Volunteering
Youth in action
Are you a young individual aged between 13 and 30?
Do want to try out something new? Make new friends?
Gain extra skills and experience? Or just have fun?
If your answer is ‘yes’ for at least one of these questions, have a look below! There are different projects and activities you can take part in local scale or even ABROAD!
The official site of the General Secretariat for Youth of Greece, where you can learn about youth services in Greece: participation and information of young people at national and European level, proposals for leisure time and possibilities for young entrepreneurship.
http://www.neagenia.gr
Action 1 – Youth for Europe
1.1. Youth Exchanges
Youth Exchanges offer an opportunity for groups of young people (aged 13 to 25) from different countries to meet and learn about each other’s cultures.
1.2. Youth Initiatives
Are you a group of young individuals (aged 18-30) that wish to implement a group project? Our “Youth Initiatives” Program will help support your plan while at the same time you can become part of a European network of ideas and experience exchange.
1.3. Youth Democracy Projects
Do you wish to actively participate in a community’s democratic life at local, regional, national or international level? Our “Youth Democratic Projects” Program renders you with this opportunity, provided that you are aged between 13 and 30.
Action 2 – European Voluntary Service
What is EVS?
U must…
- … Be between 18-30
- … Wish to participate in a project abroad for a 2 to 12 months
- …Work 30 hours per week (language course hours included)
- … Be motivated and HAPPY
U don’t have to…
- … Speak the language of the country u would like to go to
- …Have a lot of work experience and skills
U will get
- Accommodation with food
- Travel expenses paid
- Insurance
- Pocket money
- A foreign country language course
- Support of a mentor during all the way through EVS experience
What is it all about?
Volunteering simply means giving up your own time (as little or as much as you like) to help others (individuals, groups, communities), without getting paid (apart from expenses).
Why Volunteer?
Here are some of the benefits you can obtain from a placement.
Gain life experience
Working and living away from your usual environment can be life changing. Your personal horizons can open up and give you new ideas and goals for the future. New relationships are often formed.
Learn new skills
You will learn new skills related to your chosen type of placement and more generally from working and communicating with project staff and fellow volunteers. You will probably receive free training/s too.
Make a difference
Working in a community support project gives you the opportunity to make a difference in other peoples' lives. This can give you the sense that what you do really matters in the world and that you are making a contribution to others' well being.
Understand new culture
Living and working with people of a different culture offers you wider understanding and learning to allow others' differences.
Learn a new language
The opportunity to learn a new language can be of great value to you in the future.
Independence
Learning to become independent and to make your own decisions is a great benefit. A project may be a stepping stone for you to understand how to start your own enterprise in the future, something you may not even imagine is possible for you.
Improved confidence and self-esteem
The sense of achievement you get from a project can bring important positive changes in the way you feel about yourself.
Once you start volunteering you can usually expect to receive out of pocket expenses (eg. travel, lunch); training in preparation for your role, and appropriate support. There may also be opportunities to gain a qualification or other forms of accreditation to add to your CV.
Volunteering is, as the word suggests, voluntary! That means you can decide for yourself how much or how little time to give up and the length of time you commit to. Even those working full-time and with a busy lifestyle should still be able to find something that suits.
Links
Eurotool
Eurotool provides you with information taken from official sources and real experiences about what is YOUTH programme, how do you apply, what has been done till now, what do you really experience, but also with information about the countries that take part in the programme, from their history and time zone to cheap accommodation and cultural events.
http://www.eurotool.net/
Civil Service International
Information about work camps, volunteering, seminars and training. Short- or long-term opportunities are available, it’s up to you to decide. To keep up-to-date, subscribe to the weekly newsletter.
http://www.sci-hellas.tk/
Voluntary Corp of Greek Fireman and Replanters
Adventure, protection of the environment and helping society: sound good? Learn more about the fire protection camp 2003 and check out the questionnaire.
http://www.esepa.germanhonks.de/
Become an Au-Pair
Being an Au Pair can be an experience you'll never forget!
Who is Au-Pair?
Girls (rarely boys), E.U NATIONALS, aged 18-28 who want to spend a period of 6-9-12 and/or 2-3 Summer months to another country (Europe and the US), look after children and play creatively with them for a minimum of 25 hours per week and maximum 40 hour per week, whilst living as a guest in their host family’s house.
Why to become an Au-Pair?
• There is no better way to learn about a culture than to live it. By being a part of a host family you will experience more than you could as a visitor. You will experience foreign country holidays, birthdays, family celebrations, dinners out, and watching kids' sporting events with the family!
• The language! You will have a chance to attend the classes in the local collage that will help you improve the language.
• Make international friends! (In your free time you could meet other Au-pairs working in the area!)
• Gain International work experience!
What your duties would be?
• waking the children and dressing, bathing and playing with them
• preparing meals for the children, tidying up after them, making their beds and washing their clothes
• driving the children to and from school or elsewhere
• helping with homework
• babysitting in the evenings when the parents go out
Your schedule will depend on the ages of the children e.g. if you look after school aged children, then you’ll have quite a bit of free time during the day while the kids are at school.
More information about:
Salary (Pocket money) * Number of working hours and days off * Duration of stay * Language requirements * Health Insurance * Travel costs
Please find on (in Greek or in English):
http://www.ninemuses.gr/aupair.htm
