GEYC has been actively involved in European Solidarity Corps Sending activities since 2014 & in Hosting & Lead activities since 2022.
Since then, GEYC has led 9 missions, hosted 70 volunteers, and supported over 100+ volunteers to reach over 5000 people through solidarity activities.
The main activities of the volunteers have revolved around the Eco Echo worshkops, the Pixels of Change workshops, the Activism Collectors interview series, as well as the GEYC Community Days series of events (such as the European Digital Youth Summit, or the YOUth Art Festival).
In the past years, GEYC has received awards for the volunteering activities, such as:
- 2024 Global Education Youth Award.
- 2023 SALTO Awards for Environment & Fight Against Climate Change.
Below, you may find some of the stories of our volunteers:
ESC Hosting Stories
Lidia Meloni, #EDYS24 (Team Volunteering | July 2024)
My name is Lidia, and I am a 26-year-old Italian woman studying human rights at university.
I worked in Bucharest for a month alongside other international and local volunteers. Looking back, I would absolutely do it again! This journey was immensely important to me; it helped me confront fears that once seemed insurmountable, grow as a person, become more resilient, and gain new skills essential for my professional development.
On a human level, this experience was much more than that. It taught me the value of teamwork and the power of unity among people who come together without prejudice or malice to achieve a common goal and support each other.
I rediscovered trust in others and the true joy of sharing moments together.
Thanks to this experience, I feel stronger and have much more confidence in myself and my abilities. I will always treasure this experience, and Bucharest will always have a special place in my heart.
Base ✈️ Italy
Rebeca Doscas, #EDY S24 (Team Volunteering | July 2024)
My name is Rebeca, and I'm a 22-year-old Law and Business student from Bucharest. This project was my first experience with European Solidarity Corps Mobilities, and I am sure it won't be my last! During these three weeks I got the chance to work with a great team in order to promote the Summit that took place on the 19th of July 2024.
At the beginning, I didn't know what to expect from this project, but the whole experience was a great way to spend these beautiful weeks of July. Throughout the project I developed new skills, especially regarding photo and video editing, but also team work and socializing with new people. The European Digital Youth Summit was a transformative experience for me, significantly enhancing my skills and resilience.
Helping in organizing this big event was so fulfilling when we saw the final result. From the main event, the panel where the speakers shared useful information to the three tracks: green, digital and social, the summit was a success. The difficulties that we encountered during our volunteering were too little to even remember, but for sure we handled them by always discussing and listening to each other.
I'm grateful for registering to this project, because I got the chance to meet and work with young and passionate people who at the beginning were complete strangers, but finished this project being almost like a family.
I would recommend to everyone to register and do as many projects as possible while they are young and have this opportunity!
Base ✈️ Romania
Ahmed Elzomor, A Sustainable Life (Long Term Volunteering | March - August 2024)
My experience here has been out of the ordinary, life-changing, and eye-opening, as I have learned how different yet similar people are. I was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. Minutes away from a wonder of the world that is a normal daily scene for me. My name is Ahmed Elzomor, but if we met before, you would know me as "Zee".
"The people there are cold" is what I always heard from everyone before going to Romania, Day 1 there already broke that stereotype while in the airport waiting for my already late luggage on a heavily rainy day, a group of Romanians that was on the same plane with me that had nothing but warm smiles on their faces asked me "Did someone gave you a hug yet?"
Being alone, my answer was obviously no. They followed by saying, "Let us be the first then! Welcome to Romania!". From that point my mind shifted to expecting the best in people and being the light you want to see in others. Coming here, I had so much that I wanted to achieve and do, and thankfully, I got to do it.
Since day one, my coordinator has told me, "It is a marathon, not a race. You have to pace yourself." Through that, I have learned that I need to slow down and take things as they are. I need to embrace the uncertainty and know that nothing is constant, which is fine.
I had the chance to work and live with a diverse group of people from different parts of the world. We shared the ups and downs, and I now have people that I can't imagine my life without. I realized that no one really cares about where you come from but rather who you are and what you believe in.
Many people in Romania opened their houses for me, shared their lives with me and showed me that solidarity knows no borders. I experienced first-hand how hard it is to be far from home in a different culture and how difficult yet beautiful it is to learn more about others. I came here as a stranger and will leave feeling like I have a home here.
Base ✈️ Egypt
Catalina Marino Aguirre, A Sustainable Life (Long Term Volunteering | April - August 2024)
Everyone asks me how, from so many countries, I ended up in Romania. In the beginning, I didn't know what to answer since I was asking myself the same question.
The reality was that I got accepted to a project that I was very interested in and impulsively bought a flight to Bucharest. That's the truth and also the easiest answer. They also asked me why I chose Romania to volunteer. Well, my answer to that was always "why not?"
Romania was a completely new place for me, and it was the first country after Argentina that I'd lived in for so long. I had no idea about the language, the traditions or what to expect. Still, I managed to feel at home super fast. The main reason was to have a cause to believe in and to work for.
Additionally, my amazing colleagues from different parts of the globe made everything not only fun but also more meaningful. It was amazing to meet people from Egypt, Austria, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Morocco, Moldova and Romania and to put our hearts together to move towards a common goal: building a more sustainable future.
By coming to Bucharest to work on this project, I decided to share my vision with the youth and, hopefully, to encourage some of them to act towards a positive change.
For the past months, I've learned, I've taught, and I've grown. I learned to work with an international and diverse team and to live in a country where I didn't even speak the language. I learned more about sustainability while teaching in the classes and exchanging ideas with the students. I grew personally every day by challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone.
I also stopped asking myself why and how I ended up in Romania. I started being grateful for the decision to stay almost half a year and to have a bigger impact.
Base ✈️ Italy
Theodor Șaptefrați, YOUth Art Festival (Team Volunteering | 2023 & 2024)
My experience organizing the second YOUth Art Festival was both a familiar and a new challenge. Being an artistic person, I returned to my creative roots and expressed myself in new ways, where I could observe the needs and desires of those around me. This led to creating one of the most appreciated activities in the project, namely an Escape Room, which was a true success for me and the entire team. It also brought us joy and motivation to keep going and inspire young people toward future editions!
Base ✈️ Romania
lonelia Hirju, European Civic Service (Long Term Volunteering | October 2022 - September 2023)
I'll admit, I didn't expect so many changes to come from a volunteer experience. ' give you 3 reasons to apply for such an opportunity, and you can check out the article published on the GEYC website, "10 reasons to apply for a long-term ESC volunteering mission":
- You're part of creating a positive change in the community,
- You have constant access to European opportunities,
- You're part of a culturally diverse community.
How cool is that?
Base ✈️ Romania
ESC Sending Stories
Stefania Cozma, Sportjugend im Landessportbund Brandenburg e.V. (Long Term Volunteering | October 2023 - October 2024)
In the 12 months of my ESC (European Solidarity Corps) experience, | went through every possible emotion, which makes me say today that I'm proud of myself. From ordinary days in the office and German lessons to the Olympic Games, I completed my volunteering, realizing that I have grown both personally and professionally, and that I found myself along the streets whose names I can now pronounce!
Base ✈️ Germany
Robert Iamandi, Green Association (Long Term Volunteering | November 2023 - November 2024)
My experience with the Green Association has been incredible—working with natural materials and learning sustainable practices in such a beautiful setting has been inspiring. GEYC, my sending organization, provided all the essential information for my European Solidarity Corps journey, ensuring I felt prepared and supported before my arrival.
Base ✈️ Romania
Mihaela Hesfelean, Extremadura Solidarity Corps IV (Long Term Volunteering | April 2023 - February 2024)
My 10-month volunteer experience in Spain through the European Solidarity Corps was truly amazing! I had the opportunity to work on Erasmus+ projects, engaging with young people, in sports, and supporting individuals with disabilities, which allowed me to grow tremendously both professionally and personally. I discovered a new culture, learned Spanish, and traveled to places I never thought l'd reach. I highly recommend such an experience to anyone, and I am grateful to the GEYC team for the support they provided throughout the project. Learn more here!
Base ✈️ Romania
Irina Alexandru, AVRIL Hosting Organization (Short-Term Volunteering | September 2024 - November 2024)
It is difficult for me to put on paper the best months of my gap year. However, I will try my best to ‘capture’ the essence; and that is: community. The time I spent in Coutances changed my life, forever. What stuck with me the most is the feeling of ‘I belong’. Never in my life have I felt that so strongly. I became a better version of myself there. My connection to my emotions has been truly established in Coutances! Not on a surface level, but in a deep and personal way. For that, I have to thank Perrine, the best mentor, and Alkisti, Daria, Javier, Judith and Florian. Now, my new habits have had a bit of time to fully grow roots within me, and I know they are here to stay. Regarding this, I would like to add that I consider myself a very independent person, someone who, in a way or another, wants to be in control of their own life, therefore vulnerability was a bit of a strange concept from my side. Someone very wise, Alkisti, opened my eyes to a new perspective, with such incredible and warm words: “There’s nothing wrong with vulnerability, in fact, people should feel happy that one trusted them enough to open up”.
Also, I am very grateful and happy to have had the chance to make a difference in the world through the chantiers and through some new sustainable ‘tricks’ I have been exposed to and made my own. I loved the challenges some of the tasks represented and I truly appreciated how us, as a team, always managed to overcome them.Base ✈️ Romania