What is the European Volunteering?

European Volunteering (with European Solidarity Corps program, previously called European Voluntary Service) offers a mobility experience in a country other than France. It allows the volunteer to get involved in missions of general interest within a non-profit organization, to discover another culture, to have another view of the world and its global challenges, to acquire useful personal and professional skills; and encouraging the building of new international partnerships and the exchange of good practices.

Get in the mood with this video!

For who ? Which destinations are possible?

ESC is aimed at young people aged between 17 and 30 and does not require prior skills. French volunteers can carry out their project and go to all the eligible countries, namely the « program » countries, or the « neighboring EU » countries. Very few projects are offered in the rest of the world.

How ?

A support is provided before, during and after the ESC by the organisations involved in the project. The ESC is in the form of a contract between the volunteer, the host organization in the foreign country, the sending organization of the country of origin and the coordinating organization. The host organization assigns the missions and deals with the proper functioning of daily life during the volunteering. The sending organization prepares the young person to leave for ESC and then builds upon the experience. The coordinating organization is responsible for following up the volunteer.

How much does it cost to participate ? 

This program is funded by the European Commission via the European Solidarity Corps Program. It covers transportation, accommodation, food costs, health insurance, language support and monthly pocket money. There may be a contribution to the transport costs if they exceed the fixed amount allocated by the European Commission.

Information and applications 

Do not wait, you can already apply to all our mission offers. To do so, it’s easy, just fill out an application form that you can get though contacting the volunteering team!

Finally, we can also support you in the identification of a mission specifically taylored, but it requires a lot of motivation, commitment and patience: at least 6 months of waiting before an effective departure.

Check out our volunteering offers (in French, aimed at residents in France willing to live an experience outside of France)

If you wish to have more information about a particular offer, contact us by email on volontariat@hors-pistes.org  or by phone at 09-52-86-00-44.