From designing and tracking human-rights projects across Peru and drafting grant proposals for a hunger-fighting organisation in Senegal, to cleaning illegal dumpsites in a Croatian nature park, conserving a heritage steam railway in the Netherlands, building a clay oven at a German forest centre, and horse therapy for children with disabilities on a sustainable Croatian farm โ this batch of 18 fully funded ESC placements spans 11 countries and reaches from Europe to West Africa and Latin America.
Every ESC placement is fully funded โ flight, accommodation, food, monthly pocket money and insurance. Four placements are open "as soon as possible," and the rest close between 20 and 31 July 2026, so the earliest movers have the edge.
What's in this batch:
18 ESC Volunteering Placements ยท 11 Countries ยท Deadlines from Now to 31 July 2026
๐ฑ ESC Volunteering Opportunities
๐ต๐ฑ Poland โ Media and Content Creation at a Youth Organisation ๐ธ
๐ Deadline: As soon as possible!
Work as an assistant to the coordinators of an organisation that runs international youth meetings, trainings and Erasmus+ projects, with your focus mainly on promotion. You will build real skills in making videos and photos for social media: creating graphics, taking and processing photos, producing stories and YouTube videos, and you can get pulled into the project management side of the Erasmus+ activities too. A hands-on media role for anyone who likes turning events into content. Open to applicants from ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ช ๐ฑ๐ป ๐บ๐ฆ ๐ง๐พ and 25 more โ turn events into content, and content into a portfolio.
๐ต๐ฑ Poland โ Science Communication at an Interactive Science Centre ๐ช
๐ Deadline: As soon as possible!
Join the team of a modern science centre built on the "learning through fun" philosophy, where science meets play through interactive installations and shows. Working mainly in the events department, you will organise and run the many events the centre stages each year, from Researchers' Night to festival appearances, create and deliver your own workshops for children and adults, help put on science shows, and write science news for social media. There is real room to bring your own ideas and shape the activities. Open to applicants from ๐ฆ๐น ๐ฌ๐ช ๐ฑ๐น ๐บ๐ฆ ๐ง๐พ and 25 more โ make science the most fun thing in a kid's week.
๐ง๐ฌ Bulgaria โ Youth Empowerment and Sustainability Outreach ๐ฃ
๐ Deadline: As soon as possible!
Empower young people and champion sustainability, eco-friendly initiatives and European values. Your days run from organising events and campaigns like clean-ups, art clubs and DIY sustainability projects, to spreading the word about ESC and Erasmus+ through info sessions, school visits and creative outreach, to creating content and writing articles, to turning your own idea into a real community initiative. The skills come built in: non-formal education, website management, design, social media strategy and a buddy support system. No experience needed, just enthusiasm. Open to applicants from ๐ญ๐ท ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐บ ๐ฒ๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ด and 25 more โ part eco-activist, part storyteller, with a buddy to lean on.
๐ New to ESC volunteering? Everything you need to know โ how it works, who can apply, what costs are covered โ is in one place. Read the complete guide โ
๐ต๐น Portugal โ Empowering Young People with Special Educational Needs ๐ช
๐ Deadline: As soon as possible!
Help young people with special educational needs build autonomy, initiative, communication skills and a path towards professional inclusion. Through educational, social and practical activities you support them to progress in learning, grow confidence and independence, and prepare for active personal and working lives. You may also team up with the local Europe Direct centre on initiatives like Youth on the Move and Europe Goes to School, taking European themes into schools, libraries, youth associations and communities. Training in working with special needs and even some organic farming comes before you start. Open to applicants from ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐น ๐ฒ๐ฐ ๐น๐ท and 15 more โ patient, meaningful work with proper training behind it.
๐ญ๐ท Croatia โ Cleaning Illegal Dumpsites in a Nature Park โป๏ธ
๐ Deadline: 20 July 2026
Spend two weeks with an international team restoring wild karst landscapes in a Croatian Nature Park. Clean up illegal dumpsites, protect springs, forests and wildlife, and learn hands-on ecology, recycling and green skills outdoors. Open to applicants from ๐ฎ๐ช ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ฒ๐น ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฉ๐ฐ and 20 more โ give a wild landscape back the beauty someone dumped on.
๐ต๐น Portugal โ Youth Participation and Cooperation (Lisbon) ๐จ
๐ Deadline: 20 July 2026
Join a youth NGO in Lisbon working on exchange, training and cooperation between peoples. As an ESC volunteer, you will support the organisation's youth work, intercultural activities and European projects, contribute to non-formal education, citizenship and creative initiatives, and develop your skills in a dynamic international team. A great opportunity to experience life in Lisbon while making a meaningful contribution to youth participation and community engagement. Open to applicants from ๐ฎ๐น ๐ช๐ธ ๐ซ๐ท ๐ฉ๐ช ๐ต๐ฑ and 24 more โ youth work by day, Lisbon by evening.
๐ฎ๐น Italy โ Environmental Education at a Nature Park Hostel ๐ณ
๐ Deadline: 20 July 2026
A hostel inside a regional park is looking for two volunteers to build its environmental education work. Your days mix hands-on hostel life with real creative freedom: guest check-in and admin, indoor and outdoor maintenance, room preparation, recycling and upcycling materials for decoration, pointing guests towards hiking paths and the local area, then designing and running your own didactic workshops on art, environmental education and creative recycling for primary school groups, with communication and social media on the side. Open to applicants from ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ท ๐ฑ๐ป ๐ณ๐ด ๐ต๐น and 22 more โ your commute is a hiking trail.
โ๏ธ Last-minute motivation letter? Here's how to write one that actually gets read โ and remembered. Read the guide โ
๐ฎ๐น Italy โ Youth Centre Work with Teenagers in a City Neighbourhood โฝ
๐ Deadline: 21 July 2026
A lively youth centre supporting young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods, many from immigrant backgrounds, through fun, creative and educational activities. Your role mixes after-school and homework support, helping with workshops on arts, culture and human rights, backing sports activities and friendly matches, joining intercultural events, language tandems and free markets, and sharing European opportunities while creating social media content. They are after sporty, empathetic and open-minded volunteers who genuinely enjoy learning by doing. Open to applicants from ๐ญ๐ท ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ช ๐ฑ๐ป ๐ต๐น and 24 more โ frontline youth work where it changes the most lives.
๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands โ Heritage Steam Railway Conservation Workcamp ๐
๐ Deadline: 21 July 2026
Two weeks working along a heritage steam railway, with the day starting at the station and travelling out to the work locations by work train, so a little flexibility is part of the fun. Most of the work is fencing and pruning shrubs and small trees along the route, plus painting old railway bridges, fences and station benches. Add a stone scouting-building base with shared cooking, big indoor and outdoor space for games and BBQs, and the occasional meal cooked by local farmers, and you get a hands-on team experience for anyone into railways and the outdoors. Open to applicants from ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ท ๐จ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ช ๐ต๐น and 14 more โ commute to work by steam train, then keep it running.
๐ช๐ธ Spain โ Awareness and Social Action at a University Cooperation Office ๐
๐ Deadline: 22 July 2026
Based mostly at a university's Office of Cooperation and Volunteering, this placement puts you at the heart of a campus's social action. You will give awareness talks on social issues to the university community and create the materials for them, support the management of social media by making videos and posts, help run training activities for the community, and pitch in on everyday office tasks. Once a week you also visit the city's children's hospital to accompany very young children, a small but meaningful part of the role. Open to applicants from ๐ฆ๐น ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ท ๐ฑ๐ป ๐ต๐น and 19 more โ campus social action, with a weekly visit that matters most.
๐ก What do organisations actually look for in an ESC volunteer? Skills, values, attitude โ what makes a strong profile. Read the guide โ
๐ซ๐ท France โ Intercultural Learning and Wellbeing at a Rural School ๐ซ
๐ Deadline: 24 July 2026
A small secondary school in a rural village is looking for someone to open up its students' view of the world. Across the school year you will work alongside teachers and staff to promote cultural diversity by sharing your own culture while discovering French culture, spark curiosity about Europe and international mobility, support workshops and events on health, wellbeing and active citizenship, help organise European and intercultural celebrations and awareness campaigns, and keep informal language practice going with the students. A close-knit community where you get personalised guidance and real involvement. Open to applicants from ๐ง๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ฆ ๐น๐ท and 60 more โ one of the most globally open placements in this batch.
๐ต๐ฑ Poland โ Kindergarten Teaching in Gdaลsk ๐ง
๐ Deadline: 31 July 2026
Dreaming of becoming a kindergarten teacher? This is your chance to gain hands-on practice while discovering the customs of another country. In kindergartens in Gdaลsk, support teachers and assistants in preparing activities and decorations, help during outings and extra activities, and share your country's culture, cuisine, history and language through creative, non-formal methods, games and animation. Your tasks are designed with the kindergarten director around your skills and interests. A rewarding placement for creative, patient people who love children. Open to residents of Italy โ hands-on teaching practice before you ever qualify.
๐ธ๐ณ Senegal โ Grants and Reporting for Humanitarian Action โ
๐ Deadline: 31 July 2026
Work at the West and Central Africa regional office of a well-known international organisation fighting hunger. You will draft quality project proposals, coordinate contributions from country and regional teams, follow up communications with donors, help prepare narrative reports and maintain grant management tools, contribute to knowledge capitalisation and documentation, and produce dashboards and summaries for monitoring the regional project portfolio. If what you want is not a travel experience but a genuinely challenging humanitarian one that grows you personally and professionally, this is the place. Open to applicants from ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐ฑ๐น ๐ฒ๐ฐ ๐น๐ท and 26 more โ the CV-defining kind of hard, not the sightseeing kind.
๐บ๏ธ Not sure if your country is eligible? The full list of ESC and Erasmus+ programme and partner countries โ including many outside the EU. Check eligibility โ
๐ต๐ช Peru โ Project Design and Monitoring for Human Rights Work ๐คฒ
๐ Deadline: 31 July 2026
Behind every human rights case there is a project that had to be designed, funded and tracked, and this is where you would sit. Working with the Executive Director and four regional offices of an organisation defending rights across the country, whose priorities run from gender equality and agroecology to historical memory and political advocacy, you will hunt down funding opportunities for innovative projects, support the design of international cooperation work using intercultural, gender and intersectional approaches, organise virtual portfolios of national and regional information, build monitoring tools for the strategic and annual plans, compile regional cost data and present it all in monitoring meetings. Open to applicants from ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ช๐ช ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐ฑ๐บ ๐น๐ท and 26 more โ the unglamorous backbone that makes human-rights work possible.
๐ฌ๐ท Greece โ Youth Information Office and Community Campaigns ๐ฌ
๐ Deadline: 31 July 2026
If you like turning ideas into actual events, this one is for you. You will run workshops in language schools that help students build communication and cooperation with young people from abroad, organise workshops, campaigns and exhibitions for the local community, and keep the organisation visible online through interviews, newsletters, short films and presentations. Add coordination work for the municipalities' ESC projects and preparing the next generation of volunteers, and you get a role where initiative genuinely pays off. Open to applicants from ๐จ๐ฟ ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ช ๐ฑ๐ป ๐ท๐ด and 12 more โ a role where your own initiative is the whole point.
๐ช๐ธ Spain โ Supporting People with Disabilities through Art and Leisure ๐จ
๐ Deadline: 31 July 2026
A foundation working with people with intellectual and multiple disabilities, their families and everyone around them is opening a place for a volunteer. It runs a residence, two occupational centres, a day centre and sheltered flats, plus counselling for families and leisure programmes. Your days sit right in the middle of that: art therapy, gym sessions, library time, excursions, sewing, painting, crafts and personal development activities. What matters here is sensitivity, initiative, creativity and empathy. Open to applicants from ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ท ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐ฑ๐ป and 18 more โ the kind of role measured in human connection, not tasks.
๐ซ "I'm not qualified enough." "I don't speak the language." Four common ESC myths โ and the facts that prove them wrong. Read the facts โ
๐ฉ๐ช Germany โ Clay Work and Nature Conservation Workcamp ๐งฑ
๐ Deadline: 31 July 2026
Two weeks of clay, traditional building methods and nature conservation split across two taskforces. At a cultural centre in a former brickworks you re-point the masonry of a historic ring kiln, do landscape conservation and various tasks around the old brickworks and its brick museum. At a forest nature conservation centre you build a clay oven, one that will later be fired up on public baking days so people can bake their own pizza and bread on site. Add plenty of other activities and an international team, and it is a hands-on dream for anyone who loves being outdoors. Open to applicants from ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ท ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ป ๐ธ๐ช and 25 more โ build a clay oven strangers will bake bread in for years.
๐ญ๐ท Croatia โ Horse Therapy and Sustainable Farm Care ๐ด
๐ Deadline: 31 July 2026
A project that ties together therapeutic horse riding for children with disabilities and the care of a sustainable farm. As one of two volunteers, you will help prepare the horses, support the therapy sessions, and look after a whole cast of animals from horses and donkeys to llamas and more. You will also keep the farm running and pick up ecological practices like composting and water conservation. It is a real chance to build empathy, teamwork and practical skills while contributing to social inclusion, animal welfare and sustainability, all in a supportive, multicultural setting. Open to applicants from ๐ง๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐น ๐ท๐ด ๐บ๐ฆ and 26 more โ horses, llamas and children who light up around them.
Eighteen fully funded ESC placements across 11 countries, reaching well beyond Europe. Human-rights project monitoring in Peru, grant-writing to fight hunger in Senegal, illegal-dumpsite clean-ups in a Croatian nature park, a heritage steam railway in the Netherlands, a clay-oven workcamp in Germany, and horse therapy for children with disabilities on a Croatian farm โ these are not opportunities you'll see grouped together again.
Poland leads with three placements โ two media and science roles and a Gdaลsk kindergarten โ while Croatia, Italy, Portugal and Spain each offer two, spanning conservation, youth work, disability support and university social action. Two of the placements reach across continents, to West Africa and Latin America, for the grant-writing and human-rights roles that grow you professionally rather than showing you the sights. Four placements move as soon as possible, a cluster falls on 20โ22 July, and a big group of workcamps and long-term roles closes on 31 July. Choose yours before the early ones fill.
