State of play October 2019

EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CORPS IN ACTION

Since its launch in December 2016, the European Solidarity Corps has attracted more than 175,000 young people who have expressed their interest to help in solidarity action across Europe. More than 30,000 people have already started their activities in projects dealing with various topics such as environment, culture, social services, helping refugees, migrants, children or the elderly. The European Solidarity Corps is more than only volunteering. It also creates opportunities for young people to develop their skills and increase their future labour market prospects via a job or a traineeship.

REGISTRATIONS - MORE THAN 175,000 YOUNG PERSONS REGISTERED

EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CORPS: REGISTRATIONS BY NATIONALITY Turkish 24.989 Spanish 22.097 Italian 20.111 French 16.660 German 11.931 Portuguese 7.456 Polish 4.582 British 4.349 Romanian 4.312 Belgian 3.942 REGISTRATIONS BY STRAND Greek 3.902 Hungarian 2.991 Dutch 2.361 Lithuanian 2.134 volunteering Austrian 2.086 20% Czech 2.033 Bulgarian 1.815 Slovak 1.748 jobs and traineeships 7% Latvian 1.737 Swedish 1.419 Croatian 1.409 Irish 1.270 volunteering, jobs Slovenian 1.186 and traineeships Estonian 1.167 73% Danish 1.097 Finnish 1.046 Macedonian 612 Cypriot 589 Norwegian 318 Maltese 246 Luxembourger 226 Icelander 29 Liechtensteiner 25 OtherOther * 23.346

0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 *Young people residing in an EU Member State, an EFTA country, Turkey, or North Macedonia but with a nationality from any other country. SOLIDARITY ACTIVITIES – MORE THAN 30,000 YOUNG PERSONS ACTIVE IN PROJECTS SINCE DECEMBER 2016

ACTIVITIES BY COUNTRY0 OF500 DESTINATION1000 1500 2000 2500 3000

ITALY 2.983 2.649 ROMANIA 2.234 POLAND 2.130 PORTUGAL 1.929 1.816 1.492 GREECE 1.411 BULGARIA 1.344 1.188 CROATIA 1.093 HUNGARY 803 TURKEY 744 729 SLOVENIA 707 LATVIA 701 668 CZECH REPUBLIC 666 FINLAND 639 ESTONIA 563 538 SLOVAKIA 532 LITHUANIA 489 DENMARK 424 SWEDEN 395 NORTH MACEDONIA 371 CYPRUS 354 IRELAND 302 ICELAND 219 NORWAY 200 MALTA 184 LUXEMBOURG 100 LIECHTENSTEIN 9 OTHEROTHER * 222

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 *Partner countries neighbouring the EU: Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership countries, South-Mediterranean countries Data extracted on October 2019 and Russian Federation EXAMPLES OF SOLIDARITY ACTIVITIES

Cultural Heritage

Guillaume Vannier from France is volunteering in Altdöbern, Germany where his work focuses on cultural heritage preservation, and especially contributes to restoration and maintenance of a historical park.

A number of volunteers from all over Europe will, between 2017 and 2018, participate in three different Solidarity Corps projects in central , helping with the protection and strengthening of the tangible and intangible heritage in the regions affected by devastating earthquakes in 2016. Helping protect cultural heritage, Norcia, Italy, September 2017 Laura Nocifora from Italy is the Social Inclusion European Solidarity Corps volunteer in Eupen, Belgium. She volunteers in Franziska Edlinger from Austria, has volunteered in Livadeia, Greece the Red Cross asylum seekers’ centre in a centre for chronically sick people, where she has been helping where she helps in daily duties of those seeking personal, psychological or any other form of support. the centre. Among other tasks, she organises well-being workshops for Petya Hristova from the Czech Republic is volunteering in Stara the women of the centre. Zagora in Bulgaria where she is involved in a foundation working with Roma children and young people. She is a leader of diverse workshops such as musical, dance, English lessons or sport. Education

Ruben Ruiz Redondo from Spain, is volunteering in Malta to help Dolores Gambale from Italy volun- disabled people through educational, therapeutic and recreational teered in Česká Třebová, Czech Re- services. The services include: pottery sessions, therapeutic horse public in a project focused on providing Volunteering in an asylum seeker centre, Eupen, Belgium, June 2018 riding, arts and crafts, swimming sessions and animal park visits. education to children and youth in their leisure time, especially focusing on children with social problems. Ana Denisa Pop from Romania volunteered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where she supported young people from disadvantaged Vilja Viebahn from Germany is volunteering in Alsace, France in a backgrounds through animating art, cultural activities, games and project that supports different vulnerable groups in social difficulties, sport activities for children with limitations. including children. At the same time, the project promotes awareness about environmental protection, tolerance and active citizenship.

Integration of migrants Alessa Heiden from Germany is volunteering in Cluj-Napoca, Romania where she helps children from a minority background and Nazli Deger from Turkey volunteered in Manderfeld, Belgium where children with special needs become self-confident and aware adults she helped refugees and asylum seekers hosted by the Red Cross through the use of games, play, sport or music. organisation. She assisted in daily duties of the asylum centre like provision of meals, reception services but also in activities such as Vladislavs Jelisejevs from Latvia worked in Dumbravita, Romania in engaging the refugees in sports, culture, manufacturing, language the project ‘European Diversity in Human Unity’ in which he focussed or computer lessons. on delivering non-formal education to students of all ages, in and around the city of Baia Mare. Within their association they also ran Maria Nicolaouva, Sebastian Riveaud and Clara Calvet Casulleras public events as well as English classes on diverse topics. from different European countries are volunteering in , Greece where they support refugees mainly by taking care of the children while their parents attend language classes. Supporting Local communities

Debora Lucque from Italy is volunteering in Luxembourg where she Merelle Naar from Estonia volunteered in Zirl, Austria where she supports the project ‘Living together in an intercultural dynamic’ was helping local community by building a natural playground for aiming at the integration of migrants in Luxemburgish society and children or refurbishing historical pathways. the promotion of respect for the other. Charlotte Dumoulin from Belgium is volunteering in , Anna Kraska from Poland together with local youth workers supported Finland in an organisation promoting peace, equality, anti-racism a project in Espoo, Finland, in which she carried out activities, like and dialogue. Charlotte is working with youth workers to help them clubs, camps and events for young people from different age groups overcome their prejudices in their work. and backgrounds, including refugees and asylum seekers. Sara Piu from Italy volunteered in , Estonia in a project in Maitreyi-Géraldine Gupta which she supported the final event of the Sport Year Foundation from France, has been Interreg Central Baltic Project. working in Rende, Italy in an organisation support- Lorenza Brustoloni from Italy, volunteered in Cyprus in a project ing asylum seekers and that aimed at improving living standards for infants, children and political refugees, where the elderly in the community of Avgorou. she has been taking care of institutional matters, outlining the immigrants’ THE EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CORPS BEYOND 2020 needs, providing legal With the Commission’s proposal to foresee €1.26 billion for the help, analysing and solving Solidarity Corps in the next EU budget, at least 350,000 other young conflicts and undertaking people will be able to participate in a solidarity activity between social insertion activities. Supporting asylum seekers, Rende, Italy, February 2018 2021 and 2027.