"Start ESC" in Romania verso la sua conclusione

Between 01/02/2019 and 31/08/2021, the volunteering project “Start: European Solidarity Corps (Start ESC)”, contract number 2018-1-RO01-ESC11-061265, co-funded by the European Solidarity Corps programme of the European Union and coordinated by the organization Pro Dezvoltare DACIA (APDD) from Drăgășani, Vâlcea County, was implemented.

The project continued APDD’s work by innovatively combining a series of activities carried out by the hosting organization to support the local community. The project itself served as a tool to promote volunteering and solidarity, support young people’s orientation towards current professions, foster entrepreneurship, and stimulate employability in a constantly changing and developing labour market.

The project involved 12 volunteers from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and Romania. The partnership consisted of six organizations, as follows:

Project Coordinator:

• Pro Dezvoltare DACIA Association (APDD)

Partners:

1. YOUNET – Italy

2. Asociación Juvenil Intercambia – Spain

3. Babelescola – Associação para a Descoberta da Europa – Portugal

4. Yaygin Egitim Merkezi Dernegi – Turkey

5. Dogal Yasam Dernegi – Turkey

Proposed and achieved objectives

• Promote volunteering as a valuable tool to stimulate and enhance skills and attitudes relevant to the labour market;

• Foster employability and inclusion through non-formal activities in an intercultural environment;

• Promote entrepreneurship;

• Implement and strengthen institutional capacity for managing European projects.

The project objectives were achieved through a mix of formal and informal activities carried out by the volunteers. These included information and promotion campaigns, creative workshops, role-playing activities, simulations, meetings with local representatives or experts, outdoor activities and study visits, as well as intercultural activities combined with energisers. These activities encouraged attention, cooperation, socialisation, teamwork, and, ultimately, reflection.

The activities took place in the Municipality of Drăgășani and its surrounding areas, in cooperation with other organisations, institutions, schools, municipalities, and libraries. In addition to the international volunteers, over 300 people—including pupils, students, teachers, and other young people from the community—were involved. The main themes were based on the needs of the community and the hosting organisation, combined with the learning needs and personal and professional development goals of the volunteers.

Some of the project results include:

• Improved personal and professional development of 12 European Solidarity Corps volunteers, validated through Youthpass certificates obtained at the end of the volunteering periods;

• 1 Start ESC Volunteering Centre established;

• 1 “Start ESC” best practices magazine, translated into English and made available online by APDD;

• Over 300 participants involved in workshops organised by international volunteers in cooperation with other local partners.