European Voluntary Service

The European Solidarity Corps is a European Union program that aims to promote solidarity as a value in volunteering at home or abroad, on projects that benefit communities and people across Europe. Its main objective is to strengthen cohesion, solidarity, democracy and citizenship in Europe.

Projects supported by the European Solidarity Corps offer short and long-term voluntary activities for both individuals and groups. They may last from two weeks to twelve months. Their implementation usually takes place in the Member States of the European Union. The participation in the voluntary activities is free of charge for the volunteers and participants costs are covered by the European Commission grant program - the amount of the participants costs can vary, depending on the country you are coming to.

In the Bratislava Volunteer Center, we are looking for participants who could get involved in our projects. We implement our projects in the city of Bratislava and in the Bratislava region. As part of our projects, you can choose to help various non-profit organizations as well as local governments.

The projects you are applying for are always dedicated to the challenges of a specific community, but they can also help solving regional or even national problems. Each project includes one of the following challenges: inclusion, climate change, democratic engagement, citizenship or gender equality. The trained volunteers will be working on the project for a maximum of 30 hours per week. The timetable is agreed in advance, so you will have enough free time for your own activities, getting to know the new culture and the people around you.

You can read about the experience of slovak and foreign volunteers on our blog.

Anyone who has reached the age of 18 can apply for the project and, after a successful selection, participate. You can apply at the age of 17 but you must be 18 at the beginning of the project. The maximum age at which you can participate in a project is 30 years. The participant's residence can be in any of the participating countries of the European Solidarity Corps - these are all countries of the European Union, Iceland, Turkey and North Macedonia.

The project you apply for can be individual or group project. Other conditions laid down by the European Union are:

• consent to the mission and respect of the principles of the European Solidarity Corps,
• registration on the European Solidarity Corps website and sign in for published opportunities.

The specific requirements (like experience, personality or character traits) are always set by the organization in charge of the project you are applying for. Before travelling, each candidate is awaiting a selection procedure and an online or personal interview. After successful selection, you will have to complete the training, sign the volunteering contract, get acquainted with the job description and conclude an insurance (special insurance for volunteers).

You will receive help and guidance on the entire process from your sending organization or from BDC.

Even if you only seek for an advice, please contact us.

We look forward to seeing you!
BDC Team

Projects are supported by the EU European Solidarity Corps.