Interreg Volunteer Youth
Interreg Volunteer Youth is a programme that offers the possibility to take part in international volunteer projects, in order to promote active citizenship. During the programme the volunteers have the possibility to cooperate and develop knowledge, while supporting cross-border projects.
It is important to take into account that this programme is part of the European Solidarity Corps, however participating in an Intereeg opportunity does not prevent the participation in the ESC volunteering, internship or employment opportunities.
More Details
Requirements
The Interreg Volunteer Youth is aimed at young people between 18 and 30 years old, nationals of one of the countries of the European Union or Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Palestine, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Opposite to the European Solidarity Corps, for the Interreg Volunteer Youth, organisations expect the volunteers to have some experience in the working field and to be fluent in some languages, besides English.
Duration
These volunteer projects last between 2 and 6 months, however the number of weekly hours and vacation days are not defined in the programme, so this will be agreed between the hosting organisation and the volunteers. The grant doesn’t vary based on the working hours, but on the months that each volunteer stays in the hosting country.
Destinations
The destination countries include member countries of the European Union and Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Palestine, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Support
The Interreg Volunteer Youth programme provides a financial support from 21€ to 32€ per day, including weekends and holidays. This amount is calculated according to the country where the volunteer project takes place and aims to cover costs of accommodation, local transport, food, among others. All volunteers have access to health insurance and the price of travel between the departure address and the destination is also covered.
The methods of payment vary according to the duration of the project. For the projects that last between 2 and 3 months, the amount is transferred in two parts – 70% before the project and 30% after. For the projects lasting between 4 and 6 months, the payment will be done in three stages – 40% before, 40% during and 20% at the end.
Application
Firstly, it is necessary to register on the European Solidarity Corps platform, where you will be given a Personal Reference Number (PNR). After you can search for open positions on the Interreg Volunteer Youth page and, if your profile matches the requested profile of an opportunity you are interested in, you will have to send your PNR and the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) will share the profiles of the applicants with the host organisation, which is responsible for conducting personal interviews and select the candidates with the most suitable profiles.
In case there are not volunteer projects open, we advise you to check their platform on a regular basis, since the platform is often updated.