IVGG

“International Volunteering for Global Goals”

Activity: Volunteering for Sustainable Development Goals (IVGG)

Type: Erasmus+ Mobility of Young People (Youth Exchange)

Venue: Aachen / Germany

Dates: May 2019 (7 days including travel days) [exact dates to be confirmed]

Participating Countries: Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Romania and Turkey

Number of participants: 30 (5 Youngsters + 1 Group Leader from each partner), + two trainers

During Rio+20 conferences, 70 countries drafted a proposed set of goals to solve such social, economic and environmental problems troubling the world. Then 193 countries adopted these Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as 17 goals and 169 targets in Sept. 25-27 summit at the United Nations in New York. The EU has played an active role throughout the process and is committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs within the EU. On 22 November 2016, the EU has presented its response to the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and adopted a sustainable development package. This package includes two work streams: The first track with the Communication is to join up the SDGs to the European policy framework and current Commission priorities. A second track will reorient the EU budget’s contributions to mainstream the SDGs into the Commission’s everyday work and to engage all stakeholders.

UNV’s position paper on the post-2015 development agenda maintains that volunteerism is universal and strengthens civic engagement, social inclusion, solidarity and ownership. The UN Secretary-General’s Synthesis report on the post-2015 sustainable development agenda (A/69/700) recognizes volunteering as a “powerful and cross-cutting means of implementation” for the SDGs. It highlights the role of volunteerism in expanding and mobilizing constituencies and localizing the agenda by providing new spaces of interaction between governments and people for concrete and scalable action.

Taking into account the critical context in Europe – and considering the fact that volunteering can significantly contribute to address the needs of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants – the “International Volunteering for Global Goals (IVGG)” project refers to Erasmus+ 2018 Guide’s horizontal priorities and embraces the SDGs as a mechanism for quality volunteering. The project contributes to more cohesive and inclusive societies in Europe and promotes active citizenship, diversity, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, solidarity and sense of initiative for young people. The project aims to develop social capital among young people and to empower them to understand and transfer the common fundamental values of European society through volunteering.

IVGG promotes transnational mobility of youngsters aged 18-30 years with a 7-days youth exchange activity and brings together 30 participants from 5 countries in Aachen. The project is a joint work of

5 partners who have different backgrounds and experience levels. IVGG will take 10 months. It will start on 1 January 2019 and finish on 31 October 2019.

The key objectives of the project are the following:

● Broaden and deepen political and social participation of young people in the implementation of

Sustainable Development Goals at local, regional, national, European or global level

● Promote volunteering as a way of active participation of young people in democratic and civic life in Europe, in connection with the 2019 European elections

● Raise awareness among young people on European learning mobility opportunities and to encourage them to become active citizens

● Foster quality improvements in youth projects, in particular through enhanced cooperation and mobility between partner organizations in the youth field

● Recognize informal / non-formal learning outcomes by promoting the Youth Pass