Free places for a voluntary year in the twin city and in other European countries

Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice are once again pioneers in a European project: They are the first binational partners to take part in the French initiative for a "Voluntary European Year".

From September 1, 2024, six young people from Frankfurt and Słubice aged between 18 and 26 will have the opportunity to spend a year having an experience that can shape their lives in a special way. Together with six participants from France and Italy, they will initially complete six months of voluntary service in tandem in an institution in Frankfurt (Oder) or Słubice and the next six months in a similar institution in another European country. The volunteers receive qualified on-site support and are prepared with an online language course. Young people with support needs for social, psychological or other reasons are given special support.

The six host institutions in the social, international or environmental protection sector in Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice embark on an experience that enriches their daily work and in which challenges such as overcoming the language barrier have to be overcome at the same time. Over the course of the project year, they get to know four young people who work with them in two tandems for six months each. The stay and travel costs are financed by European and national funding for voluntary services. If the first project year is a success, the aim is to establish the "Voluntary European Year" permanently in Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice.
 

Sören Bollmann, Head of Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Center, City of Frankfurt (Oder): "When I first heard about the initiative in June 2023, I thought it was a great offer for young people from both our cities and a perfect fit for our European twin city. I would also be personally delighted if I could help young people from Frankfurt and Słubice to have a similarly valuable experience as I had myself in Belgium and France in 1990–1992."

Manuela Demel, Project Manager International Youth Work, pewobe g GmbH Frankfurt (Oder): "We have been running international voluntary services for ten years and are looking forward to reaching even more institutions and young people in Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice who can benefit from them. The European Voluntary Year is a good way of reaching otherwise disadvantaged target groups in particular and thus offering as many young people as possible an opportunity to gain experience abroad in a supervised setting."

The project is also supported in Frankfurt (Oder) by the Caritas Volunteer Center, the Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Center of the City of Frankfurt (Oder) and also by the "Initiative for a Voluntary European Year" in Metz, France.