Pick a winner (on the right side of the blog) before 31 March 2010!

When applying to an EVS project, you need to submit both CV and a motivation letter. Your motivation letter is needed to discover your personality and interest in the project. Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing a motivation letter. First of all, every good letter has a basic structure built on a few sections. For example: Read the rest of this entry »

The aim of the study on Volunteering in the European Union was to help the Commission consider ways in which the voluntary sector could be further promoted at EU level and extent to which volunteering could help the EU in achieving its wider strategic objectives set out. To read the full report, visit the European Commission website.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights invites young people between the age of 18 and 30 years old from all EU countries to participate in the International Video Competition 2010. The challenge is to create a video answering the following questions: What are your fundamental rights? Do you know how to protect your fundamental rights? The 3 best entries will each win a 5 day trip for 2 people to Vienna, from 6 to 10 May 2010, with transportation and accommodation included. Your video may not be longer than 2 minutes and the language of the video must be English, German, French, Spanish or Italian. How to submit? Fill in the submission form including a link to your video before the deadline of 2 April 2010. Do you need further information and details about the competition rules? Please visit the FRA website.

Association of Young Azerbaijani Friends of Europe (AYAFE) is looking for 2 EVS volunteers for a long-term project in Azerbaijan. The aim of the project is to work against social exclusion of children and adolescents in IDP (Internally Displaced People) communities. The main task of the volunteers will be to organise various social and cultural activities for children and young people with IDP. During the summer, the volunteers will also be involved in the organisation and coordination of the International Youth Camp in cooperation with AYAFE. Are you interested? Please contact Hamid Gasimov (ayafe@box.az) for further details about the project.

Are you thinking about setting up your own business or are you already a successful entrepreneur? If so, Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs could be for you! The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs exchange programme offers an excellent opportunity for new entrepreneurs to acquire relevant skills for managing a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME). The new entrepreneurs will learn how to manage an SME as well as getting familiar with the business environment in another EU country by working with an experienced entrepreneur. New entrepreneurs can choose to stay between 1 to 6 months with an experienced entrepreneur. During that period, they are expected to acquire relevant start-up and SME management knowledge in areas like financial and operational management, development of innovative products and services, successful sales and marketing practices, European commercial law and the single European market. More information about the programme and application, can be found on the website.

The United Nations declared the year 2010 as the International Year of Youth. With that in mind, and to offer youth a first level importance, Mexico is calling to organize a meeting to discuss urgent issues and solutions of youth matters through all the regions in the world. The World Youth Conference 2010 Committee is looking for NGO representatives who will participate in the NGO Global Meeting during the World Youth Conference 2010 in Mexico City from 23 to 25 August 2010. Two NGOs will be selected for each Member State of the United Nations with one representative of the NGO. The aim of the NGO Global Meeting is to identify action priorities about youth to be attended in the international agenda of development further than the Millennium Development Goals. The meeting will host more than 420 participants that will generate a recommendation document which will be delivered to the Governments Forum on 25 August. Interested? Fill in the registration form on the Youth2010 website.

The first European e-Skills started last monday! Find out more about the next events in your country on the E-skills website.

The International Essay Contest for Young People is organized by The Goi Peace Foundation and UNESCO. The theme of the year’s Essay Contest is: “My role in creating a peaceful world”. What is your vision of a peaceful and harmonious world? What can you and the young people of the world do to realize that vision? Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old before the deadline of 30 June 2010. Further information? Please download the contest flyer!

The Federal Agency for Civic Education is giving away the Youth Democracy Award to a project, which advocates Democracy or Democracy in Europe in an outstanding way. The goal of this award is to build a bridge between the successful experiences in Germany and the international developments in democratizing. The jury consists young people in the age between 16 and 26 years, who are politically active and engaged in different branches of study. Do you want to apply your project to run for the Youth Democracy Award? Please visit this website for more information and to download an application form. Deadline: 15 April 2010.