The European Solidarity Corps (ESC) is the new European Union initiative which creates opportunities for young people to volunteer or work in projects in their own country or abroad that benefit communities and people around Europe.

The ESC Programme provides young people aged 17-30 a real life experience with an opportunity to express personal commitment through full-time voluntary activities in a foreign country. The ESC framework enables the volunteers to be exposed and involved in an inter-cultural learning experience within a non-formal education environment by developing an individual learner’s plan recognised through a Youthpass form certified Europe-wide.

The main themes of the ESC are "Children's rights" (social/cultural discrimination, gender-based violence, sexual abuse, bullying, missing children, hate speech, migrant women, children in care) implementing activities at the Research and Development Division and "Vulnerable Children" (social inclusion abuse, children on the move, unaccompanied minors, social/cultural inclusion and exclusion, family tracing and reunification, migration and asylum seekers), implementing activities under the Humanitarian Division, more exactly at the Home for Hope shelters.

The short-term objectives are to:

* Contribute and support the multicultural and multidisciplinary team in the daily activities of the Humanitarian Division and Research and Development Division;

* Create a bidirectional, holistic volunteer-centred learning experience and exchange of good practices (personal and professional) among volunteers and members of the organization;

* Promote an understanding of European cooperation relevant to young people by bringing volunteers from different European countries in close contact with migrant young people (as European added value);

* Offer a safe and participatory environment for cultural and linguistic expression and exchanges and recognition and validation of skills through daily interactions, creative activities and final certificates;

* Empower the volunteers to become local promoters of demanding subjects like social inclusion, solidarity, vulnerable communities, migration, children on the move and unaccompanied minors, gender-based violence, sexual abuse, and bullying, through field and desk research and practical activities.

The long-term objectives are to:

* Develop solidarity and promote acceptance among young people, promoting social cohesion and positive social change in the European Union;

* Foster opportunities for social and cultural engagement in solidarity activities and mutual understanding of social issues that youth and children face daily in their family and social interactions that can affect their rights;

* Develop key transferable skills to the participants through a non-formal learning program, i.e., social competences, sense of initiative, language and communication skills, thus supporting their future employability possibilities;

* Promote active citizenship and participation amongst youth and a genuine sense of initiative on a cause they believe in.

The volunteers will be integrated with a multileveled, multidisciplinary and interactive work structure and will be encouraged to take Creative Initiative involving routine but also various tasks with complementary value.

1. Support and administrative activities, where the volunteers will assist in the progress of the regular schedule and activities of the specific department.

2.Research & surveys tasks about the themes and topics connected with:

* children’s rights;

*disadvantaged minorities/children; unaccompanied minors;

3.Creative activities that can take place one time or be repeating and are not part of the regular program of the divisions but have complementary value:

* support the social projects of the shelter and take initiative to organize new ones;

* assist in organizing campaigns and workshops to equip children, their families/careers and societies at large with knowledge and tools to prevent and report sexual violence against children, thereby raising awareness of its extent.

* organizing international campaigns/conferences together with the staff about -projects that aim at raising awareness on the needs of Children on the Move, to respond to this phenomenon at EU level and throughout Europe.

4.Participate in the Children Rights Convention (CRC) Clubs, educational programs in the schools located in Nicosia. The aim of these activities is to develop awareness on children rights topics with teenagers and children. The program is divided into two parts: the first is focused on education sessions about children rights and topics connected to sexual, physical and moral abuses, gender based violence, discrimination, welfare, and peace.

For more details, please see ESC Info kit 2019-2020

Funding reference

The ESC co-financed by the Erasmus + Programme of the European Commission.