Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas

Topic description

Objective:

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES?

Activities by volunteering teams in high-priority areas will aim to:

- address clearly defined unmet societal challenges in the area of “promoting healthy lifestyles” and/ or “preservation of cultural heritage”;

- promote solidarity across the participating countries;

- enable the young volunteer(s) to gain skills and competences which are useful for their personal, educational, social and professional development;

- provide tangible benefits to the communities within which the activities are carried out;

- ensure a direct contact between the participant and the beneficiaries of the solidarity-related activities, to enable the young volunteer to gain skills that are useful for their educational and social development;

- reach out to young people with fewer opportunities, including refugees, asylum seekers and migrants;

- promote diversity, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue - and the EU values of human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities - as well as projects enhancing media literacy, critical thinking and a sense of initiative among young people;

- reinforce the capacities and international scope of the participating organisations;

- raise participants’ awareness and understanding of other cultures and countries, offering them the opportunity to build networks of international contacts, to actively participate in society and to develop a sense of European citizenship and identity.

WHAT ARE VOLUNTEERING TEAMS IN HIGH PRIORITY AREAS?

Volunteering Teams in high priority areas are large scale, high impact projects supporting voluntary activities carried out by young people from at least two different countries coming together to express solidarity by implementing short-term interventions that address common European challenges in policy areas defined each year at EU level.

WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES OF 2022 CALL FOR THIS ACTION?

PROMOTING HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

The programme can add significant value by promoting healthy lifestyles. Sport and physical activity are key in preventing diseases and ensuring quality of life, and they contribute to social inclusion and well-being. Obesity and inactivity are steadily on the rise in Europe with serious effects on health. The importance of sport and physical activity for our health and well-being as well as the urgency to promote healthier lifestyles became even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

The programme can provide significant value when it comes to raising the awareness of and preserving Europe’s cultural heritage. Supported projects should aim to mobilise volunteers around enhancing access to cultural heritage for all, or reconversion of heritage infrastructure with a high social purpose and a low carbon footprint. New participatory and inter-cultural approaches to heritage will be promoted.