The European Commission has issued a new call for projects under the European Solidarity Corps, to encourage young people from Europe and beyond to take part.
The new funding call for the European Solidarity Corps is open to a broader range of projects than ever before, and is one of a series that will engage at least 100,000 young people in the project before the end of 2020. In all, the scheme will provide some €44m in funding for long-term individual volunteering projects, traineeships and jobs in solidarity fields.
In addition, the expansion of the eligibility criteria means that organisations will be able to offer short-term projects for teams of volunteers, ranging from two weeks to two months, provided they have received a quality label from the relevant Erasmus+ national agency.
Further, funding will no longer be provided only to public or private bodies; through the new European Solidarity Corps Portal, young people can form their own groups of at least five participations and set up youth-related solidarity activities on their own behalf, which will then be eligible for funding through the scheme.
How can young people apply for European Solidarity Corps funding?
Applications for funding can be made through the European Solidarity Corps portal, and applications close on 16 October. Winning projects will be selected once the European Parliament and Council formally adopt the European Commission’s proposal.
European Commissioner for Employment, Marianne Thyssen, emphasised the role that the Corps and the projects that are funded through it can play in delivering skills and employment opportunities for young people.
She said: “The European Solidarity Corps helps young people in their professional development and their integration into the labour market. With its strong European dimension of solidarity, the Corps is an extraordinary opportunity for young people to develop interpersonal skills and acquire new knowledge, all of these bringing an added value to them and society in general.”
