Agenzia Nazionale Giovani (Italian National Agency) presents the research report “Effects of Active Citizenship on the Employability of Volunteers Participating in the European Solidarity Corps Programme“.

Effects of the European Solidarity Corps on Youth Employability

Open mindset, networking, active participation in social and democratic life, transversal skills: these are, according to the research carried out by the Agenzia Nazionale per i Giovani “Effects of Active Citizenship in the Employability of Volunteers Participating in the ESC Programme”, the main characteristics acquired by the Volunteers participating in the European Solidarity Corps, a project based on more than 25 years of European programmes in the fields of youth and solidarity.

The EU programme, managed in Italy by ANG, since 2018 allows thousands of girls and boys to live voluntary and solidarity experiences all over Europe within projects designed to help communities or populations. In fact, the programme’s activities support the objectives of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027, which encourages young people to active and responsible participation in social, economic, cultural, political and civic spheres through exchange opportunities in a European context.

The Research

The primary aim of the research was to identify the potential impact of the programme on the world of work for Italian volunteers who participated in European volunteering projects, investigating to what extent this experience has a positive impact on employability, but also on the improvement of their personal skills and abilities.

42.5% of the interviewees, out of a total sample of 244 subjects (64 men and 153 women) with an average age of 27.8 years, 60% coming from Northern Italy, followed by 20% from the South and Islands and only 13.5% from Central Italy, highlight how the experience abroad proves to be a strategic lever for the development of a more open-minded personal and professional outlook; 8.63% emphasise an increased awareness of the value of diversity and inclusion obtained by strengthening their networks of extra-national relations and learning new cultural models in the organisational sphere and in the management of relations; again, 12% highlight how participation in the programme favours the development of specific and transversal skills.

An important element to underline, in order to reinforce the message that emerges from these data, is also that at the time of the interview, the population under analysis was mostly in a condition of employability or training (55.3% employed and 30.3% student/trainee) and only 9% were seeking employment. In addition, 85% confirmed that they intended to undertake further mobility in the future, demonstrating an awareness of how investing in their training can be a driver for finding employment.

Among the main motivations behind the decision to join the European Solidarity Corps programme are in fact both the need for personal development in order to experience and deal with a context different from the domestic one, and the desire to expand one’s professional dimension, improving one’s skills and competences, and the desire to network in order to build new relationships.

“Youth volunteering through the European Solidarity Corps programme,” says Lucia Abbinante, Director General of ANG, “is an extraordinary opportunity that broadens the cognitive horizons of the young volunteers involved. The comparison with other cultures, personal growth, active participation in political, cultural, democratic and civic life in a European context contributes to forming citizens of the future who respect the values of inclusion, equality, social, economic and environmental sustainability. The photograph returned by the research overcomes and demolishes all the clichés about a generation that, when not ignored, is portrayed as disinterested and apathetic: nothing could be further from the truth. It is the duty of the institutions, on the contrary, to widen these opportunities, make them more accessible and overcome the gap that can still be bridged in this age group, before it is too late. Training even in non-formal contexts is a driving force for the future, and the research carried out by the Agenzia Nazionale Giovani shows precisely how much experiences of this kind help to enrich knowledge and skills with positive spin-offs in terms of employability. A new generation of European citizens is growing up and deserves more attention’.

In fact, the research shows how participation in the ESC programme increased participants’ awareness of social issues (72.65%) – such as democracy, immigration, sustainability, equality, exclusion, citizenship, equal opportunities – confirming how experience abroad facilitates the development of multifaceted knowledge.

Critical thinking, greater self-confidence in oneself and in one’s choices, the ability to mediate and adapt to different contexts and cultures, and language skills are the main competences learnt detected by those who, between 2018 and 2020, took part in the European Solidarity Corps projects: a crucial training background to face future challenges in the world of work, but also in life.

L'articolo Italian National Agency Research | Effects of the European Solidarity Corps on Youth Employability proviene da Youth Networks.

About the research

The sample was made up of the International Youth Organisations (INGYOs), National Youth Councils (NYCs), national and local youth organisations and volunteer-based youth workers from 15 European countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Latvia, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland). The research participants were encouraged to reflect on the concept and value of volunteer-based youth work and to elaborate on how it has been implemented in practice, in terms of support systems, education, training and career prospects for volunteers in youth work.

Download the research here.

The research participants were encouraged to reflect on the concept and value of volunteer-based youth work and to elaborate on how it has been implemented in practice, in terms of support systems, education, training and career prospects for volunteers in youth work. They were invited to identify the main challenges and opportunities in these areas, and to suggest policy recommendations for different audiences (governments, agencies, youth organisations, etc.).

Results

The research findings reveal that the understanding of the concept of volunteer-based youth work is lacking amongst various members of the youth work community of practice, and that its relationship with the concept of volunteering is unclear.

The value of volunteering in youth work is beyond doubt, and is linked to both individual and social aspects.

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L'articolo Research on volunteer-based youth work proviene da Youth Networks.

Erasmus+ Priorities

Among the objectives to pursue, here are the four main ones:

• Promoting inclusion and diversity;
• Making projects ‘greener’ and encouraging environmentally sustainable and responsible behaviour among participants and participating organisations;
• Supporting the digital transition through projects and activities that boost digital skills, foster digital literacy and develop understanding of the risks and opportunities of digital technology;
• Promoting the participation of young people in democratic processes and civic engagement.

Environmental Sustainability

A new research maps out Erasmus+ projects in education for environmental sustainability and highlights 15 case studies, summarising the findings from the Erasmus+ programme which showcase successful educational approaches towards learning for environmental sustainability. 

Education and training plays a crucial role in helping people understand and act on environmental sustainability. For this reason, the European Commission supports actions which work towards this goal. According to a new study, there have been thousands of Erasmus+ projects which focus on learning for environmental sustainability since 2014.

The Power of European Projects Toward Sustainability

Over European Projects, transnational teams come together to explore environmental challenges of common European and global concern, with a variety of innovative, interdisciplinary, hands-on methods: from simulation games, and science-technology-society education models, to GPS-based scavenger hunt apps.

Explore these successful cases, and get inspiration!

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Toolbox on Values, Sustainability and Social Impact of Social-Solidarity Economy

L'articolo Erasmus+ Projects for Environmental Sustainability proviene da Youth Networks.

The call for theHorizon impact award wants to give an answer to all these questions. The European Commission aims at recognizing and celebrating with this “outstanding projects that have used their results to provide value for society”, as one can read on its official website. The mission of the award is to demonstrate the importance of the benefits and investment provided by the EC to the innovation field. Although the results may not be immediate, in fact, and the real changes can often be apreciated only in the long-term, this doesn’t neglets the importance of such measures to foster innovation and research.

Through the sharing of good practices, results and achievements, it will be possible for other workers in the field to exploit better their projects as well, enabling them to have a better vision and a better focus on what their work is for. “They can do this by directly exploiting results or by playing an active role ensuring stakeholders effectively use the results “.

Participation criteria

The projects must have been funded by FP7 and Horizon 2020 funding programmes and they must be closed by the time of application.

The contest is open to all legal entities, individuals or teams, that have completed a FP7 or Horizon 2020 project.

Project’s requirements

The applications must address the following cumulative criteria:

• From results to societal benefits – proven link between funded project results to their uptake and creation of societal benefits.
  The results should also benefit or address a well-defined target audience.
• Impact – potential longer-term impact for society, the economy and/or policymaking
  The applicants will be required to submit a letter of support from at least one user or user community, stating the importance of the research and how using it created concrete benefits for the specific user-community.
  

Evaluation

Two different panels of experts will evaluate applications

• internal European Commission experts for the eligibility check and pre-selection
• external high-level experts for final selection

The winners will be invited to an award ceremony, which will include a selected audience of high-level representatives and promoters of innovation in industry and the public sector. The Horizon Impact Award will provide the winners with high visibility in the form of public interest and increased media coverage. There will be five prizes on offer, each 10.000 EUR worthy.

Deadline

For more information about the contest, visit the official page, read the rules and apply. The deadline is on 28th May 2019.

L'articolo Call for participants: Horizon impact award proviene da Youth Networks.