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Volunteer & GO! – Inclusive Volunteering as a Path to Participation

Volunteer & GO! was an Erasmus+ project dedicated to developing supported and accessible volunteering opportunities for young people facing mental health challenges or social exclusion. By creating a cross-European model for inclusive volunteering, the project helped lower barriers and opened new pathways to empowerment, both locally and internationally.

Volunteer & GO!

Building Bridges to Participation Through Inclusive Volunteering

Volunteer & GO! (Vol’Go) was an international youth cooperation project funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The project ran from 2022 to February 2024 and focused on developing inclusive and supported volunteering opportunities for young people who face mental health challenges, social exclusion, or other barriers to participation.

Although the official project period has ended, this page remains active to share insights, materials, and resources produced during the project—and to continue the conversation on how to make volunteering more accessible for all.

For inquiries, feedback, or article contributions related to youth inclusive volunteering, you can contact the project coordinator:
Anna Purola – anna.purola@sosped.fi

Why Inclusive Volunteering?

Volunteering offers young people a way to:

  • Strengthen agency, self-confidence, and social participation
  • Contribute meaningfully to their communities and environment
  • Gain new skills and a sense of purpose
  • Experience a pathway from isolation to involvement

However, young people with mental health conditions or experiences of exclusion may face higher barriers to participation—especially in international settings. The Vol’Go project aimed to make volunteering accessible, supportive, and empowering, ensuring that no one is left behind.

What We Did

Volunteer & GO! developed and tested a model of international supported volunteering, built on the principles of:

  • Accessibility – removing structural and emotional barriers to participation
  • Mental sensitivity – training youth workers to understand and respond to mental health challenges
  • Cross-border cooperation – sharing practices and creating networks for safer, inclusive volunteering mobility
  • Empowerment – recognizing that volunteering is not just service, but also self-expression and growth

The project also provided tools for youth workers, organizations, and volunteers themselves to promote participation in a safe and meaningful way.

Project Partners

The Vol’Go project brought together four organizations from across Europe, all committed to strengthening inclusive volunteering for young people:

  • Sosped Foundation – Finland (Coordinator)
  • STANDO LTD – Cyprus
  • Pista Mágica – Portugal
  • MaMa Foundation – Slovenia

Together, these partners co-developed practices, exchanged knowledge, and tested models that help youth with fewer opportunities to engage in both local and international volunteer experiences.

Project Results and Materials

Volunteer & GO! produced:

  • Practical tools and methods for inclusive volunteering
  • Reflections and articles on mental health-sensitive youth work
  • A framework for supported international volunteering
  • Documentation of pilot experiences and lessons learned

All materials are available for free use by organizations and professionals working with young people.
You can explore the project results and resources: https://volgo.eu/