In today’s fast-paced world it can be difficult to find time to volunteer, but it is important for many reasons. With the Youth Exchange «Volunteer for a Better Future!» we aim to inspire young people across Europe to get involved in volunteering initiatives and give up their time for causes they care about. Our project will show the huge positive impact that volunteering can have on personal and professional development, as well as on those in need and society as a whole. We will explore different volunteering opportunities, with a particular focus on the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), which provides young people with opportunities to volunteer or work on projects in their own country or abroad that benefit communities and people across Europe. Through this project we want to show that volunteering can be an important technique to help give new meaning and direction to life, regardless of age or life history. To ensure inclusiveness, we will include young people with fewer opportunities, such as those belonging to ethnic minorities, with low incomes or living standards, dependent on the social assistance system, unemployed or living in remote rural areas.

The objectives of our project are to motivate young people to volunteer, to exchange experiences in volunteering between young people from different countries in Europe, to raise awareness of the social value of volunteering and active citizenship, to enable young people to find a cause they are passionate about, to encourage them to practice important skills such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, planning and organisation, to promote the Erasmus+ programme, the European Solidarity Corps and non-formal and informal learning.

Each group will consist of 6 young people aged 18 – 30 years + 1 group leader over 18 years, where 5 of them will be with fewer opportunities. The selection process will also give preference to people who have not participated in international projects and will pay special attention to participants with reduced opportunities. The partner organisations will select participants with cultural, economical and geographical obstacles. People with fewer opportunities will have priority upon selection.

The venue for the project will be the most well known touristic place in Bulgaria. It`s name is Bansko and it is a lovely and nice place to organize and realize European mobilities.

All participants will be accommodated during the project mobility in Royal Aparthotel Bansko.

Participants will be fed on a full board 3 times per day and two coffee breaks will be provided.

There will be 2-3 people per room according to the gender ballance.

During the free time, participants can use the hotel area and visit the city center. The accommodation is located in very nice area and there is a football pitch nearby us and some activities in the hotel – spa, swimming, fitness and games.

Touristic information center – 500 meters Supermarket – 650 meters
Pharmacy – 1 km
City center- 2 kms
Bus station – 3 kms

The main airport in the country is based in our capital Sofia. Please check flights with low-cost airlines like Wizzair or Ryanair.

– From Sofia Airport
Take the metro from the airport and travel on line 4, transfer to Serdika on line 1 and travel to Central Station.

Please coordinate your travel plan with us before picking up your tickets, as transport is limited at night.

– From Bucharest
Travel can be done by bus to Sofia with Flixbus or Unibus.

– From Thessaloniki
Travel can be done with a couple of companies such as Arda Tour, Tourist Service, Union Ivkoni. Please travel to Blagovgrad, which is the nearest station.

Further information, timetables, convenient modes of transport and applications for free navigation will be provided to selected people in detail. Later arrival and earlier departure from the project are not possible, please note this once you apply.

Spain: 360 euro

The travel limit is written per person. Possible changes to the budget may apply according to your departure city. Please check your exact budget with the EU Commission distance calculator. https://erasmus-
plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/distance-calculator

Each participant can arrive 1-2 days before the project and leave 1-2 days after the project. Extra days beyond the mobility dates and costs related to accommodation and meals are covered by the youth.

In order to ensure a smooth journey for the participants, we recommend that they have communication with the host NGO when arranging they whole travel plan.

The host organisation will inform the participants and project partners regarding the current cohort travel restrictions and relevant documents required.

The use of alcohol and drugs during the project activities will be absolutely prohibited. Those who violate the established rules of the project, harass others, undermine the prestige of the organization or commit systematic violations of the established norms will be excluded from the project. The sending organisation will be informed of this by email with details of the case and the specific reasons for removal. Attendance at all project sessions is fully compulsory, failure to attend less than 80% of activities will result in cancellation of travel reimbursement.

Three meals per day and two coffee breaks will be provided during project mobility. Participants who have certain dietary requirements, intolerances, allergies or other eating habits should inform the host organisation no later than one week before arrival so that options can be discussed with the hotel and meals can be re-arranged. Information received after this deadline cannot be taken into account regarding the meals and menu of the participants.

It is essential to note dietary habits as well as allergies, intolerances to certain things and medical conditions on the application form. Participants should self-suggest any necessary medications they use daily or think they will need to use during the project.

All project participants MUST have insurance covering medical and health expenses during the project in order to ensure their smooth stay in the country. For example, the European Health Card is issued free of charge. Please contact the sending organisation for further assistance.

Reimbursement will be made in the quickest possible way. We ask all participants to purchase their plane, bus, train or other transportation tickets as soon as possible. Before doing so, remember that you should make a note to contact the sending organisation and make a travel plan for the trip. It must be sent to the the host NGO for approval via email. Travel plans that are not approved by us or purchased from a travel agency and online platform such as skyscanner, esky, kiwi or others will not be refunded.

Please take only your travel tickets from the official website of the carrier. Purchase the tickets for the project both ways for transportation. We will not be able to reimburse after the end of the project. All paper documents must be submitted in original to the host NGO, take this into consideration so that you can have all return tickets to provide during the project, otherwise they will need to be posted by delivery company.

All attendees should note that this is a European project funded by the European Commission and the cheapest and most environmentally friendly travel routes will be considered for the participants’ journey. The purchase of additional services such as seat, meals on board, automatic check-in, excess baggage, late arrival at the gate and other services not included in the standard ticket price will not be reimbursed.

All travel plans must be approved by the host NGO via email. Priority boarding + 2 cabin baggage is allowed. Checked baggage is NOT covered. All tickets MUST be presented in original. Photos of tickets or scanned copies will not be refunded.

Dissemination is a crucial part of any Erasmus+ funded project. The European Commission is investing in You, as a community leader, as a change-maker, thus each of us is responsible to give back and share the positive experience among our network with the goal that at least one newcomer discovers the opportunities of Erasmus+.
Each participant (country group) is responsible to perform:
– Article: The youth will prepare an article with photos to be used by the news reporter to shape the overall publication.
– Website: Participants who have graphic design skills will help us shape the look of the website,
– Social networking: daily reports, photo material, measurability of achievements and uploading of useful resources will be led by the project participants, who will themselves design and layout the news stories.
– Videos: On a rotational basis, participants will upload videos, interviews and submit daily vlogs on what is happening during its implementation. They will invite their friends and acquaintances to follow the channel to keep up to date.
– Workshop: After the participants return back to their country they will do at least one event.
– To submit the questionnaire from the European Commission.

The host organisation and partner organisations will assist and guide participants as needed.