Hosting Organization: Associação Spin
Activity start date: 14th April 2026
Activity end date:  14th October 2026
Activity duration: 6 months
Vacancies: 1 (for residents in EU)
Application deadline: March 16th, 2026
Application consists of: CV + project-specific motivation letter + presentation about Spin Association (more information below)
Application sent to: esc.spin@a-spin.pt

Associação Spin para o Intercâmbio, Formação e Cooperação entre os Povos («Spin Association for Exchange, Training and Cooperation among Peoples») is a non-profit nationwide association, whose fundamental objectives are to promote and defend the intercultural dialogue, human rights, equal opportunities, solidarity and social inclusion. The organization’s main activity consists of promoting and implementing intercultural exchanges, (inter)cultural activities, training courses and other international cooperation projects. Its headquarters is located in Bairro Padre Cruz – Lisbon, Portugal.

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES:

The volunteers will participate in the activities of the European Programmes and Mobility Department, which can include:

- help in the logistical organization of Spin’s international projects (Youth Exchanges, Training Courses, etc.);
- administrative support to Spin’s sending activities (Portuguese ESC volunteers or groups of Portuguese participants in Youth Exchanges, Training Courses, etc.);
- help in the organization of and active participation in Information Sessions about Erasmus+ at the office, in schools, seminars and conferences in order to promote the program;
- research and collecting information on international mobility opportunities for Spin’s monthly newsletter and Spin’s website, blog, Facebook and Twitter.

In the Image and Communication Department, the volunteers will :

- contribute to content creation (text, graphic and audio-visual) and regular updates of the blog, website, Facebook and Twitter pages;
- prepare the monthly newsletter;
- create brochures, posters, flyers and other promotional materials;
- distribute and share flyers, brochures, posters and/or other promotional materials for youth related events through social networks, in the Carnide area and specifically in schools and universities of the Lisbon Metropolitan area;
- document all Spin’s activities and disseminate the information.

All volunteers will also support the management and staff of the SPIN Hostel (by hosting groups, answering to requests for information, cooking and cleaning together with international groups, arranging cultural activities with the groups staying in the Hostel, decorating the rooms, creating and maintaining communication regarding the Hostel, etc.).

LOGISTICS & PRACTICAL INFO:

• Travel cost – The two-way travel (from place of residence to Lisbon and back) will be reimbursed up to the limit given by the distance band of the place of residence, according with ESC rules;
• Accommodation – Supporting & hosting organization, Associação Spin, will provide the lodging in a flat as close to the office and the city center as possible. If the apartment is located in the city center, the volunteers will spend around 45 minutes to reach the office by bus and subway. The volunteers will have to share the room with another volunteer/student/young person (room and connected expenses are paid by Associação Spin). They may also – if so wished by the volunteer – receive a monthly accommodation allowance and be solely responsible for finding and paying for their own accommodation.
• Food & transportation – A monthly allowance of 210€ will be provided by Associação Spin to cover food expenses and local public transportation.
• Pocket money – Every month the volunteer will receive 180€ as pocket money.
• Working hours – The volunteers are expected to spend 30-35 hours a week working. The daily timetable includes time for language learning, lunch, social activities and development of own project ideas, etc.
• Days off – Volunteers are entitled to two days off per week (which sometimes may not be Saturday or Sunday) as well as 2 extra days of vacation for every month of their voluntary work.

      VOLUNTEER PROFILE: WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Volunteers aged 18-30 years, open minded, eager to learn and motivated to work on the proposed project activities. It is not required to have any particular degree of formal education, but to have positive and proactive attitude, show tolerance, flexibility and capacity to adapt, motivation and enthusiasm. Any knowledge of Portuguese will be considered a plus, however it is not a requirement.

All candidates must be registered with the European Solidarity Corps.

SELECTION PROCESS:

In order to be considered for the vacancies, each candidate has to fill this Google form and send (in only 1 single e-mail):

1. up-to-date CV,
2. project-specific Motivation Letter,
3. short presentation about Spin Association (the format is absolutely free for you to choose!; for the best content do a little research on our various websites and communication channels!).

The complete applications (CV + project-specific Motivation Letter + presentation about Associação Spin) should be sent to esc.spin@a-spin.pt no later than on March 16th, 2025.

• FINAL REMARKS (please read carefully):
  • this is an open call with no assigned sending/supporting organization (we will partner up with the sending organization of the selected volunteer);
  • please make sure you are registered with the European Solidarity Corps;
  • we only accept complete applications that contain all the required documents;
  • due to the high number of candidates, we are only able to contact the short-listed candidates (in order to invite them for a brief Skype interview);
  • all the other candidates will be informed about the selection results by April 2nd, through our website.

GOOD LUCK!

All Spin Association’s projects aim to contribute to the dissemination and implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, unanimously approved by 193 UN Member States in 2015.

The National Erasmus+ Education and Training Agency, in partnership with the National Erasmus+ Youth, Sport and European Solidarity Corps Agency, held the III Erasmus+ Gala that day. The event, held at the Portugal Pavilion in Lisbon, marked the official launch of the Erasmus+ 2026 Call and celebrated all the people, entities and institutions that contributed to the success of the Erasmus+ Program in 2025.

More information about the event can be found here.

The current status of recruitment is as follows:

Click on the host organization’s name to see the full call for volunteers (including the procedure on how to apply).

If you would like to receive our future calls for volunteers, sign up for our Partnership Newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

All Spin Association projects aim to contribute to the dissemination and implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, unanimously approved by 193 UN Member States in 2015.

Hosting Organisation: SPEA
Supporting Organisation: Associação Spin
Activity start date: 1st November 2025
Activity end date: 31st October 2026
Activity duration: 12 months
Vacancies: 1 (open to residents in EU or EFTA countries)
Application deadline: 22nd July 2025
Application consists of: filling this Google form + CV and project ­specific motivation letter
Application sent to: esc.spea@a-spin.pt

The Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds is a non­-governmental non-­profit environment organization that promotes the study and conservation of birds and their habitats in Portugal, funded in 1993. It is the Portuguese member of BirdLife International.

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES:

The volunteer will be mostly involved in biological conservation work – on the field and at the office (around 70% of time) and environmental education actions (around 30%), integrated in several different projects, mainly at SPEA’s Conservation Departament – Terrestrial Area (ca. 75%) and Environmental Citizenship and Education Department (ca. 25%), with a diversity of tasks including:

– Field work: bird surveys/census (e.g. steppeland birds), prospection of birds under powerlines, etc;
– Office work: database input; data analysis (with Excel, QGIS, etc), etc.;
– Environmental education: support the preparation and realization of actions for schools (e.g. story-telling, field visits, preparation of materials);
– Events: support the organization of events for the general public (e.g. nature days), including birdwatching activities;
– Support other staff members of SPEA with their projects;

SPEA intends to support the volunteers to create their own events or initiatives, in accordance with their principles and upon Board’s approval.

LOGISTICS & PRACTICAL INFO:

• Travel cost – The two-way travel (from place of residence to Lisbon and back) will be reimbursed up to the limit given by the distance band of the place of residence, according with ESC rules;
• Accommodation – Coordinating & hosting organization, Associação Spin, will provide the lodging in a flat as close to the office and the city centre as possible with all expenses included. If the apartment is located in the city centre, the volunteers will spend around 35 minutes to reach the working place. The volunteers will have to share the room with another volunteer/student/young person. They may also – if so, wished by the volunteer – receive a monthly accommodation allowance and be solely responsible for finding and paying for their own accommodation in Lisbon.
• Food & transportation – A monthly allowance will be provided to cover food expenses (180€) and  local public transportation in Lisbon (30€). While doing field work, food, accommodation and transportation will be provided by SPEA.
• Pocket money – Every month the volunteers will receive 180€ as pocket money.
• Working hours – The volunteers are expected to spend 30-35 hours a week working. The daily timetable includes time for language learning, lunch, social activities and development of own project ideas, etc.
• Days off – Volunteers are entitled to two days off per week (usually on Saturday and Sunday) as well as 2 extra days of vacation for every month of their voluntary work.

VOLUNTEERS’ PROFILE: WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

We are looking for young motivated volunteers aged 18-30, open minded, eager to learn about new cultures and lifestyles, as well as to participate in the project activities.It is not required to have any particular degree of formal education, but to have positive and proactive attitude, show tolerance, flexibility, motivation and enthusiasm. In this project, patience and the capacity to work in a team, sometimes in a isolated Island environment, will be highly appreciated. We encourage applications especially from youngsters who already have some experience in volunteering or in working with environment related issues, namely with birds (e.g. birdwatching), environmental education, simple design (e.g. CANVA) and GIS software, available to commit to a long term experience of volunteer work abroad and willing to know more about the work developed in ornithology and environmental preservation in Portugal. Any knowledge of Portuguese is a plus, however it is not a requirement.

All candidates must be registered with the European Solidarity Corps.

SELECTION PROCESS:

In order to be considered for the vacancies, each candidate has to fill this Google form and send  (in only 1 single e-mail):

1. up-to-date CV,
2. project-specific Motivation Letter

The complete applications (CV + project-specific Motivation Letter) should be sent to esc.spea@a-spin.pt no later than July, 22nd 2025.

Final remarks (please read carefully):

• this is an open call with no assigned sending/supporting organization (we will partner up with the sending organization of the selected volunteer);
• only candidates residing in EU or EFTA countries may apply may apply;
• please make sure you are registered with the European Solidarity Corps;
• we only accept complete applications that contain all the required documents;
• due to the high number of candidates, we are only able to contact the short-listed candidates (in order to invite them for a brief Skype interview);
• all the other candidates will be informed about the selection results by September 4^th through our website.

GOOD LUCK!

Project name: “Time for Rights II”
Duration: 18 months – From 09/01/2024 to 02/28/2026
Topics: Human Rights and rule of law
Active aging
Education for global citizenship
Intercultural learning
Digital content and pedagogical practices

Project objectives:
– Recognition of the identity and image of Associação Spin as a non-formal adult education entity and consolidation of its internationalization
– Development and improvement of the technical, linguistic and personal skills and competencies of the Association’s staff
– Improving quality and innovation in adult training promoted by Spin
– Improvement of basic skills in digital literacy, foreign language and soft skills of 8 seniors with fewer opportunities.

Planned activities:
1. Job shadowings and international training courses for Spin staff, with the aim of learning new technical knowledge, practices and methods to develop new ideas, share new know-how with the entire team and improve the quality of training actions of the Association. The selection criteria will be: 40% Curriculum (Valuation of international experiences in the past, communication and networking skills); 30% Knowledge of a foreign language; 30% Motivation and availability to participate in mobility.

2. “Time of Rights” training cycle for 8 senior apprentices (over 55 years old) and final event Biblioteca Viva. Activities carried out by Associação Spin, not financed by the project but an integral part. Calendar and schedule available soon.

3. Hosting of an international specialist invited to one of the sessions of the training cycle on an Open Day basis to the public.

4. International mobility of senior apprentices (location to be determined).
This is an international group mobility that will involve apprentices participating in the 2nd edition of the training sessions on human rights “Time for Rights” and 2 companions from Associação Spin with the objective of learning in the context of voluntary action, for 1 week, in November 2025.
It will serve to integrate the knowledge obtained during training, combined with practical experience and acquisition of new learning.

For group mobility, 8 senior participants will be selected.
Selection criteria:
-be over 55 years old
-motivation for learning
-be resident in Portugal
-availability and interest in traveling outside the country
-obstacles and/or fewer opportunities in life
-be a member of the Spin Association.

In the event of a tie, priority will be given to registrations from residents in Carnide, participants in more than one previous activity of the Association and in order of arrival of registrations. The gender balance in the group will also be taken into account. Participants will be selected by three members of the Association’s staff after checking the registration forms and conducting an individual interview with each registrant.

Registration for participation in the training cycle and international group mobility (volunteering) will open soon!

The program of this mobility includes volunteering actions carried out in organization(s) that promote human rights, within the scope of their activities, cultural visits to places of pedagogical-cultural interest in the host city and at the end after return, carrying out of a final “living library” event.

The “Living Library” is an innovative, simple and concrete method to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices, break stereotypes and improve understanding between people of different ages, sexes, lifestyles and cultural background. This event will be open to the public, with several “books” (books are human) and a catalog of “titles” (stories) from senior learners and will promote respect for human rights as well as stimulate intercultural and intergenerational dialogue.

For more information, contact: international@a-spin.pt or call 21 7145520 (between 10am and 5pm).

Project co-funded by Erasmus+