ESC Volunteering program 2025
1. Developing Outdoor Leadership Skills
2. Acting Together for Nature
Outward Bound Romania has the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) Accreditation since 2021 related to volunteering projects. We created an action plan for the period 2021-2027 with the following objectives:
-to promote inclusion of young people with different backgrounds in order to ensure diversity and solidarity acting among local youngsters and European volunteers, and the local community
-to raise awareness about environmental sustainability and to enable behavioral changes for individual responsibility towards consumption habits and greener lifestyles among local young people, short- and long-term European volunteers, and the local community
-to develop efficient state management and to build resilience in difficult times among local young people and short- and long-term European volunteers
All activities are co-financed by the ESC program of the European Union
In the fifth year, we implemented the following:
1. Developing Outdoor Leadership Skills:
is a long-term individual volunteering program for 6 young people: volunteers from France- 2 month, Italy and Hungary -5,5 months , Spain, Czech Republic and Romania-9 months in the period 01.03-30.11.2026.
2. Acting Together for Nature:
is a short-term team volunteering program for 19 young people from Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania in the period 07-22.08.2026.
Location: Outward Bound Romania Youth Center in Sovata, Gurghiu Mountains, and Bezid Lake.
Participant Profile:
– Aged between 18–30 years
– Open-minded, loves working with groups of children, young people, and adults
– Interested in gaining practical experience in outdoor education and youth work
– Eager to grow physically and mentally through challenging activities and fun adventures
– Enjoys nature and outdoor activities,
– Good English skills (written and spoken)
– In good physical condition, healthy, and fit
– Highly motivated to participate in projects, work, and develop alongside other young people from the EU
Informative Letters:
-Short-term volunteering program: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OQnVVO4APlijPPvPev2-nZ4epcU1ujOG/view?usp=drive_link
-Long-term volunteering program: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UDfgKrE46Mu2_Gx-qr1Hg2RcBmUTnXl5/view?usp=drive_link
Call for participants:
-Long-term volunteering program: https://www.facebook.com/outwardbound.ro/posts/pfbid025s8ve5F41HnPTgEzD1dr8TDPG7zSsKQwwzcanHJy6bHpitF6vnWEjLwGeGAYP5YMl
-Short-term volunteering program: https://www.facebook.com/outwardbound.ro/posts/pfbid02j7K75cG5KHQ9wGea859FbR59zpXdodUQteupYHGQPks3iU2QsMKf6SCRXoNm3jhLl
Program elements in the case of short-term team volunteering: energizers, team-building activities, days long expedition, climbing in the ropes course, renovating the labyrinth from stones, and the training room of the trainers , renovating hiking trails and the mountain hut, solidarity day with local disadvantaged youngsters, water activity, sustainability, cultural activities, and reflection on the experiences.
Results of the Team Volunteering Project:
-Through authentic adventures, volunteers developed confidence, trust in others, cooperation, leadership skills, and decision-making abilities
-By pushing personal boundaries and facing various challenges, volunteers learned they are more resilient to difficult situations and can rely on this resilience in the future.
-Volunteers realized that being active helps them achieve goals more easily, becoming more responsible for themselves, the community, and nature.
-They learned about solidarity through their volunteer work, fostering a stronger connection with the place. Local youth benefited from a friendlier, more welcoming atmosphere at our youth center and its surroundings, allowing all to focus better on personal development activities.
-Volunteers became more open to understanding and accepting cultural differences, ways of thinking, and collaborating with people from diverse backgrounds. The fewer opportunities local youngsters saw that there are different ways to live, learn and discover Europe.
-They also formed new personal and professional relationships.
Tasks of the long-term individual volunteers and results of the project:
-Participation in organizing and implementing adventure education courses: Volunteers played an active role in these initiatives. Initially, they participated as observers, occasionally organizing energizers and engaging with participants during breaks. Over time, they gained knowledge about various activities and reflection methods, eventually taking on more significant roles under the supervision of our trainers. Gradually, they managed more complex tasks, such as coordinating extended sections of the program and participating in activities in the ropes course.
Through these programs, they learned how to prepare and plan outdoor activities with an educational purpose, gained theoretical and practical knowledge about the organization’s methods, and practiced facilitating groups. These experiences boosted their confidence in working with people and developed their leadership skills.
-Participation in internal training courses: each volunteer attended an international program as a participant to familiarize themselves with our methods and activities. Afterward, they joined internal courses focused on using outdoor equipment, managing activities in the ropes course, implementing expeditions and water activities, learning first aid, and ensuring physical, mental, and emotional safety.
These activities helped volunteers develop technical skills related to the ropes course elements, rock climbing, expedition and water activities, while also improving communication, presentation, and program facilitation abilities.
-Involvement in equipment management: during periods without educational programs, volunteers worked with outdoor equipment and educational materials, preparing, organizing, and performing maintenance as needed.
This activity familiarized them with the tools and materials essential for implementing outdoor educational programs.
Photos from the program: https://www.facebook.com/outwardbound.ro/posts/pfbid02FGXpvxkSSXpvf1rRkzFaoXi2sUBFKo91c3r3D5z1idVSRvLXw8reNArY1DhJyfGNl https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=outwardbound.ro&set=a.1510844184421562 https://www.facebook.com/outwardbound.ro/posts/pfbid032dJyqxsFqbgkvudt5cZjeKBBmqL
