voluntary activity.

Sending organisation

European Voluntary Service involves a sending partner known as the "sending organisation". Any type of non-governmental organisation, an association, a local authority or any other non-profit-making local initiative can be a sending organisation. For a sending organisation, EVS offers an opportunity to establish cooperation and to exchange experience with a partner in a Programme country.

Host organization

*The basis for European Voluntary Service is the existence of a number of places where volunteers can do their voluntary service. These are called "host organisations". Any type of non-governmental organisation, an association, a local authority or any other non-profit-making local initiative can be a host organisation.
*All host organisations must be approved by the European Commission independent of the project format, application level or geographic dimension. As a first step, the host organisation fills in the Host Expression of Interest (HEI) form and submits it to the National Agency.
*Host Expressions of Interests have the double aim of ensuring the quality of EVS projects and facilitating partner finding. If an organisation�s Host Expression of Interest is approved, it is included in the Internet database of approved host organisations (www.sosforevs.org) and the host organisation can start to look for a sending organisation and a volunteer. Please note that an approved HEI is valid for a maximum of three years, and not just for a single project