Answers
Short term EVS is NOT voluntary
tourism for one month with all paid. It is NOT two months with all paid. It is
NOT a program for all kind of young people.
Long term EVS is NOT working in
Austria for one year. It is NOT studying Spanish in Spain for ten months. It
is NOT six months break in Crete, all paid. It is NOT to get a volunteer
worker to substitute a normal worker.
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- Who can become a volunteer?
All youngsters between 18-25 years from one of the program countries can
become a volunteer. There is no special knowledge craved in advance.
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- How long is the duration of voluntary service?
All youngsters between 18-25 years from one of the program countries can
become a volunteer. There is no special knowledge craved in advance.
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- How can I apply to become a volunteer?
When you have a sending organization and you find a hosting organization
you want to go to, you do the applications together.
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- What is a sending organization?
Your sending organization helps you with applications, follow-up and
contact with the host organization you will go to.
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- What can I do if I don't have a sending
organization?
The first thing you can do is to think if you have any organization which
you are connected with in any way. Maybe you have a spare-time activity, a
sports team etc.? One tip is to get in touch with your municipality and ask
them to be your sending organization. Another is to contact an already active
sending organization.
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- What can I do as a volunteer?
There are projects within a lot of different subjects. You can help
homeless, children and old people, or join in restoring old houses, cleaning
in the nature, work with theater etc. You can see the different projects and
the fields they work within in organizations.
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- Do I have to know the language of the country
I go to?
No, normally it is not required any knowledge of the language. But this
depends on the kind project you go to and what type of work you will do. The
host organization receives an amount of money to organize language courses for
you.
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- As an organization, what do I exactly have to
pay for my volunteers?
Apart from giving them personal support, organizations are responsible for:
language training, volunteer's accommodation and food, and local transport.
The international travel, insurance, visa, vaccination, and pocket money
are given by the Program.
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- I have to pay something as a Volunteer?
No. From the YOUTH program the sending organization applies
for a grant to support your travel and preparation, and the host organization
applies for grant to support you with food, a place to stay, mentoring,
language courses, local transport and pocket money. Since the costs of hosting
a volunteer often are more that the grant applied for, the organization may
have to find co-financing, which is something to have in mind when you go to
an organization. As a volunteer you have the right to receive pocket money (a
fixed amount depending on which country you go to) every week or month.
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- How long time does it take before I can
start?
When you have found your sending organization you have to find a host
organization, and it's very different how long time this takes. You can have
luck and be accepted by the first organization you contact, but you might also
have to contact several organizations before everything is ready. When you
have both the sending and host organization you do the applications together.
There are five application deadlines per year, and you will know the result
approximately two month after the relevant deadline of your application. Read
more about the application deadlines here.
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- If I don't like the Project, can I change it as often as I want?
Not really.
You can change your project just if you have really serious problems with it. To change, you must first discuss it with your organization
and the National Agency. The National Agency will then be the responsible to
try to find you a place in another project IF there are free places in
any.
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