Solidarity in Your Municipality – fostering international work by using European Solidarity Corps

In Finland municipalities and cities have a long history of using EU youth programs to develop and spark their services. Municipalities can benefit from the European Solidarity Corps programme in many ways, e.g. involving international volunteers in local projects, support local youth in implementing projects or foster the exchange with other communities.The training brought representatives of municipalities and cities together to promote Volunteering as tool to support solidarity in action.Participants got in-depth knowledge about the Solidarity Corps programme, heard and saw practical examples and had a chance to find partners for future cooperation. Finland is one of the pioneers in involving municipalities in EU programmes and using the funds to effectively foster youth work, e.g. in youth departments. The event highlighted volunteering projects that had been implemented in municipalities in recent years and how this experience can support other communities and areas in practice

A specific aim was to support the increase of knowledge and competencies of participants and organisations involved. During the event participants were encouraged to recognize the good practices that could be transferred to their own work.

Target group:

This event was for representatives of municipalities and cities who are interested to have a closer look at European Solidarity Corps possibilities.

Objectives:

• To introduce and explore the benefits of the European Solidarity Corps for the work of municipalities
• To ensure clarity about the programme´s quality elements and how municipalities can use the funds effectively
• To build up competences on designing and implementing projects
• To provide space to exchange good practice and discuss potential cooperation amongst participants

The outcome of the meeting is an article: a 10-step guide about the European Solidarity Corps.