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SALTO European Solidarity Corps

Solidarity Corps

Strengthening European Volunteering

SNAC – Strategic National Agencies’ Cooperation 2022–2027

The overall aim of the SNAC Volunteering is strengthening the European Solidarity Corps programme and putting solidarity at the heart of volunteerism. The project aims to become a tool to implement the recent council conclusions on the Mobility of Young Volunteers and Cross-Border Solidarity.

This will be achieved by a series of activities to strengthen the visibility of volunteering in the programme and foster the collaboration on volunteering and solidarity among stakeholders. Different activities will support the development of European volunteering and strengthen the cooperation in Europe and beyond.

Objectives

  • Increasing the knowledge about the European Solidarity Corps programme and its impact
  • Supporting the knowledge exchange around European volunteering and solidarity
  • Advocating for better conditions for European volunteering
  • Increasing the visibility of European volunteering
  • Fostering the collaboration among stakeholders and strengthening the community(ies) of practise

Background and Needs

With the new programme generation starting 2021, the European Solidarity Corps programme has undergone a shift towards a pure volunteering scheme for local and international volunteering.

There is a need to explore the following questions together as a network of National Agencies: What does the shift to volunteering imply for the community of practice? What are the new trends? What are the risks? How can we improve the conditions for different strands of the ESC (Individual, Teams, Solidarity Projects) and look deeper into complementarity of national and EU volunteering? What is needed to strengthen European volunteering?

Embedded in European Policy

In 2020, an Expert Group on the Mobility of Young Volunteers and Cross-Border, involving SALTO ESC, developed a Background Paper to support the European Commission in reviewing the 2008 Council Recommendation on the mobility of young volunteers, as well as a practical toolbox for actors and stakeholders in the field of youth, “Promoting the mobility of young volunteers and cross-border solidarity”. Find the all documents here.

Concrete Activities within the SNAC Volunteering

PROVIDING EVIDENCE AND ANALYSIS

The following research results will be published in 2023

  • Mapping and analysis of research on (youth) volunteering in Europe
  • Mapping European Engagement Programmes (national and European schemes)
  • Exploration of the needs of young poeple and organisations. New trends in volunteering and solidarity activities.
  • Explore complementarity and synergies to other youth Programmes
  • Explore complementarity and synergies between regional/national schemes of youth volunteering and the ESC programmes

KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

  • Create space to share knowledge within the National agencies and regional SALTO`s
  • Create space for and support exchange among National agencies, experts, ministries and the European Comission
  • Organization of a bi-annual Volunteering Conference (First edition: 3.-6.10.2023 in Montenegro)
  • Creation of a “communit(ies) of practice” Concept paper

VISIBILITY and ADVOCACY

  • Development of communication, visibility and support measurements to improve the visibility of EU volunteering schemes in the EU and the  neighbouring partner regions
  • Advocacy concept to strengthen the European Solidarity Corps Programme
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