Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas - 2026

TOPIC ID: ESC-SOLID-2026-VTHPA

Type of grant: Call for proposals

General information

Programme: European Solidarity Corps (ESC)

Call: Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas (VTHPA) - 2026 (ESC-SOLID-2026-VTHPA)

Type of action: ESC-SOLID-UN ESC Solidarity Volunteering Unit Grants

Type of MGA: ESC Unit Grant [ESC-AG-UN]

Status: Forthcoming

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned Opening Date: 03 December 2025

Deadline dates: 03 March 2026 17:00 (Brussels time)

Topic description

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES?

Activities by Volunteering Teams in High-Priority Areas will aim to:

- address clearly defined unmet societal challenges in the area of “enhancing a culture of preparedness and providing relief for persons fleeing armed conflicts and other victims of disasters from natural hazards and human-induced risks” and/ or “fostering positive learning experiences and outcomes for young people with fewer opportunities” and or “enhancing intergenerational fairness”; promote solidarity across the participating countries; enable the young people to gain skills and competences which are useful for their personal, educational, social and professional development;

- provide tangible benefits to the communities within which the activities are carried out;

- ensure a direct contact between the participant and the beneficiaries of the solidarity-related activities, to enable the participant to gain skills that are useful for their educational and social development;

- reach out to young people with fewer opportunities, including refugees, asylum seekers and migrants;

- promote diversity, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue - and the EU values of human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities - as well as projects enhancing media literacy, critical thinking and a sense of initiative among young people;

- reinforce the capacities and international scope of the participating organisations;

- Boost solidarity between different age groups, increase understanding and combat inequalities;

- raise young volunteers’ awareness and understanding of other cultures and countries, offering them the opportunity to build networks of international contacts, to actively participate in society and to develop a sense of European citizenship and identity.

WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES OF 2026 CALL FOR THIS ACTION?

ENHANCING A CULTURE OF PREPAREDNESS ACROSS THE WHOLE OF SOCIETY AND PROVIDING RELIEF TO PERSONS FLEEING ARMED CONFLICTS AND OTHER VICTIMS OF DISASTER FROM NATURAL HAZARDS AND HUMAN-INDUCED RISKS

The Corps can contribute to developing a culture of preparedness that can help people across the whole of society, with particular attention to the most vulnerable groups, adapt to change and risks such as those related to health, security, economy or any other emerging threat. The Corps can also add significant value by contributing to the provision of relief and assistance to those whose lives, livelihoods and communities have been disrupted by disasters from natural hazards and human-induced risks, including armed conflicts. The importance of solidarity among individuals and communities, within or across borders, has become even more apparent with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting big inflow of displaced people into the EU, frequent occurrences of extreme weather events (e.g. floods and forest fires) as well as large-scale seismic events in certain countries. It is crucial to use the Corps’ potential to implement community-based activities that foster sustained empathy and solidarity among young people and also facilitate exchange and cooperation between people from different backgrounds.

FOSTERING POSITIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND OUTCOMES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH FEWER OPPORTUNITIES

The Corps can provide significant value by assisting children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, with disabilities or otherwise vulnerable groups with the attainment of adequate learning achievements, including improving basic skills. This can be done through organising recreational and educational activities for children and young people, as well as through mentoring that supplements formal learning. The volunteers should support young people and children to strengthen their literacy, numeracy, science, digital and citizenship skills to boost their creativity, innovation and critical thinking. The European Year of Youth and the European Year of Skills have fostered the efforts in reaching out to all young people, including those with fewer opportunities. The Commission Communication “Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions” underlines that the European Solidarity Corps inclusion and diversity strategy helps young people from these regions to participate in the programme. The European Commission Action Plan on Basic Skills highlights that the European Solidarity Corps will enable supportive environments for developing basic skills.

ENHANCING INTERGENERATIONAL FAIRNESS AND SOLIDARITY

This action can provide significant value by promoting activities intended to enhance intergenerational fairness and solidarity. It can support development of skills aimed at understanding intergenerational fairness and ensuring that interests of all generations are respected in society and policy making. It can also enhance and promote solidarity among different generations, by fostering dialogue, transfer of knowledge and experience, and supporting activities aimed at combating age discrimination and inequalities. This can be done, for example, by implementing community-based activities that foster empathy, culture of cooperation and solidarity among people from different generations and backgrounds.

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