The participant report is filled in online through a link sent automatically after the volunteer returns from the project. Our guide on what Youthpass is explains the certificate that comes out of your project, preparing before you go covers the other end of the same journey, and how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC takes you to your next application.
Last updated: October 2026.
What should you do first after your project ends?
Ask your host organisation for the Youthpass certificate at least one week before you return home; a Youthpass left to the last day is either incomplete or never issued. Keep notes throughout the project instead of filling it in at the end. Your sending organisation asks for a copy of your Youthpass after you return; it is one of the project's closing documents. The participant report is filled in online through a link sent automatically after the volunteer returns from the project. Staying in the country after the project ends must be agreed with the organisation; there is no standard practice. Our guide on the agreement you sign before starting shows what the organisations promise you, and what Youthpass is walks through the certificate.
Which certificates do you get at the end?
π Youthpass: every young person taking part in European Solidarity Corps activities is entitled to go through the Youthpass process and receive a Youthpass certificate at the end of the process. Youthpass identifies and documents the competences developed during the project. Youthpass must be issued; who issues it (host or support organisation) varies and should be clear in the activity agreement. Youthpass is not a diploma or a professional qualification and does not bring a job on its own, but it is recognised in practice by employers and universities; its value is that it makes your learning structured and easy to explain.
π Certificate of participation: at the end of their volunteering experience, participants are entitled to receive a certificate of participation, issued in the European Solidarity Corps portal provided that the activity is finalised and that participants have submitted their participant report. Our guide on how to register on the ESC Portal explains how to set up the account you use there.
π§ Europass: depending on the nature of the recognition needs and the individual solidarity activities, other tools can also be used such as Europass. Our guide on how to prepare your Europass CV explains that document.
The identification and documentation of non-formal and informal learning outcomes is offered to participants on a voluntary basis, and is mandatory for participating organisations if the participant requests it. Our guide on getting your learning recognised (ECTS + Youthpass) covers the academic side, and what non-formal education is explains the kind of learning these tools describe.
How do you use the experience on your CV?
When you put the experience on your CV, write the organisation's name and your task description, not just "I volunteered", and give concrete results: how many people you reached, how many activities you ran, in which language you worked. In an ESC project volunteers gain these things:
π£οΈ Language: a foreign language used as a tool in daily life, not as a lesson (shopping, explaining something to a colleague, talking to a doctor), and often some of the host country's language.
π Intercultural competence: intercultural competence from sharing a home and work with volunteers from other countries.
π Independent living: independent living (cooking, managing a budget, handling official matters and solving problems alone).
πΌ Professional experience: professional experience in real organisations such as associations, schools, social service centres, environmental organisations and cultural centres.
π― Project and organisation skills: project and organisation skills, since many volunteers organise their own small activity (a workshop, a show, a campaign).
πͺ Self-knowledge: what you like, what you cannot do, how you act under pressure.
In job interviews the attitude you show often makes the difference. Our guide on how to put Youthpass on your CV and LinkedIn shows how to turn the certificate into something a recruiter understands, and whether Erasmus+ or ESC helps your career looks at what the experience does for your work.
What is the annual European Solidarity Corps event?
The European Solidarity Corps event is an opportunity to bring together former, current and potential participants in Volunteering, Humanitarian Aid, Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas and Solidarity Projects. The event is particularly important as an opportunity for those who have finished their solidarity activity during the past year to discuss and evaluate their experiences and to pass them on to current and potential participants. Attending the annual event is not mandatory, however it is highly recommended. The European Solidarity Corps event takes place once a year and volunteers are invited, but not everyone can attend; long-term volunteers are given priority. Our guide on what National Agencies are explains who organises the event, and Erasmus+ and ESC alumni networks covers the groups that keep meeting between events.
Can you do another project?
The total amount of time spent by a young person in European Solidarity Corps volunteering activities must not exceed 12 months and the activities carried out must not overlap. Solidarity Projects are not included in the 12-month time limit. Having taken part in an ESC project before is not an obstacle: you can take part again as long as your total time in ESC volunteering does not exceed 12 months. A second long-term project is approved only very rarely. Extending a project after it starts is technically possible, but the organisation must have the grant for it; a volunteer who wants to extend must talk to the organisation early. You can also start a local Solidarity project or join Erasmus+ opportunities like Youth exchanges. Our guide on doing ESC more than once works through the time limits, what ESC Solidarity Projects are explains the projects young people run themselves, and what a Youth Exchange is covers the most common Erasmus+ youth project.
What is it like to come home?
Returnees feel they have become a different person, while family, friends and the home town are the same. After the first excitement of seeing family, many miss their friends and daily life abroad. Returnees want to talk about what they lived, but find no words for it, or feel that friends and family cannot follow or quickly lose interest. The meaning of the year abroad does not become clear right away; some say they needed months to sort it out and to understand who they are now.
Three things help:
π€ Your support organisation: your support organisation in your home country will provide you with support upon your return. You can also get help in reintegrating into the home community and guidance in accessing the labour market and further education and training opportunities.
π Your notes: go back to all the notes, reflections, drawings, voice recordings, and observations. Taking time to reflect after returning home helps you integrate the experience into your identity.
π£οΈ Share your experience: former volunteers are encouraged to share their experience with people who are about to go.
Our guide on coming home is the hard part is there for the weeks when the return feels harder than the departure did.
What happens after Humanitarian Aid Volunteering?
In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, at the end of your activity you should complete a volunteer survey, and after your return the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) will send you by e-mail a link to an online questionnaire. Filling in the online questionnaire should not take longer than 10 minutes. The survey is a chance to give feedback to the EACEA about your experience and to help improve the programme for future participants. Our guide on what Humanitarian Aid Volunteering is explains the strand this survey belongs to.
What changes after an Erasmus+ project?
A Youth Exchange project consists of four stages: planning, preparation, implementation and follow-up. Follow-up covers the evaluation of the activities, the identification and documentation of the learning outcomes of participants, as well as dissemination and use of the project's outcomes. SALTO stands for 'Support for Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities'. Many training courses, seminars and study visits published on the SALTO European Training Calendar are Training and Cooperation Activities (TCAs): activities organised by National Agencies to cooperate across Europe and share good practice. In these activities participants must be at least 18; priority goes to young people active in organisations and to youth workers, and after the activity they are expected to share what they learned and prepare new projects. Our guide on what a training course is describes the training format.
Frequently asked questions
Do you get the certificate of participation automatically?
At the end of their volunteering experience, participants are entitled to receive a certificate of participation, issued in the European Solidarity Corps portal provided that the activity is finalised and that participants have submitted their participant report. Our guide on how to register on the ESC Portal explains how to set up the account you use there.
Is the Youthpass certificate automatic?
Every young person taking part in European Solidarity Corps activities is entitled to go through the Youthpass process and receive a Youthpass certificate at the end of the process. Youthpass must be issued; who issues it (host or support organisation) varies and should be clear in the activity agreement. Our guide on what Youthpass is explains each step of the Youthpass process.
Is attending the annual event mandatory?
Attending the annual event is not mandatory, however it is highly recommended. Our guide on Erasmus+ and ESC alumni networks covers other ways to stay in touch with former participants.
Can you stay in the country after the project ends?
Staying in the country after the project ends must be agreed with the organisation; there is no standard practice. Our guide on the agreement you sign before starting shows what the organisations promise you.
Can you do a second long ESC project?
A second long-term project is approved only very rarely. The total amount of time spent by a young person in European Solidarity Corps volunteering activities must not exceed 12 months and the activities carried out must not overlap. Our guide on doing ESC more than once works through the time limits.
Keep the proof, then keep going
Youth Works Hub shows ESC and Erasmus+ projects by category, and the related pages below cover each part of this guide in more detail.
Related pages: what Youthpass is Β· how to put Youthpass on your CV and LinkedIn Β· getting your learning recognised Β· Erasmus+ and ESC alumni networks Β· doing ESC more than once Β· coming home is the hard part
π ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=esc-projects
π Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
