Volunteer With GEYC

ESC 2021-1-RO01-ESC50-095881 | ESC-HUMAID-2021-QUAL-LABEL Includes GEYC's activities in the field of Accredited projects for volunteering mobilities (ESC-51), approved for the period 2021-2027 | Humanitarian AID activities approved for the period 2025-2029.

Annual work plan

2021-2-RO01-ESC51-VTJ-000044592			Feb-2022 Jan-2024	EU Grant 73,354.00 €
3 activities	38 participants	32 with fewer opportunities	10 travelling green	6 participating organisations

2022-1-RO01-ESC51-VTJ-000080597			Nov-2022 Oct-2024	EU Grant 76,593.14 €
5 activities	37 participants	35 with fewer opportunities	12 travelling green	9 participating organisations

2023-1-RO01-ESC51-VTJ-000138350			Dec-2023 Dec-2025	EU Grant 78,430.90 €
5 activities	41 participants	32 with fewer opportunities	15 travelling green	9 participating organisations

Volunteering stories

Our objectives

O1 Eco Echo

The Eco-Echo workshops are a series of 6 workshops facilitated by our European Solidarity Corps volunteers. They go in the high-schools to explore sustainability topics with the students by using non-formal education to share information, open discussion and push students to reflect on this topic. They want to support them to be more aware of the environmental crisis and to give them ideas of tools that they can use to take action.
They cover the following topics: Plastic, Food & Water Waste, Paper, Recycling & Upcycling, Renewable energy and end up with the last workshop, Online Campaigns that makes the students acknowledge what they learned and to conclude the experience.

O2 Activism Collectors

Through our activities we aim to promote the values of tolerance, inclusion and equality and the importance of human rights education for young people.
The Activism Collectors series started in 2022, with the first cohort of ESC Volunteers starting their mission in Bucharest. Eight ESC Volunteering missions in multiple countries such as Romania, Morroco & Italy have contributed to this project since then. Almost 100 interviews and 2 podcast series later, we have showcased important stories of activists in civil society, sustainability, and technology.
Over the past years, we have interviewed many people actively involved in civil society, volunteering or social issues in the cities of Bucharest, Câmpina, Larache, Bari and many more.

O3 New media ambassadors

New media ambassadors is a series of five workshops, facilitated by our European Solidarity Corps volunteers. They go to high schools to support students in exploring digital topics through non-formal education. During these sessions, they encourage the class to share ideas, keep an open discussion, and reflect on important topics to become more aware of the digital transformation and equip them with key competencies to use while actively contributing to positive change in their communities.
It covers the following topics: digital competencies, safety, online information, digital content production, and communication. The core concepts are based on the Digital Competence Wheel, an interactive online tool developed by the Center for Digital Dannelse, starting from the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DIGCOMP 2.2) framework. We have also used DIGCOMP 2.2 to define the knowledge, skills, and attitudes we aim to foster among our target group. However, these do not represent an exhaustive list of what the digital competence itself entails, but a solid foundation on which students can add more layers through follow-up learning programmes.

O4 Community Days

Our objective is to provide guidance to young people who would like to start a business, but they don’t have the entrepreneurial knowledge yet.
This objective links to the need of creating an entrepreneurial environment by promoting initiatives and opportunities that stimulate active participation and social responsibility through the fact that it pushes young people to think of themselves not only as employees but also as entrepreneurs, as people who have the capacity to create a business and employ other people.

Term	Definition
Accompanying person	An accompanying person accompanies participants (learners, adult learners or staff/youth workers) in a mobility activity to ensure their safety, provide support and assistance, and facilitate effective learning during the mobility experience. An accompanying person may accompany participants with fewer opportunities or minors and youngsters with little experience outside their own country.
Activity day	An activity day is a part of a youth activity that includes activities linked to reaching the project objectives, free time, social and cultural activities, based on a structured timetable.
Co-financing	The principle under which part of the costs of a project supported by the EU must be born by the beneficiary, or covered through external contributions other than the EU grant.
Digital Youth Work	Proactively using or addressing digital media and technology in youth work. Digital media and technology can be either a tool, an activity or a content in youth work. Digital youth work is not a youth work method, it can be included in any youth work setting and it has the same goals as youth work in general.
Distance band	Based on the distance expressed in km, the corresponding distance band must be chosen in the application and report forms. The distance band is calculated between participants location and the project venue. Distance calculator is available at https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/distance-calculator
Force majeure	An unforeseeable exceptional situation or event beyond the participant's control and not attributable to error or negligence on his/her part.
Green Travel	Green travel is defined as the travel that uses low-emissions means of transport for the main part of the travel, such as bus, train or car-pooling. In order for an itinerary to be considered as been done on a green travel policy at least 50% of the itinerary length has to be done with low-emissions means of transport.
Group Leader	In youth mobility projects, a group leader is an adult of at least 18 years old who joins the young people participating in a Youth Exchange in order to ensure their effective learning (Youthpass), protection and safety.
Informal learning	Informal learning refers to the learning in daily life activities, in work, with peers, etc. It is mainly learning by doing, is not organized or structured in terms of objectives, time or learning support; and it may be unintentional from the learner's perspective. In the youth sector, informal learning can take place in youth initiatives, in peer group discussions, through voluntary activities and in a variety of other situations.
Key competences	The basic set of knowledge, skills and attitudes which all individuals need for personal fulfilment and development, active citizenship, social inclusion and employment, as described in the Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning.
Learning mobility	Taking part in an activity consisting of a period of moving physically to a country other than the country of residence, possibly combined with a period of virtual participation, in order to undertake study, training or non-formal or informal learning. It may take the form of traineeships, apprenticeships, youth exchanges, teaching or participation in a professional development activity, and may include preparatory activities, such as training in the host language, as well as sending, receiving and follow-up activities.
Learning outcomes	Statements of what a learner knows, understands and is able to do on completion of a learning process, which are defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence.
Non-formal learning	Non-formal learning refers to the learning which takes place outside the formal educational curriculum. It has a participative and learner-centred approach; it is carried out by learners on a voluntary basis and therefore is closely linked to young people's needs, aspirations and interests. By providing an additional source and new forms of learning, such activities are also important means to improve the attainment in formal education and training as well as to address young NEETs (i.e. young people not in employment, education or training) or young people with fewer opportunities and combat social exclusion.
Participants	Erasmus+ participants are those individuals who are fully involved in a project and who may receive part of the European Union grant intended to cover their costs of participation (notably travel and subsistence).
Participant with fewer opportunities	People with fewer opportunities means people who, for economic, social, cultural, geographical or health reasons, a migrant background, or for reasons such as disability and educational difficulties or for any other reasons, including those that can give rise to discrimination under article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental rights of the European Union, face obstacles that prevent them from having effective access to opportunities under the programme.
Peer Learning	A reciprocal learning activity, which is mutually beneficial and involves the sharing of knowledge, ideas and experience between the participants. Peer learning practices enable them to interact with other participants, their peers, and participate in activities where they can learn from each other and meet educational, professional and/or personal development goals.
Preparatory visits	Preparatory visits aim to ensure high quality activities by facilitating and preparing administrative arrangements, building trust and understanding and setting-up a solid partnership between the organisations and people involved. In the case of Youth Exchanges activities with young people with fewer opportunities, the preparatory visit should enable them to ensure that the specific needs of the participants can be catered for. Preparatory Visits take place in the country of one of the receiving organisations before the start of the Youth Exchange activity.
Professional development	Process of enhancing the professional capabilities of participants (learners and staff) by developing competences and expertise and acquiring new skills, which are normally identified in a development needs analysis. Professional development encompasses all types of learning opportunities, ranging from structured training and seminars to informal learning opportunities.
Project	A coherent set of activities which are designed and organised in order to achieve defined objectives and results.
Smart Youth Work	The innovative development of youth work encompassing digital youth work practice, and including a research, quality and policy component. The European Quality in Youth Projects 2.0 (EQYP 2.0) Standard outlines the main guidelines on five pillars - project management, marketing, financial, non-formal learning, partnerships-, and three dimensions - green, social and digital.
Travel day	A travel day is a day in which participants are travelling from their location to the project venue, or the other way around.
Validation of non-formal and informal learning	A process of confirmation by an authorised body that an individual has acquired learning outcomes measured against a relevant standard and consists of the following four distinct phases: 1. Identification through dialogue of particular experiences of an individual; 2. Documentation to make visible the individual's experiences; 3. A formal assessment of these experiences; and 4. Certification of the results of the assessment which may lead to a partial or full qualification
Young people	In the context of the Erasmus+ Programme, individuals aged between 13 and 30.
Youth activity	An out-of-school activity (such as youth exchange, volunteering or youth training) carried out by a young person, either individually or in a group, in particular through youth organisations, and characterised by a non-formal learning approach.
Youth Exchange	Youth Exchanges are meetings of groups of young people from at least two different countries who gather for a short period to implement jointly a non-formal learning programme (a mix of workshops, exercises, debates, role-plays, simulations, outdoor activities, etc.) on a topic of their interest, seeking inspiration from the European Youth Goals. The learning period comprises preparation phase before as well as evaluation and follow-up after the exchange. The following activities are not eligible for grants under Youth Exchanges: academic study trips; exchange activities that aim to make financial profit; exchange activities that can be considered as tourism; festivals; holiday travel; performance tours, statutory meetings, training courses by adults for young people.
Youth worker	A professional or a volunteer involved in non-formal learning who supports young people in their personal socio-educational, and professional development. Taking into consideration the features above, participating in a programme developed by GEYC as a youth worker is possible if you meet the following criteria: You have worked with youth (14-35 years old) for at least 20 hours in the past 6 months leading activities linked to facilitating a learning process, guiding, mentoring, coaching, informing or supporting young people, online and/or offline, outside the formal education setting.
Youthpass	The European tool to improve the recognition of the learning outcomes of young people and youth workers from their participation in projects supported by the Erasmus+ Programme. Youthpass consists of: a) certificates that can be obtained by participants in several Actions of the Programme; and b) a defined process which supports young people, youth workers and youth organisations to reflect about the learning outcomes from an Erasmus+ project in the field of youth and non-formal learning. Youthpass is also part of a broader European Commission strategy which aims to enhance the recognition of non-formal and informal learning and of youth work in Europe and beyond.