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Migration & integration

Help newcomers find their place in a new country — practically, socially and culturally.

About the area

Migration and integration is one of the most pressing areas in Europe today. As an ESC volunteer in this field, you work directly with people who have recently arrived in a new country and are navigating one of life's most challenging transitions. You help with everything from language learning and contact with authorities to building social networks and cultural orientation. The work demands patience, empathy and curiosity — and gives you back an enormous amount.

Great for

  • Humanities students
  • Law students
  • Language enthusiasts
  • Those with a personal migration background

No experience in migration required

ESC welcomes motivated young people regardless of background. You learn on the job — what matters most is your willingness to contribute.

Tasks

What do you do as a volunteer?

→Teach the host country's language to newly arrived adults and children
→Help asylum seekers understand and navigate legal processes and rights
→Organise cultural exchange events that bring newcomers and local communities together
→Provide practical support at appointments with authorities, doctors and schools
→Work in reception facilities and transit accommodation
→Support children and young people in school and during their free time
→Document and communicate the stories and needs of migrants
A typical day

What might it look like?

01

Language café

You run a relaxed language café with a mixed group of newcomers. No textbook — you talk about food, music and home towns. Laughter is the best learning tool.

02

Government appointment

You accompany a family to the social services office and help them understand what is being said and what the documents mean. You are the bridge between their security and the bureaucracy.

03

Cultural evening

You have coordinated a food evening where newcomers cook dishes from their home countries and invite neighbours. Around the table sit 30 people who would never otherwise have met.

What you take home

Skills you develop

✓

Intercultural communication and sensitivity

✓

Basic understanding of asylum and migration law

✓

Language pedagogy and informal teaching methods

✓

Understanding of trauma and psychosocial support

✓

Building bridges between civil society and the public sector

Real projects

Example projects in Europe

These are examples of real types of ESC projects. Current vacancies can be found on the European Youth Portal.

Greece

Praksis

Working on Lesbos with newly arrived refugees. Reception, orientation and social support. Intense and deeply meaningful, 3–6 months.

Germany

Caritas München

Integration project in Munich — language teaching, mentoring and cultural orientation for newly arrived families from Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea.

Sweden

Rädda Barnen / Save the Children

Support for unaccompanied young people in Sweden. Homework help, leisure activities and conversations about the future.

Does this sound like you?

Search for projects in migration & integration directly on the European Youth Portal.

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