YOUth Have The Voice!: “European Voluntary Service to Overcome Youth Unemployment and Spread Awareness” is a European Voluntary Service project with the duration of 12 months, that was held in Valencia (Valencian Community,Spain) and has been designed so that Aikaterini Symeonidou, a 26 years old volunteer from Greece (sending organization: Alter Ego NGO) could play an active and versatile role in the implementation of GoEurope activities. These activities have been focused on supporting the creation of new job prospects, give advice and inform young unemployed Spaniards, about the job opportunities, mobility and training activities available, as well as collaborating at their implementation.

These results have been achieved by directly involving the volunteer in the development of support tasks, communication and information of young people, in addition to the preparation of EU projects to encourage participation in mobility and training of youth unemployed people. The volunteer has supported the association at the development of mobility and training projects, but also at the dissemination of job opportunities including job placements, training or volunteering abroad, with the ultimate aim of contributing to the professional development of young Spaniards, but also Greeks. The type of experience and training has been based on the principles of non-formal education, which implies methodologies adequate to volunteer projects, learning from experience and learning by doing.

Thanks to the direct participation in the activities of GoEurope, the volunteer has learnt much about the action of the local government and associations in local, regional and national level, on the daily management of the economic crisis and its immediate consequences, being youth unemployment in Spain, one of its main direct effects. She was able to show personal ideas to address this situation at any time of its activities, in both her volunteering and her daily activities. This has generated an effect of mutual exchange between the volunteer and the local society, in which both sides have benefited, achieving a stronger European awareness; which has helped to break any existing barrier. The ultimate goal was to support local unemployed find work not only in Spain but also, making them aware and offering them on the opportunity of participating in mobility, training, placements and volunteering abroad.Since the ultimate objective of YOUth Have The Voice! was to increase employment opportunities and disseminate training opportunities as well as volunteering abroad, the volunteer may, once back to her Country of origin, put into practice and share the innovative tools and approaches acquired during her EVS with the youth audience of Greece and beyond, also by sharing the e-booklet she has developed in English with the aim of sharing awareness about the EVS programme and also finding new strategies to overcome unemployment mainly in Spain and Greece.

Finally, the YOUth Have The Voice! has significantly supported the promoted the EVS and Erasmus+ Programs both locally, nationally and at European level, thanks to various outreach activities planned and the effort of the partner organizations.