Time 2 Team

It is an undeniable fact, shared among a majority of youth organisations, that European Solidarity Corps (ESC) has brought new perspectives for volunteering in Europe. The programme was first announced in 2016 by Jean-Claude Juncker during his State of EU speech, surprising all organisations active in the field of youth. Thanks to its ambitious plan it aims to reach 100000 young people until 2020, while the European institutions have all agreed to continue its implementation further on, with an increased budget allocation for the new Multi-annual Financial Framework. The ESC is built upon the successful implementation of the previously known as European Voluntary Service programme, a flagship programme of the EU for the last 20 years. Even though similarities between the two programmes are evident, there are new elements introduced with its major one being the Volunteering Teams. Volunteering Teams in its core idea involve from 10 to 40 young people for a period of 2 weeks to 2 months supporting a local community through an international volunteering project. Over the last 100 years of its existence, the International Voluntary Service movement has been developing international workcamps as its core activity, which now have been recognised by the EU through the creation of an EU Programme, the European Solidarity Corps and the insertion of the concept of volunteering teams therein. Every year, more than 5000+ local projects are organised with the participation of more than 40000 international volunteers from all over the world. While ESC is an opportunity both for youth organisations and young people, the programme also poses certain threats to already existing forms of youth participation and engagement being developed and implemented by youth organisations. The new programme and procedure through the new platform (PASS) also shake up our ways of working, ensuring good quality of exchanges, volunteers preparation and projects itself.Consequently, the project aims to ensure the sustainability of the international volunteering activities, whether funded by an EU programme or being funded by organisations’ own sources as well as to upscale already existing methods that will lead to increased quality and recognition of youth work and volunteering in Europe. Through a thorough identification of the already existing practices and the methodological analysis, the consortium will be able to present standardised methods and tools for youth workers and volunteering organisations working in the field of international volunteering and mobility. The main objectives of this project include:- identify best practice, successful working methods and tools for the development of volunteering team activities within the IVS movement, and extended,- standardise and upscale existing practice in the field of International Volunteering,- increase the quality of youth work through enhanced methodological planning, preparation, mentoring and follow up of volunteering team activities,- disseminate the project results to other stakeholders implementing volunteering teams,- ensure empowerment, by upscaling the impact of international mobility for the integration of young people with fewer opportunities, migrants and refugees in local and international actions for social change.Based on the experience of the organisations participating in the project, we aim to analyse the current reality, exchange and standardise good practice and be able to multiply the results to other IVS organisations implementing ESC Volunteering Teams. Through this project and the produced outcomes, the partnership aims to improve the quality of the projects offered as well as extend the practice already in place with more than 100 youth/volunteering organisations in Europe.