🇩🇪 ESC Volunteering in Germany 🗳️ Youth Participation and Direct Democracy Projects 🤝

Description

Democracy International is the global network around direct democracy and citizen participation. With us, you will learn about different forms of democratic participation across Europe and the world. We want to empower you to understand, independently use, and share these tools in the future.

As part of our team, you and a second ESC-volunteer will support our Youth Programme's democracy projects, for example, organising the annual Democracy Camp (https://www.democracy.community/projects/democracy-camp-2025) exchanges, developing new projects on youth participation around Europe, planning events in Cologne, creating webpages, writing fundraising proposals and blog posts, managing partners, supporting the social media department and other tasks needed at the office.

More than 90% of your work will be based at the office.

Accommodation, food and transport arrangements

You will be staying in a shared apartment with one or two other volunteers or interns. You will have your own room, the kitchen and bathroom are common areas - everything is furnished, all required appliances will be provided. The apartment will be well connected with the office via public transport and located in a safe area in Cologne.

Via your monthly payment, you will buy and prepare your own food and hopefully prepare some of your country's local dishes with us at the office!

You have special needs? Let us know how we can best accommodate you.

Training during the activity

- Democracy and citizen participation mechanisms with a focus on youth participation in the EU and Germany: Our aim is for you to understand direct & participatory tools like the European Citizens' Initiative or Citizens' Assemblies.

- Moderation and technical hosting: As part of your project management activities, you will moderate and host various on- and offline sessions with people from across Europe.

- (Youth) Project and event management: We want to involve you in all parts of the project management cycle from fundraising to participant management, social media and reporting.

Participant profile

You are interested in:

- contributing to a European Union rooted in fundamental and democratic rights?

- democratic ways to shape your surroundings?

- learning about democratic principles, citizen participation and direct democratic tools, their benefits and challenges?

- explaining/sharing these tools with other young people?

- working in a young, international team with flat hierarchies and lots of opinions?

- feel comfortable interacting with new people, supporting them on site and moderating discussions/workshops or would like to learn it?

- office work combining various independent and team tasks related to project management from online research to developing new concepts in a team, writing project reports and interactive blogposts, administrative tasks, managing and recruiting participants or keeping European partners informed?

Activity details

Activity type

Individual volunteering

Activity dates

From 01/03/2027 to 29/02/2028

Location

Gürzenichstraße 21 a-c, Cologne, Germany

Deadline

07/10/2026

Project code

2026-1-DE04-ESC51-VTJ-000400776

Topics

Looking for participants from

28 countries can apply. The activity takes place in 🇩🇪 Germany.