General Information about the Action-2 Programme

The European Voluntary Service enables young people to carry out voluntary service for up to 12 months in a country other than their country of residence. It fosters solidarity among young people and is a true ‘learning service’. Beyond benefiting local communities, volunteers learn new skills and languages, and discover other cultures.

Non-formal learning principles and practice are reflected throughout the project.

An EVS project can focus on a variety of themes and areas of intervention, such as culture, youth, sports, social care, cultural heritage, arts, civil protection, environment, development cooperation, etc. High-risk interventions in immediate post-crisis situations (e.g. humanitarian aid, immediate disaster relief, etc.) are excluded.

Smooth and efficient cooperation between the Sending, Host, and Coordinating Organisations and the volunteer is a vital element for the successful development of a project. Promoters must demonstrate the ability to establish and run a cohesive partnership with active involvement of all partners and with common goals to be achieved. In this respect, the following factors should be taken into consideration: the level of networking, cooperation and commitment of each promoter in the project; the profile and background of promoters when the nature or target of the Activity would necessitate the possession of certain qualifications; a clear and commonly agreed definition of roles and tasks of each promoter involved in the project; the capacity of the partnership to ensure effective dissemination of the results achieved through the Activity. Group EVS Activities linked to a specific event require a solid partnership with the organising body of the event.

In short, EVS is not

- occasional, unstructured, part-time volunteering
- an internship in an enterprise
- a paid job; it must not replace paid jobs
- a recreation or tourist activity
- a language course
- exploitation of a cheap workforce
- a period of study or vocational training abroad

Youth A.R.T. Initiative’s Case:

Unfortunately, Youth A.R.T. Initiative is not a accredited organization for EVS projects. That’s why we cannot get directly involved in an EVS event. However, interesting enough, 2 of our Core Committee members have successfully accomplished their long-term EVS projects, and now they are both youth trainers actively working in the area of youth.

Since we are not qualified to be a sending or hosting organization, we still urge the Turkish youngsters take this great opportunity within the Youth in Action Programme. Below, we provide you with plenty of information about European Voluntary Service, both in Turkish and English.

• All You Would Like To Know About EVS. Answers To 40 Basic Questions (Turkish)

• Detailed Information About EVS (Turkish)

• Powerpoint Presentation About How To Take The First Steps For EVS (Turkish)

• Detailed Information About EVS (English)