The European Network on Independent Living – ENIL is looking for 2 disabled-identifying European Solidarity Corps volunteers to come to Brussels for 6 months. The first placement from 1 September 2023 to 29 February 2024. The second placement from 1 March 2024 to 31 July 2024 (there is some flexibility around the starting dates).
As a European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteer, you will work in the ENIL Brussels office and gain experience in advocating for changes in European laws and policies, as part of a small international team. While volunteering for ENIL, you will also learn more about disability rights and Independent Living.
Within the first 2 weeks of the ESC programme, ENIL will give you the chance to learn more about all aspects of its work. After this introductory period, the staff will together with you identify how you can best contribute to ENIL’s work, based on your interests and preferences. For example, if you have excellent writing skills, you may be given responsibility to develop articles for the Newsletter or website, new publications or policy statements.
Depending on your skills and interests, your day to day tasks may include:
- Contributing to ENIL’s advocacy work (by supporting ENIL’s work on the new EU Disability Strategy, for example);
- Planning and organising events, such as online meetings, webinars and trainings;
- Attending and reporting on external meetings/events;
- Desk based research and drafting of texts to contribute to written materials, such as position papers, submissions to the UN treaty bodies, fact sheets, toolkits, manuals;
- Contributing to the work of the ENIL Youth Network;
- Writing articles for the monthly Newsletter.
- Posting on the ENIL website, Facebook pages and Twitter.
General tasks will include participating in ENIL (staff) meetings and the daily running of the office.
You will always be working together with a responsible member of the ENIL staff and will not have sole responsibility for your work.
As an ESC volunteer, you will be expected to work 35 hours a week, from Monday to Friday from 09:00h – 17:00h. These hours are flexible and can be adjusted depending on the access needs of the volunteer. If ENIL organises an event or the volunteer has to attend a meeting, there can be occasional need for work to be carried out during the late afternoon or during the weekend. The hours worked during the weekends or evenings can be recuperated as free hours during the weeks following the event.
We expect you to have a positive can-do attitude and basic computer skills. As the working language at ENIL is English, a good knowledge of the English language is essential. You have to be older than 18 and younger than 31 on the first day of your placement and cannot be in paid employment to be accepted in the ESC program.
The travel and accommodation costs for the volunteer are covered under the ESC project. There is a budget for pocket money and a PA (personal assistant) if needed.
Read the full conditions of the ESC programme here.
See also the list of Eligible Countries
How to apply?
- Send your CV and a short motivational letter before 01/07/2023 to secretariat@enil.eu.
- Register in the ESC database (https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity/register/check_en). This can also be done after you are selected but needs to be completed before the start of the ENIL- ESC project.
- Based on the experience, we expect a high number of applications, so please take into account that competition for the ESC position will be high. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
- We strongly encourage disabled people to apply.
- This position is for 2 people, consecutively.
