Do you have experience in working with individuals with special needs such as disability, social issues, mental health challenges or an organisational environment that would welcome young people with such needs? Perhaps you’re experienced with volunteering but need more partners who can host these young people? Or maybe you just want to make a difference to young people’s lives…

Then this partnership-building activity is for you! We would like to see more young people with fewer opportunities taking part in volunteering projects, but many hosting projects are not adapted or do not provide the needed extra support for young people (18-30 years) with special needs.

We believe that social economy organisations, with the necessary structures in place to support volunteers from disadvantaged background in their activities could become the perfect hosting place for these young people. Hosting European volunteers gives not only the opportunity to change lives but the chance to add an international dimension and increase organisational capacity. We therefore want to bring ‘social economy’ organisations together with inclusion, youth and volunteering fields to explore the possibilities, advantages and concerns of having a European Volunteer.

What are the goals of this activity?

The general aim is to introduce European volunteering projects to social economy organisations and encourage partnerships with inclusion, youth and volunteering organisations for quality, sustainable volunteering projects for young people with fewer opportunities. The specific objectives are:

– To get acquainted with the existing opportunities for youth volunteers’ placement, under European Solidarity Corps;

– To share different practices on how to involve volunteers with fewer opportunities;

– To motivate social economy organisations to host and send volunteers with fewer opportunities;

– To develop skills in Erasmus+/ESC project management, specifically on volunteering initiatives;

– To foster partnership building of potential hosting/supporting organisations equipped to support young people with fewer opportunities.

Who can apply? 

– Staff members/volunteers of social economy and volunteering organisations able to work on inclusion or directly with young people with fewer opportunities;

– Youth workers (grassroots – involved in outreach youth work and directly working with young people with fewer opportunities);

– Staff members/volunteers involved in inclusion organisations;

– Able to work in (international) English;

– Coming from Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme countries;

– Former participants of the TC held in Glasgow (December 2018) are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to apply? 

For more information about how to apply, please visit: http://abroadship.org/partnership-building-activity-inclusive-volunteering-in-social-economy-turkey/. The deadline to submit the application form is 10th January 2019. 

What is the participation fee?

This project is financed by the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme. Being selected for this course, all costs (accommodation, travel, visa, etc.) relevant to participation in the course will be covered by the NAs or SALTO involved in this project. Please contact your Erasmus+: Youth in Action NA to learn more about the financial details, and how to arrange the booking of your travel tickets and the reimbursement of your travel expenses (if selected). Turkish NA will organise and cover the costs for accommodation and food. Your sending National Agency will support your travel costs. After being selected, please contact your NA to learn more about how to arrange the booking of your travel tickets and the reimbursement of your travel expenses.

If you have any inquiries about this training course, please contact Andreia Henriques at andreia@salto-youth.net. 

Good luck in the application process! 🙂