European Solidarity Corps

The European Solidarity Corps (ESC) is an initiative of the European Union which creates opportunities for young people to work and live abroad. You will not receive a wage, but you receive a fixed amount to cover costs of accommodation and food and also a small allowance for personal expenses. You can read more about it on https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity. 

Work location

Chiro Flanders has been approved by the European Union to host volunteers under the European Solidarity Corps program. Chiro Flanders is the biggest youth movement in Flanders, the Dutch speaking region of Belgium. We have currently more than 107.000 members, in 895 local Chiro groups. In almost every municipality, Chiro is active in one or even several parishes. Every week children and young people come together in their local group. They play games and do activities in age groups, starting from the age of 6. Local groups are autonomous and are guided by young people, who form the leadership team. The average age of the leaders is between 17 and 25. Our Chiro roots are Christian based, but every local group has its own traditions. As Chiro we welcome all children and youngsters, regardless of their social or cultural background.

As national office of Chiro Flanders we offer support, training and a framework for our local groups and local leaders. Our head office is located in Antwerp, where you will live and work. 

Chiro Flanders is also founding member of an international network of youth movements, called FIMCAP. Today 31 youth organizations from 4 different continents are member of FIMCAP. The secretariat of FIMCAP is located at the same building as Chiro Flanders and there is a close cooperation between the 2 organizations. 

Work description 

As Chiro Flanders we see a great added value in international cooperation. To realise this, we have an international committee, a group of volunteers who set up international activities and exchanges, mostly in cooperation with our international umbrella FIMCAP. After two years of postponements, several international projects are planned for 2022:

• EuroCourse: a training course for European leaders, organised in Belgium in April.
• Krinkel: the biggest event of Chiro Flanders, taking place in August. Krinkel is a camp of 6 days, all in tents, for Chiro leaders and aspiranten (the oldest age group). It takes place every 4 years. The last edition in 2017 brought together more than 4.000 persons. At Krinkel there will also be an international campground. Chiro Flanders invites youth leaders from the FIMCAP network and from other partners to join this national camp. It will be an intercultural group exchange, within the bigger framework of Krinkel. In 2017 we welcomed 84 youth leaders from 18 different countries. For 2022 we aim for 100 international participants!
• World Camp: an international camp of 3 weeks with 60-70 youth leaders from all over the world, organised by FIMCAP and taking place every 3 years. The World Camp will take place in Botswana, in July-August 2022. The theme will be the value of play. The organisation of the World Camp is in the hands of an international team of volunteers, including persons from Chiro Flanders.

Your task will be to support the preparation of these international youth exchanges, in close cooperation with a staff member:

• You will join the group of volunteers that is preparing for the exchange and take part in their meetings.
• You will take part in the development of the theme and program of the exchange. 
• You will take up administrative tasks: 
  • Communication with the partner organizations and participants (invitation, inscriptions, practical info)
  • Follow-up of the visa procedures (documents, communication with embassies)
  • Booking of flights for participants
• You will help in the folllow-up of the budget and the funding applications.
• You will help in the development of a dissemination plan.
• You will help in the follow-up and closing of the projects:
  • Evaluation with the participants and the team
  • Follow-up on the outcomes
  • Implementation of the dissemination plan

You will work full-time, which means 38 hours per week (including time for a language course). There will be regular (online) meetings in the evenings or during the weekend. Flexibility is required.

Timing

The start of the ESC voluntary stay is foreseen between mid-January and the end of February 2022. The end is foreseen for November/December 2022. There is some flexibility with regards to the dates, so if there are questions concerning this period please contact us. 

Practical arrangements

Accommodation & food

You are responsible for your own accommodation and food. Every month you will receive money from the ESC program, which can be spend according to your preferences. Should the costs of the accommodation be higher than the given funds, you will have to contribute yourself. There will be two ESC volunteers working at Chiro Flanders for the same period. You can decide to share accommodation or to live separately, according your own wishes.

Budget for accommodation and food: 25 € per day. 

The Chiro office is located in the center of Antwerp, one of the main cities in Belgium. There are many students in Antwerp, so there is a variety of student flats and co-housing projects available.

Travel costs 

Your costs to travel to and from Belgium are covered by the ESC program. The maximum amount depends on the distance. The amount covers both arriving and departing.
100 – 499 km: 180 €
500 – 1999 km: 275 €

Pocket money

You will receive 4 € per day for personal expenses.

Language

The main language in Chiro Flanders is Dutch. The ESC program offers an online language training in Dutch. It is possible to follow extra Dutch lessons, but this will be on your own expense.

Insurance

You will be insured for the full period of your stay via the ESC program.

Profile of candidates

• You are between 18 and 30 years old.
• You must be legally resident in one of the EU Member States or one of the partner countries listed by the European Solidarity Corps.  
• The European Solidarity Corps focuses on cross-border volunteering. As a consequence it is unfortunately not possible for Belgians to apply for this opportunity. 
• You need a sending organization which has an official quality label (see point 7).
• Good knowledge of English. Ability to work, write and speak in English.
• Willingness to learn Dutch. 

• Having a background in a youth movement or in youth work will be an added value. Playing is an important part in our work and in our projects.

• You have to be able to work independently, making your own planning and setting your own goals, which will be discussed with the staff member in regular meetings.
• We expect openness and respect to other views. 

Sending organization

In order to participate in the European Solidarity Corps you need a supporting organization in your home country. The supporting organization plays an important role in providing adequate preparation before departure. You can only start the voluntary stay if the supporting organization has been given a quality label. Organizations have to apply for a quality label to the national agency of their country. It can take up to 8 weeks to receive this quality label.

What will you get out of this experience?

• You will get to know how Chiro Flanders works. Besides working at the national office, there will be the possibility to take part in one of the regional training courses for Chiro leaders.
• You will be part of Krinkel, the biggest and most amazing event of Chiro Flanders.
• New friends from all over the world.
• Skills on project management: you will be part of every stage of the project, from the preparation until the follow-up. 
• Skills on task management: you will be coached in keeping a structured overview of different tasks and deadlines. 
• Administrative skills: you will be coached in keeping a structured overview of inscriptions and practical preparations.
• Financial skills: you will get insights on budget management and fundraising.
• Communication skills: you will communicate with participants and partners in a different language. Improvement of English and gained knowledge of Dutch.
• Creative skills: through the development of the theme and the program of the exchange, linked with its objectives.
• Knowledge on how the international network of FIMCAP works.
• A view on other forms of youth work via the interaction with the project partners.
• Skills to work in a team with different backgrounds.
• Skills to recognize intercultural differences and how to deal with them.
• Growing self-confidence due to regular coaching and self-reflection.
• An official certificate of the work you have done.