Are you looking around for opportunities to travel in Europe? Do you want to visit and stay to another country for almost a year? Then we are here to offer you this amazing opportunity!
We are looking for a Greek participant to join our ESC project and to come live and volunteer for 11 months in Faenza, in Italy. SE.M.I association (Seeds for More Interculture) is a non-profit association working with European mobility projects and has as main objective the introduction of the multicultural element in the local community of Faenza. It aims at offering an empowering experience that will open the minds, and change the lives of the volunteers and the young people in close contact with them.
YOUR HOUSE
You will live in the beautiful apartment in the city center that we call ”Casa Europa”, because our volunteers live there. You will have the chance to make new friends from all around Europe and get in touch with so many new cultures! The accommodations are double rooms in city center to be shared with a volunteer or student of the same gender. The volunteers will get pocket money + food money, €280 per month.
Casa Europa
YOUR ACTIVITIES
From writing European mobility projects to blogging and courses to asylum seekers, as a volunteer near to us you will have the chance to experiment and try new activities, but also learn a lot! You will have Italian lessons for foreigners in school and Online linguistic platform. You will get in touch with WordPress, Canvas, Salto Youth and other IT Tools and of course a lot of activities to boost your creativity.
Activities
YOUR PROFILE
Aged 18-30, from Greece, male or female (LGBT welcome!). Speaking a bit of English and/or Italian and/or Spanish and/or Lithuanian. Open minded, creative, willing to get in touch with the Italian culture, to share knowledge, to show initiative and implement own projects! To apply, please send a motivational letter to info@associazionesemifaenza.com stating your country of residence and your birth date!
Hi, I am the “new” volunteer of SE.M.I. from Hungary. Arriving as the first volunteer of this year at the beginning of September, I had the chance to enjoy the Italian summer; swim in the sea, hike and eat gelato (although people eat it all year round here so..).
Day trip to Cattolica
Swim
Hike
Eat
Repeat.
But how did I get here in the first place? I had lived in the UK for 7 years before I came here to do an ESC, which was something I was planning to do for a while but never felt like it was the right time. Well, the pandemic made it easy, there was nothing to make me stay in London anymore so why not to spend the second wave in Italy then?
Of course, it could have been a different country (not better obvs) but the project was also very attractive to me as it is so focused on creativity. In fact, our motto is that “we are all equal in creativity”, which I resonate so much with. Studying architecture in university, I thought I have some skills to share but I also couldn’t wait to learn new things and fortunately there is always something interesting happening here. For example, Aula21‘s, a local youth group’s photography exhibition, MEI Festival, Festival Comunità Edicante (a workshop about stop-motion!) and small scale local concerts as well as all the other things we organise ourselves – volunteer insta coming soon!
Living THE life in Faenza
Aula21’s exhibition
MEI
FCE
Peace and Love
I was lucky enough to be able to visit other cities/towns in Emilia-Romagna in the last month and hopefully will travel more after things get better virus-wise so if you are interested in recommendations and looking at *aesthetic* photos stay tuned. I will definitely make a post about that.
About the community.. well it’s great but my favourite is the neighbour’s cat. Mathilde claims he is her best friend but we’ll see about that.
Firts of all let me introduce my self. My name is Mary ,i’m 26 years old and i’m from Greece. Two years ago i finished my University and i took my dergee in Business Administration with specialization in Project Management.Meanwhile during my studies i did various jobs more or less unrelated to my field of study. I was working as waitress, as barista etc. and one day on my shift a colleaque of mine announced that she would go Erasmous+ in Germany. The very same day i had checked all the information on European programs and i decided participate also in Erasmous+ .So, i went in Poland for six months and let’s say that “the germ” for European programs entered me for good!
But i’m not here to talk about my Erasmous+ experience , i’m here to write to you about my ESC experience that is now begins!
On October 4,2020 i arrived at Milan airport with my final destination Faenza. It was a long long journey that lasted 14hours. The truth is , if you are asking my oppinion,if you ever want to come in Faenza i suggest to you not to choose:
1st, Milans or Romes airport, cause its easier to take a flight from Bologna which is closer to Faenza
2nd, take large luggage with you, it’s more comfortable to send your luggage to the place of residence than carrying them throughout your journey.
And i’m speaking from personal experience because i regretted doing the above…
When i arrived in Faenzas trailstation someone from the organization picked me up,helped me with my luggage and took me finally home. There for the very first moment i felt like home. The other guys (my flatmates) they welcomed me ,showed me the house and immediately took me to my room to settle dowm. I found the house a very pleasant place that doesn’t differ in anything from the warmth of my own home.Then with the new week’s start i joined my team ,i’ve met all the members of the orgsnization and our activities started! Of course during the next few days i din’n miss to go for a walk in the city which i found quite small but pleasant with some hidden jems which will make staying in the city definitely much more enjoyable… I’m very optimistic and excited adout my decision to come to Faenza and i can’t wait to see where all this will finaly take me!
Until the next time,
Mary ,Greece
P.S.Did you know that every afternoon between 6pm-8pm in italy they are used to taking aperitivo?this means that if you buy a drink or spritz automatically they offer to you some food and in some cases unlimited food!…so now you know!!!
Siamo in ricerca di un volontario Italiano per un progetto ESC a La Coruña!
Are you ready to experience an amazing opportunity? Our Spanish partner ”Paideia” is looking for an Italian volunteer to join their ESC project for the next 8 months.
Are you an active person and want to work with people with disabilities? This project is for you!
DURATION: 8 months
ACTIVITY TOPICS: Disability
LOCATION: Spain, Coruña
We are looking for a volunteer with interest and sensitivity towards people with disability, who has initiative, creativity, empathy.
All you need to do is to send your CV and a motivation letter written in English or Spanish in this e-mail: evs@paideia.es
Read the Info-pack below and take this amazing opportunity for 8 months that you will never forget!
Our sister association Informagiovani, the Youth Information Centre of Faenza, is looking for a Finnish volunteer (aged 18-30) to join their team for 12 months between December 2020 – December 2021.
As our volunteers, the successful candidate will live in the town centre of Faenza in a free accommodation and get €280 food and pocket money every month. The cost of the travel at the start and the end of the project is also reimbursed.
To read more about the project and see an interview with of one of the current volunteers please visit Informagiovani’s website as well as check out the official ad of the project on the European Youth Portal where you can also submit your application if interested 🙂
Once again I’m here, the non-stop talking Greek one, to write to you about my ESC experience that is now over (sounds of crying in the distance).
Last year, on 28th of September I arrived in Italy and in particular in Faenza. I was young, I was free, I was so happy to be here! My ESC adventure was about to start! But let’s talk a bit about my background and the reasons that I took this amazing ESC opportunity.
A year ago I was about to finish my University and take my degree in Italian Language and Literature. Meanwhile, I was already working for two years in a restaurant in Athens and I was really happy there. Last year (March 2019), I decided to visit my best friend in Spain, where she did her Erasmus+ Placement and it was there where I started thinking about taking an European opportunity as well. I mean, all these years I was studying and working at the same time and never though about joining an Erasmus+ project or something similar. I blame the lack of information regarding these projects in Greece. When I returned back to Athens I started thinking about it so hard that I couldn’t resist. I searched a lot and I found different opportunities, like the Erasmus+ placement and the various Youth Exchanges, I wasn’t sure what to choose. All of them have a finish day, but how much time I wanted to spent in this experience?
Me last year working
Around summer I saw a Call for Greek Volunteers in Faenza posted on a Facebook page. It was for a long-term ESC, for a whole year, I was ready for it? I started thinking about it non-stop, I was about to graduate, I had a job and I loved it there, but I never took an opportunity like this in my life. I imagined my life for the next year in Athens, writing the last university exams, working as usual and trying nothing different. This stability might work for some people, so they don’t have to do big steps away for their comfort zone, but I always say that I’m brave and I’m always trying new things.
It got me almost two weeks thinking about this opportunity in Faenza, looking at the call daily, but I finally sent my application. I got accepted after a month and around September I left my life in Greece to come in Italy and try new things. It was a year that I will never forget! Here I started working with children, that I already had some experience, and with asylum seekers and I managed the social media of the organization. The thing that I enjoyed the most was the writing of European Projects. I always knew that writing was my passion, for several year I worked as a columnist and an editor, but I never tried to write a EU proposal. This year I had this chance and I discovered a new talent of mine. I loved the fact that I can put down my ideas and create a project for other young Europeans to join. All these social and environmental opinions that I had can come closer now to reality and I can talk with other people in my age about them, share our opinions and raise awareness.
My first EU Project Proposal
All these of course could never happen If I hadn’t the support of my coordination and my hosting association. I was difficult you know, I was so active, always full of ideas and I’m sure they were a bit tired of me. But they were always there to support me, to give me all the needed material and guidelines to realize my ideas. This is the part of ESC that I enjoyed the most. The non-formal type of education, where you are free to try new things and learn through their realization, where you don’t have to work only in one thing, but you can try a lot of them and see what suits you. This is the ESC for me; an opportunity for young people, ready to do their first professional steps and they need to know a bit better themselves and their abilities. The ESC did this for me and I will always be grateful. Of course there are a lot of other things that offers, like the opportunity to live in another country, to get in touch with people from all over Europe and to learn new cultures.
Now it’s over… or not?
A few days ago my ESC finished, but is it finished for real? I don’t like endings anyway, even though they might be happy. So for me it’s not finished, it will always be with me, it will always help me to deal with situations, with new things that I want to try in my life and new opportunities that will appear in my path. It is a life learn opportunity and I will keep it that way.
I have to apologize, I know! I was absent for so long and I really missed writing a blog and sharing my ESC experience in Italy. Unfortunately, due to Corona virus pandemic I’ve spent almost two months inside the house and when I finally could go out I really wanted to travel and visit all the places in Italy that I could before my return back home. This is how I left my beloved blog posts aside…
The end of September is coming and brings with it the end of my project and my return to Greece. Except my departure this evil month- I never liked September, because it brings me so many things to deal with- also signals the end of the summer and the summer is the main topic of this blog, my Italian summer full of aperitivos, pasta and pizza.
So, this Covid-19 summer was particular for everybody. While doing an ESC project we are expecting to meet a new culture, to visit new places and explore as many places as you can in a year. To my year though, I had to remove in total three months that I couldn’t move from Faenza and after from my house.
I was really angry, guys! How this 2020 can punish me in this way? It was my first experience abroad and now you’re telling that due to a monster killing virus I have to stay put? I don’t accept this! But… I accepted it! And the best way to accept something is to take all this anger, transform it to something else and use it. So I did; I transform my anger to kilometres and during this summer I visited some of the places that were in my ”Dream Travels List”. I visited Pisa, Livorno, Modena, Cinque Terre, Levante and Padova. To all these we can add some places near to Faenza like Ravenna, Pesaro, Brisighella and Fognano. That’s not so bad, right?
I tried as much as possible to enjoy the sea -but I’m from Greece so the Greek sea will always be the best for me-. I went to several beaches around Emilia Romagna, but also I loved the Italian agricultural character especially in Tuscany. The highlight of my Italian summer it was my small, but perfect trip to Cinque Terre. There I felt in love -I know it’s mainstream, but seriously guys, there are magnificent-. Due to our monster killing virus friend, all the touristic places in Italy like Cinque Terre that usually are full during the summer, now were almost empty and it was an opportunity to visit them and admire their beauty in peace. I know this is bad for the economy, but it was perfect for me!
After and before Cinque Terre I was lucky and I had the chance to visit some of the most beautiful cities of Northern and Central Italy, like Modena and Pisa- also Pisa was empty in a scary level- and with the help of the ESC activities I traveled near to Faenza several times.
That was it for today, folks! I’m planing to publish another and final blog next week in which I will summarize this experience, a whole year in Italy -secretly starts crying-.
WTV – Der Offene Kanal aus Wettin is looking for EU volunteers (aged 17-30) who want to work on the field of media production and education. If you are interested in video making and editing it is a great place to develop your skills and to create something valuable – speaking German is an advantage.
For the duration of the project support will be available along with equipments and training related to media.
As participants of this project you will be hosted in the city Halle (Saale) living in a comfortable shared flat free of charge as well as receive an annual ticket for public transport and pocket and food money every month. The cost of the travel at the start and the end of the project is also reimbursed.
Read more about the project on the European Youth Portal’s page and check out their YouTube channel for a sneak peek.
Our partner organisation in Estonia,Noored Ühiskonna Heaks, is looking for a volunteer (18-30 years old, EU resident) to their “Fellowship Of Volunteers” European Solidarity Corps project in Keila, Harjumaa.
The duration of the project is 12 months: September 2020 – September 2021.
Accommodation is provided and the volunteer will receive €270pocket and food money every months.
The main activities will include working with children aged 4-18, supporting their daily tasks, organising after-school programmes and other activities for them as well as teaching them English or your own native language.
If this caught your attention then check out NÜH’s info pack or the European Youth Portal’s page for more info.
Applications are to be received through this Google form.
For additional information please write tairi@nyh.ee.
Experience Europe’s world-class education system and its expansive offering of bachelor’s and master’s courses, doctoral study programmes and more.
Explore Europe’s diverse languages and cultures in a welcoming, social environment.
Gain international experience, skills and knowledge highly valued by employers. Benefit from excellent future employment and research opportunities in Europe and beyond.
About the Study in Europe project
Study in Europe is a European Union (EU) project, which aims to:
Showcase what higher education in Europe has to offer to students worldwide
Provide information about organising and funding study and research periods abroad in Europe
Help European higher education organisations connect with potential students and partner organisations
Study in Europe provides information about study opportunities in 34 European countries. These countries participate in Erasmus+, the EU’s programme supporting students from EU and partner countries across the world to study in Europe. (European Commission, “Study in Europe”)
PhD and research in Europe
You are never too late when it comes to studying in Europe. You may already have your bachelor’s and master’s degree, but if you believe that your future is in academia, Europe holds considerable PhD, post-doc and research opportunities.
Becoming a PhD student
You have several options, if you want to become a PhD candidate at a European university. Every country has different opportunities for PhD candidates, so be sure to read the country profile of the country you are interested in.
To obtain a PhD position, you can either apply for a position in an existing research, or apply with your own research plan. Universities often promote the researches they are currently involved in, so it is good to see what fits your interests and academic background. PhDs normally last 3-5 years, where you conduct your research guided by a lecturer or professor.
To finance this, PhD students often work part time as (assistant) lecturer in their area of expertise and in addition apply for a scholarship. Also, many PhD positions are an actual job. The vacancies are posted on the university websites and if you are accepted, you are guaranteed a job for the duration of your research. Often, this kind of PhD positions arise when universities start large research projects, after having received a grant or other funds.
Continuing with a Post-doc
After a PhD, you can pursue a Post-doc position. These are often more difficult to obtain and in most cases the researcher will have to provide the funding for his or her research. This means connecting to local, European and global scientific organisations for scholarships and grants. A well-known initiative is the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska- Curie Actions . This programme supports researchers in all stages of their careers. Another European programme is Horizon2020. Many European research universities are conducting research that is (partially) funded by this programme, either individually or as part as a consortium with other universities, organisations or businesses all over the world.
Euraxess
Mobility is key: researchers are encouraged to extend their horizons. Euraxess is a European Commission initiative to help researchers to be mobile: either by coming to Europe to do research, or to travel within Europe and worldwide to conduct it. The Euraxess job portal helps you find the research position that you are looking for and the funding that you might need. Worldwide, contact persons are available to help you with your questions. For instance, Euraxess South Korea was launched recently. Check if there is someone in your country that can connect you to Europe and your European future in academia.
