🇦🇿 ESC Volunteering in Azerbaijan 🧠 Mental Health, Youth Wellbeing & Community Action in Sumgait 🌱

The pandemic left marks on young people that are still visible today — social withdrawal, passivity, aggression, depression. This ESC placement in Azerbaijan is built around addressing exactly that, through direct work with school children and youth who need support finding their way back to social life.

Common Sense Youth Organisation (CSYO) started drawing attention to the mental health effects of COVID-19 on school children from the very beginning of the pandemic. Their survey results pointed clearly to increased passivity, unsociability, and depressive tendencies among children and teenagers — and this project is their structured response to those findings. International volunteers are a core part of that response.

This placement is organised in partnership with sending organisation ICJA – Freiwilligenaustausch Weltweit and is open to participants from Germany only.

What Is This Role About?

The goal of this project is to recover and strengthen the mental health of children by bringing social life back into their routines. As a volunteer, you will be working directly with school children and youth — facilitating activities that promote mental wellbeing, healthy lifestyles, and genuine human connection. Your own background, creativity, and initiative are actively welcomed here.

Activities

🧠 Carrying out seminars and workshops on mental health and healthy lifestyle awareness

🏕️ Supporting summer camps and youth exchanges focused on wellbeing and social connection

🧘 Facilitating meditation sessions with children and young people

📢 Implementing awareness campaigns on mental health topics in the community

🏫 Working closely with school children and youth through ongoing direct engagement

💡 Translating survey findings into real activities — your ideas and initiative are part of the process

Who Should Apply?

CSYO is looking for someone who brings both genuine motivation and the maturity to work in a challenging but rewarding environment.

🔹 Age: 18 to 30 years old

🔹 Residency: Permanent resident of a programme country — Germany only for this placement

🔹 Previous knowledge in the field of mental health, youth work, or education is preferred

🔹 Creative, sociable, and patient — working with children requires all three

🔹 Genuinely interested in working with school children and youth

🔹 Has not participated in an ESC long-term volunteering opportunity before

🔹 Motivated, willing to learn, and open to different cultures

🔹 Expresses self-initiative and leadership skills

🔹 Ready to challenge themselves in a new environment

Training & Support

CSYO provides hands-on, practical support from before you leave to the end of your placement.

✈️ CSYO helps find the best and most affordable transport options to Azerbaijan and handles all insurance and logistics

🤝 Upon arrival, the hosting team actively supports integration into local society and the organisation

🗣️ Azerbaijani language lessons with a private teacher for the first 3 months — with the option to continue if desired

📋 Registered for On-Arrival Training and Mid-Term Evaluation as part of the ESC framework

📊 Regular individual evaluation sessions with each volunteer throughout the placement

💬 Based in Germany and thinking about applying for an ESC placement through ICJA? This complete guide to ESC volunteering is the best place to start — covering everything from eligibility to what life as a volunteer actually looks like: https://youthworkshub.org/15101/

Accommodation & Practical Details

🏠 Volunteers stay in the Sumgait Youth House — the same building as the CSYO office, so no commute needed

🛏️ 5 guest rooms available inside the Youth House

🚲 A bicycle provided for getting around town

✈️ International travel costs reimbursed

💶 Volunteers receive monthly payments for personal expenses

How to Apply

⚠️ Applications are not submitted through the EU Youth Portal. You must apply directly through the sending organisation ICJA.

📩 Apply via ICJA: https://www.icja.de/content/freiwilligendienste/programme/esk-dein-europaeischer-freiwilligendienst

Activity Details

📅 Activity Period: 01 September 2026 – 31 August 2027

📍 Location: Sumgait, Azerbaijan

👤 Activity Type: Individual Volunteering

🏷️ Project Code: 2026-1-DE04-ESC51-VTJ-000401036

Deadline

⏰ 15 May 2026

Eligible Countries

🇩🇪 Germany

Official Project Page

🔗 https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/opportunity/51253_en

✋Important Notice

Youth Works Hub does not represent or act on behalf of any organization listed on this platform. All project details are sourced directly from official ESC and Erasmus+ databases. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, always refer to the official project page or contact the hosting organization directly. Youth Works Hub is not responsible for any changes made to project details after publication.