Activating citizens – municipalities/local authorities making use of the European Solidarity Corps

The aims of the seminar

The main aim of the seminar is to motivate and support municipalities to make use of the European Solidarity Corps Programme as a tool for social cohesion and solidarity. We will explore how to bring a sustainable added value in the local community by supporting the active engagement of young people in voluntary activities or solidarity projects to achieve social cohesion in local communities.

Content of the seminar

The event will:

• present the funding opportunities of the new European Solidarity Corps Programme 2021-2027 to demonstrate how the programme works in practice.
• highlight inspiring examples from Cyprus, other European countries and the partner regions will illustrate how municipalities and their youngsters can benefit from the European Solidarity Corps.
• showcase how volunteering within the European Solidarity Corps can foster social innovation, inclusion and can lead to a sustainable added value in communities
• offer space for networking, exchange of good practices and counseling through Group work sessions.
• present other opportunities for municipalities such as Erasmus+ and CERV that want to strengthen their existing networks through involving the young generation will be part of the seminar as well.

Target group

The seminar offers opportunities for:

• representatives of municipalities and other local authorities, who have experience in European topics and are interested in incorporating young people into their international activities
• representatives of municipalities and other local authorities from youth work or active citizenship, who are interested in funding opportunities for their local projects
• representatives from organizations from the field of youth work, who closely cooperate with their municipality and local community.
• Youth organizations are highly recommended to apply together with a representative of a municipality or other local authority as a tandem.

Implementation of the seminar

The seminar will involve approx. 30 participants from all over Europe and the partner regions (Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership Countries, South-Mediterranean countries).

The seminar will be implemented online via ZOOM and other tools, in 2 days 13.06 and 20.06 (1 day each week with two half-day long sessions from 9:30 - 15:00 CET with breaks included). The seminar is hosted by the Cyprus National Agency for E+ and ESC, the SALTO European Solidarity Corps Resource Centre and the European Goes Local network.

The event will be translated into international sign language.

Background

This activity was piloted in 2020-22 by the Finnish, German, Austrian and Bulgarian National agencies for the European Solidarity Corps. Outcomes of previous seminars can be found here: https://www.salto-youth.net/rc/solidarity/training-support-community/activatingcitizen/

The transnational activities are implemented in a cooperation with European Goes Local network www.europegoeslocal.eu 

Application procedure and contact

Please submit your application until 23/05/2023.

Selection results will be send to you by 30/05/2023.

For further questions please contact NA Cyprus:

Eleftheria Christoforou - echristoforou@onek.org.cy

Alternative: Jana Randa (SALTO ESC) - jana.randa@oead.at