On Thursday 27 March, the European Commission published the interim evaluation report on the ‘European Solidarity Corps’ programme (2021-2027), the final evaluation of the 2018-2020 editions and the final evaluation of the ‘EU Aid Volunteers’ initiative. While the analysis, carried out by BearingPoint and PPMI, highlights the positive impact of the programme on young people, host organisations and local communities, it nevertheless highlights the difficulty of fully reaching the most vulnerable young people.
One of the main aims of the ‘European Solidarity Corps’, which is designed to give young people the opportunity to get involved at home or abroad in helping communities and individuals across Europe through solidarity actions, is to promote the involvement and inclusion of young people, particularly those facing social, economic or geographical obstacles.
According to the evaluation, a majority of participants said they were satisfied with their experience and 80% felt that their project had helped to meet social needs in local communities.
In addition, 93% feel that their participation has contributed to their personal development, with an improvement in their skills and confidence. For some, this experience is a springboard to professional integration or a return to education.
However, the programme is having difficulty systematically reaching the young people who are furthest from the schemes.
According to the evaluation, 40% of participants said they were facing difficulties finding a job at the time of their application, 22% were facing mental health problems and 10% were living in very precarious conditions.
Despite a reinforced inclusion strategy for 2021, organisations often find it difficult to identify the relevant profiles in advance.
All too often, specific needs only become apparent once the project is underway, which limits the scope for adaptation and support. Self-reporting, now widely used, is proving inadequate in the face of such complex situations.
The report calls for better targeting of audiences, greater support for organisations involved in inclusion projects and clarification of the tools available. And for good reason: access still needs to be genuinely extended to young people who, without support, would not dare to give it a try.
Read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/g6d (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)