EVS

European Voluntary Service (EVS) provides young Europeans with the unique chance to express their personal commitment through unpaid and full-time voluntary activities in a foreign country within or outside the EU. In this way, it seeks to develop solidarity, mutual understanding and tolerance among young people, thus contributing to reinforcing social cohesion in the European Union and to promoting young peoples active citizenship. The EVS is part of the Erasmus+ programme.

Open to all young people aged 17 to 30, EVS is a true learning service. Beyond benefiting the local communities, by participating in voluntary activities, young volunteers can develop new skills and, therefore, improve their personal, educational and professional development. Volunteers can benefit from specific training throughout the activity and agree on their expected learning outcomes, processes and methods in advance. Their learning experience is formally recognised through a Youthpass. Participation is free for the volunteers who also get board and lodging, insurance cover and an allowance for the duration of the project.

A successful EVS project requires close co-operation among at least three key players: a sending organisation, a host organisation and the volunteer. One of the organisations involved in this partnership also plays the role of coordinating organisation and applies for an EU grant on behalf of the partnership. Organisations perform a number of roles: they identify volunteering opportunities and develop projects that benefit the local community. They also recruit and prepare the volunteers, host them, and ensure follow-up.

 

The Csemete Kindergarten and Nursery is part of this European Programme. We are hosting volunteers, who participate in the everyday life of the children. Our volunteers speak fluent English, helping the children to learn the language simpler in a daily basis.

The volunteers present their country, city, region, where they come from. Showing to the children these different cultures, traditions we help them develop tolerance, sense of community and teach them how to work in a multicultural environment.

Our volunteers were from Austria, from Norway, from Germany, from Switzerland, from India, from Spain, from France, from Estonia, from Portugal, from Ireland and from the UK. They spent a year here and taught the children English.