Imagine spending half a year in a vibrant Transylvanian city, working alongside a team of volunteers from across the globe, all united by one simple goal, to empower young people. That is exactly what awaits the participants of Youth Centres for Young People, a long-term volunteering project hosted by the Oradea Youth House between 1 July 2026 and 31 January 2027.
A space built for young people
In Romania, the idea of a dedicated youth centre is still relatively new. Although surveys show that more than 80% of young people want a youth-friendly space close to home, such places remain scarce. To answer that need, the National Foundation for Youth (FNT) has built the largest network of youth centres in the country, drawing on a tested model and the international concept of a “safe space for young people” recognised by the Council of Europe.
The Oradea Youth House is one of these centres. It is a place where local young people can learn, connect, express themselves, and take part in activities shaped around their own interests. International volunteers are not visitors on the sidelines here, they become part of the everyday life of the centre, helping it grow more lively, more diverse, and more welcoming.
Who the project is for
The project keeps two groups of people in mind at once. The first is the local youth of Oradea, aged 14 to 35, who benefit directly from the workshops, clubs, and events organised at the centre. The second is the volunteers themselves, who are placed at the heart of a hands-on learning experience designed to help them grow as individuals and as future youth workers.
What volunteers actually do
Day-to-day life in the project revolves around four interconnected areas of work:
- Non-formal education and facilitation. Volunteers design and deliver their own workshops and activities for young people, evaluate their impact, and document the results. Many of these ideas come straight from the volunteers themselves.
- Volunteering and community engagement. From solidarity-based initiatives to community events promoting inclusion and participation, volunteers help encourage active citizenship at both local and European levels.
- Outreach, communication and dissemination. Creating social media content, articles, and visuals, running awareness campaigns, and sharing the project’s results with a wider audience.
- Events logistics. Preparing spaces, setting up equipment, managing materials, and keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes.
Through this mix of creative, social, and practical tasks, volunteers gain a genuine, well-rounded picture of what life inside an NGO and a youth centre really looks like.
Learning and growing along the way
No one is expected to arrive as a finished expert. The project begins with in-house onboarding training covering non-formal education, facilitation techniques, human rights education, and safeguarding, followed by ongoing workshops throughout the placement. The philosophy is simple: continuous, practical learning, shared with peers.
By the end of the experience, volunteers will have sharpened skills in event planning, public speaking, facilitation, photography, videography, and digital content creation, while strengthening their organisational and problem-solving abilities. They will also build a real portfolio of work and have their learning recognised through a YouthPass certificate, a valuable asset for personal and professional growth.
Practical support, so you can focus on the experience
Volunteers are well taken care of throughout their stay. Accommodation is fully covered in a comfortable shared apartment with shared bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, a common area, and high-speed internet. Participants also receive a daily food allowance of 5 EUR and pocket money of 4 EUR per day. Travel costs to and from Oradea are reimbursed according to standard distance-based bands, with higher amounts available for those who choose greener means of transport.
Who should apply
The team is intentionally diverse, made up of people from many cultures and backgrounds. What matters most is the right mindset: being open-minded, flexible, and understanding. Organising activities calls for teamwork and the willingness to adapt to the community’s needs, and respect for everyone – regardless of beliefs, culture, or background, is non-negotiable.
The opportunity is open to young people aged 18 to 30 who live in an ESC-eligible country and speak English. Applicants are asked to share their experience and a motivation statement explaining how they see themselves contributing to the team.
The bigger picture
Beyond the daily activities, this project is part of something larger: a growing, replicable model of youth empowerment that brings young Europeans together around a shared sense of solidarity. Volunteers leave not only with new skills and friendships across borders, but with the satisfaction of having made a tangible difference in a real community, and a deeper understanding of what active European citizenship looks like in practice.
Ready to join?
If you are looking for a meaningful way to spend seven months, to build your skills, expand your network, and contribute to something that matters, the Oradea Youth House is waiting for you.
Applications and further details are available through the European Youth Portal. For any additional information, you can reach out to the volunteer coordinator, Bianca Borcea, at [email protected].
This project is funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) and is hosted by the National Foundation for Youth (FNT). Further details on the project framework can be found in the related Quality Label document (ESC50-QLA), and the project is registered under reference number 2026-1-RO01-ESC51-VTJ-000402170.