European Voluntary Service

European Voluntary Service (EVS) is part of the ‘Youth in Action’ scheme and is designed to get young people engaged in projects all over Europe.  Projects last between 2 and 12 months and cover a huge variety of themes including culture, youth, sports, cultural heritage, arts, animal welfare, environment and development cooperation. This means that there are all kinds of projects for you to get involved in. Previous EVS volunteers have worked on turtle conservation projects, assisted in organising a hot air balloon race and have even joined the crew of a Norwegian sailing boat for 11 months. A list of all the EVS projects can be found on the EVS database,it is important to be flexible when looking for projects but having an idea of the type of project that you would like to do can help with narrowing down choices.

 

Who can apply?

All you need to apply for EVS is to be aged between 18-30 years old and be a UK resident.

As EVS is an inclusive programme you don’t need any specific qualifications or prior experience to take part. Language skills can be helpful, but most projects don’t expect this and language lessons will almost always be provided. The programme is also fully funded so there is no cost to you as a volunteer whatsoever, your accommodation and transport will be covered and you will also receive an allowance whilst on the project. 

 

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for an EVS project or would like some more information, please contact our EVS Co-ordinator at evs@unaexchange.org. Alternatively you can come to one of our information sessions. These are days that we hold every few months where volunteers that are interested in EVS can find out more and also meet other like-minded volunteers. The sessions last all day, generally between 10.30am and 4.30pm. Check our calendar for the next date.