Community Impact in European Solidarity Corps Activities

Recent developments in European youth policies and in the European Youth programmes show that more emphasis is put on understanding the impact not only on the individual level, but also on the local community or wider society.

Therefore, Bulgaria’s National Agency for Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps together with the SALTO European Solidarity Corps and the Netherland’s National Agency for Erasmus+ and Youth is organising a conference on Community Impact in European Solidarity Corps Activities with the following aims and objectives:

Aim and objectives of the event

• Provide an overview of existing resources and knowledge referring to community impact with a specific focus on European Solidarity Corps learning mobilities.
• Explore the shared understanding of community impact as a concept and examine methods to enhance community impact.
• Get an insight into community impact indicators and get insight into the connections with the recent RAY research dedicated to Youth programmes, particularly in the context of the European Solidarity Corps.
• Contribute to the development of a plan to address the additional needs of youth workers and organisations across Europe in relation to community impact in learning mobility projects.
• Promote projects with community impact.

The official programme starts at 3:00 pm on 12.06.2024 and ends at 3:00 pm on 14.06. The arrival of participants is foreseen on 12th June, departure is in the evening of 14th or in the morning of 15th June.

The event is for you if you are a:

• person active in an organisation implementing volunteering and/or solidarity project(s) and preferably you are in a project manager role or took part in designing volunteering and solidarity projects;
• youth worker who supports young people in participating in European Solidarity Corps activities;
• volunteering coordinator/manager;
• mentor or coach;
• researcher interested in how to measure the impact of projects;
• policy maker on local, regional or country level;
• young person who participated in a volunteering or solidarity project coming from a European Solidarity Corps Programme or Partner Country.

The event is part of a series of activities promoted by SALTO European Solidarity Corps. In October 2024 there will be a Training on Community Impact in the Netherlands. The Conference serves as a good foundation to the training.