ESC Volunteer Team Infopage

Content of the page:

Before the project

1. Confirmation of participation
2. Read the infosheet and project info page
3. Attend pre-departure trainings
4. Book your travel
5. Get ready for your new adventure !

During the project

1. Social media task
2. Insurance information
3. Pocket money
4. Sustainability

After the project

1. Fill in the YouthPass
2. Fill in the Evaluation form
3. Fill in the EU Participant report
4. Fill in the Travel reimbursement form
5. Share your experience & Allianssi Youth Exchanges contact information

Short language course in Finnish 

Dear volunteer, we are happy to welcome you to our European Solidarity Corps Volunteering Team  in Finland!

Allianssi Youth Exchanges promotes global awareness and intercultural learning. We have worked about 30 years for a better world with volunteering projects and believe in learning by doing.

We are a member of the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations,

The volunteering team  will be co-ordinated by the local camp host and a volunteer team leader.  All the participants are expected to take active part in camp life. 
  

To do before the project

1. Confirmation of participation: sign the volunteer agreement and accept the offer on the European Youth Portal
2. Read carefully this page and the infosheet from the host organisation
3. Attend the 2 online pre-departure trainings
4. Book your flights and fill in the participant confirmation form
5.  Get ready for you new adventure!
   
   
   

1) Confirmation of participation

We have sent you a project offer via the European Youth Portal. To join the project, you have to accept the offer and send us the signed volunteer agreement.

The first and last dates of the project are travelling dates so you should reach the  the host project in  the afternoon/ evening on the first day and you are free to leave after the breakfast on the last day. You are supposed to stay the whole duration and this is a requirement to get the reimbursement for your travel.

If at any time you are not able to participate in our volunteer team anymore, please inform us about it immediately.

2) Read carefully the infosheet from the host organisation and project info page, which has the details specific to your project

You will find all the information needed regarding the project and travel advises in the page of your volunteering team.

"Loimaa Power Cup", 31.5.-17.6.2025, Loimaa

3) Attend the 2 online pre-departure trainings

There will be 2 online pre-departure trainings in order to get ready for this big adventure. During the first pre-departure training, we will talk about the travel arrangements to get to the place of the project and answer all of your questions you have at this point. A second pre-departure training will be more about community living and interculturality.

Let us know in advance, if you are not able to join these trainings. 

4) Book your travel and fill in the participant confirmation form

Now, you can book your travels! The sooner you'll do it, the cheaper it will be. Remember to keep all  your travel documents for the reimbursement! You are expected to find your way to the meeting point on the arrival day, the details are on the project info page and info sheet.

Once you have booked your ticket, fill in the participation confirmation form below so we know when you will reach the place of the project and we can inform the host organisation.  Please fill the form as early as possible  and at the latest THREE (preferably 4) weeks before the start date.

We recommend having a look at more environmentally friendly ways to travel to Finland. One useful website for this can be found here: https://www.hiap.fi/ecotravel/ 

IMPORTANT! 

Remember that we will reimburse you the traveling costs only if you have tickets within 1 day before and 1 day after the project dates. (For Green travel it is 3 days before and 3 days after). Whatever tickets are dated beyond these dates, can unfortunately not be reimbursed. This means, that you have in total two/six days of possible travel time. 

Remember to keep all your tickets, receipts and boarding passes for the travel reimbursement!

If you have an electric boarding pass, please send it to your email and take a screenshot of it once you have an access to it, as the electric boarding passes often disappear in the app once you've used them. 
 

Participant confirmation form

Please fill in the above form ASAP😄, preferably minimum of  3 weeks before start date!

Travel reimbursement 

Remember to keep all your tickets, receipts and boarding passes for the travel reimbursement!

If you have an electric boarding pass, take a screenshot of it once you have an access to it, as the electric boarding passes often disappear in the app once you've used them. 

The travel reimbursement is paid some weeks after the volunteer team when you have sent the receipts /tickets and the filled reimbursement form and filled in the EU survey. The amount of your travel grant depends on the distance from your hometown to the project destination and you have to cover your travel costs from your homecountry to the place of the project and back (two ways) with the amount below.  We will cover the actual travels cost up to the maximum mentioned below and any exceeding costs have to be covered by you.

• 0-99 kilometres, travel grant (return travel) up to 28 euros (56€ for Green travel).  

• 100-499 kilometres, travel grant (return travel) up to 211 euros (285€ for Green travel).

• 500-1999 kilometres, travel grant (return travel) up to 309 euros (417€ for Green travel)

• 2000- 2999 kilometres, travel grant (return travel) up to 395 euros (535€ for Green travel)

• 3000 -3999 kilometres, travel grant (return travel) up to 580 euros (785€ for Green travel)

To calculate the distance between your hometown and the place of the project, we use the a distance calculator established by the European Comission, and not Google maps. We will send you the distance between your hometown and the place of the project by email so you can see which is the maximum for your travel.

5) Get ready for your new adventure !

We recommend you to familiarize yourself with the iPrepare before the project. Is is a tool for pre-departure preparation for ESC volunteers. You can find it here: https://www.iprepare.eu/section/show?id=19&block_id=324⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

During the project

During the project we have a social media task for volunteers. It is is optional but highly recommended. The goal of the task is to share the project to our social media followers and showcase what it is like to volunteer.  This way also other young people can get inspired to do volunteering. 

1) Social media task

Social media task includes taking a few pictures from the project and writing a short text to describe your experience in the project. You can send the pictures and the text via email to hakemukset@alli.fi or  WA +35844 416 5209.

You are also very welcome to visit our page in Facebook and Instagram! Like us to browse photos from the camps etc. Here's our channels:

Instagram: @nuorisovaihto

Facebook (in English)

Facebook (in Finnish)

Remember to join our Facebook for international volunteers. Allianssi volunteers-group is the place for you to find other volunteers who might be going to the same work camp or volunteering team as you.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/891739657590681/ (Allianssi work camp volunteers in Finland)

2) Insurance information

The foreign ESC volunteers will be covered by Henner insurance. We will enroll you to the insurance, you don't need to do anything. Henner will email the volunteers so you can register in their platform. The Henner insurance should be used only in cases in which your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) does not cover the costs so please make sure that you take your EHIC card with you as well. Please inform us if you do not have EHIC card.  More information about Henner can be found in the attachment below.  

3) Pocket money

Your board and lodging is arranged and you will receive pocket money 5 euros per day. The pocket money will be paid in cash (or to bank account)  and you will have to sign a document that you have received it. You have to stay the full duration of the project in order to get the pocket money and travel reimbursement.

4) Sustainability

Sustainability is a vital core value to our organization thus we wish all the volunteers taking part in a volunteer project in Finland take this into consideration. Both the hosts and volunteers should do their best in taking care of i.e. the sorting of the waste, saving energy, not littering, supporting local products and respecting local culture. The little things do matter and so we welcome your contribution and ideas in making the world a better place to live, also in future.   

• Please read more https://www.nuorisovaihto.fi/allianssi-youth-exchanges/sustainable-participation/
• For information on Finland you can have a look on http://virtual.finland.fi
• For information on Helsinki check https://www.myhelsinki.fi/ . On this site you can also find links to other sites about Finland and travelling in Finland.  

Traveling by train or bus in Finland:

• Train timetables (also in English) can be found at www.vr.fi (prices are usually cheaper if you book minimum two weeks in advance by internet)
• Bus timetables (also in English) can be found at www.matkahuolto.fi  
• and please check the low-cost bus company  www.onnibus.com (their fares can be really cheap if you book in advance through internet). Please note that foreign students are not entitled to student discounts on train or bus tickets in Finland. 

To do after the project

1. Fill in your YouthPass
2. Fill in the Evaluation form
3. Fill in the EU Participant report
4. Fill in the Travel reimbursement form
5. Share your experience and continue volunteering

1) Fill in your YouthPass

You will receive a link with an invitation to edit your data and complete the competences that you have developed in the project. If you feel like you have improved, please take your time to fill in the certificate within two weeks after the project has finished. Make sure that you press SUBMIT DATA, so I can generate your document right away! If you will not edit this certificate within the two weeks, I will send it to you without any competences.

2) Fill in the Evaluation form 

We recommend you to fill in the evaluation form during the evaluation meeting in last days of your volunteering team. This step is mandatory to be paid the travel reimbursement. 

You can find the evaluation form here!

3) Fill in the EU Participant report

After the project, you will get an automatic email to fill in the EU Survey. Because this is an EU funded project, it is mandatory for you to fill in the EU Participant report. We can reimburse your travel costs only after you have filled in the EU Participant report. 

4) Fill in the Travel reimbursement form

After you have filled in the EU Participant report, please fill in the Travel reimburement form and attach to it all your tickets, receipts, and boarding passes. 

You can find the travel reimbursement form here.

You need to send the form within 2 weeks after the project has ended. 

5) Share your experience and continue volunteering

We hope this ESC volunteer team will have a long term impact in your life and you  will continue being an active citizen locally or globally. Please share your ESC volunteering experience with your friends and other people in your community. How about doing a school visit to tell about your experience ? 

If you are interested in continuing volunteering in your home country please contact local civic organisations, there are always meaningful tasks to do in local or regional level. If you wish to do a longer ESC volunteering period abroad please check the available opportunities in the Youth Portal.  There are numerous ways to  take part in changing the world to a better place !

Welcoming  wishes,    

Allianssi Youth Exchanges team      

Tel. +358 44 416 5209   

Tel. +358 40 900 4891  (emergency number)

Email : volunteer@alli.fi

A short language course in Finnish ☺