On the 15th of April, the European Commission announced the first call for proposals to support youth volunteering activities under the European Solidarity Corps 2021-2027 programme.
The European Solidarity Corps supports young people wishing to engage in volunteering activities in a variety of areas ranging from helping people in need to supporting health and environmental action, across the EU and beyond. This year’s priority will be health and will mobilise volunteers to work on projects addressing health challenges, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and recovery. With a dedicated budget of over €1 billion for 2021-2027, the new programme offers opportunities to some 275,000 young people to help address societal and humanitarian challenges through volunteering or by setting up their own solidarity projects. For the first year of action, more than €138 million are available. As of next year, the programme will also allow young people to volunteer in humanitarian aid activities worldwide, thus helping to tackle humanitarian challenges in safe third countries, supporting EU aid activities there.
The new European Solidarity Corps supports overarching EU political priorities, facilitating organisations and young people to address them. Four strands are particularly highlighted:
- Promoting of inclusion and diversity;
- Making projects ‘greener’ and encouraging environmentally sustainable and responsible behaviour among participants and participating organisations;
- Supporting the digital transition through projects and activities that boost digital skills, foster digital literacy and develop understanding of the risks and opportunities of digital technology;
- Promoting participation of young people in democratic processes and civic engagement.
For more information, please visit the Commission’s website.
To learn more about current calls for proposals or Eurodiaconia’s funding events, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Policy, Projects & Research Officer Vera Nygard at vera.nygard@eurodiaconia.org and our Projects Assistant Giorgia Signoretto at giorgia.signoretto@eurodiaconia.org.