When I had heard Gen Rosso was coming to the Czech Republic, I was more inquisitive than excited about it. A couple years ago I happened to be the audience to Gen Rosso show in a packed stadium and this year I decided to take part in it, although it meant my final exam preparation would be very much neglected. Still, I was attracted by the notion of volunteering in a project that serves a good purpose.

Active was established in 1990 and it was first called EGTYF. This name was changed for Active by the Congress in Switzerland in 2006. Active has approximately 30, 000 around Europe. The main core of Active consists of our European seminars. Each year we have at least 2 seminars where 30 – 45 young people from our member organizations participate for one week.

We all know what it is Erasmus programme, but do we know how many opportunities Erasmus programme offers to Erasmus students apart from just studying in foreign country for a year or semester? This article is about Erasmus students in Riga who alongside their academic studies at University also find time to make positive contribution towards community they live in by Volunteering…

We are three students from Macedonia, Gordana Angelichin, Sandra Kostadinova and Aleksandra Simoska, who had the opportunity to volunteer in a V-Day college campaign last year in the USA. We got involved in it because we recognized the enthusiasm the organizers had and how much it fulfilled them to know they would help victims and make them feel better about themselves. Being compelled by the experience, we decided to do some of V-Day’s activities in Macedonia this year.

It is a story about a good and human idea of some young smart people, all scholars from the Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg of the Robert Bosch Foundation. They wanted to do something nice and good for other young people from the sleeping Balkan countries and to just give them the seed for planting their own better future based on welfare, progress and democracy. “Balkans, let’s get up!” is about finding ways of practicing active citizenship, civic engagement, youth activism as well as learning about project management!

Choosing Turin wasn’t a coincidence.

It was not neither because of the nice landscape, great football team, nor because of the largest square in Europe without any sculptures. Our meeting point had 2 other sides. Turin was 2010 European youth capital city, as well as the place where FLARE´s (Freedom, Legality and Rights in Europe) headquarters was sited.

This is a story of a girl whose life since the high school times has been markedly influenced by going abroad regularly and being part of international communities. I am taking the advantage to share my experience with youth work, just because it concerns one of the best things I have witnessed (or been a creator of) in my life. I shall want to share this also for the reason of supporting every doubting youngster who still hesitates to start his/her own activity in the field of youth work and international exchange organization. My opinion and statement is clear in a way – go for it and try it at least once in your life.

This summer I had the opportunity to spend a week’s placement at an NGO, volunteering with street children in Mumbai, India. If you had met me at the start of the summer, I would have told you that I expected this experience to be incredibly emotional, at times even upsetting. I would have also told you – in perhaps, an arrogant manner – that I was determined to try and find a way to help.

Within the framework of the Internship Programme of the German Business, students and young graduates from the Western Balkan Region undergo an internship in German companies, where they get practical experience, learn more about work processes in Germany, experience the German culture and help the region to move forward.

Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation offers an intercultural “emPower” program for young adults coming from 3 different continents. All 17 students gather together in Switzerland to attend a 9 months training program and live together in one big house where they share everything.