Update: Lublin 1st cohort ongoing · Tmelník 2nd cohort now recruiting. Amendment A2 (signed on 31/07/2026) extends the project to 24 months and confirms LOS as the new Polish beneficiary, replacing FZS.
Young Ukrainian refugees and local youth, working together.
INNOVolunteering brings together mixed teams of volunteers in France, Poland and Czechia to test a European model of civic engagement inspired by civic service — turning inclusion into teamwork.
Where the project stands
The project’s 7 work packages, from launch to closure — based on the latest management plan.
Poland — LOS
Dissemination
Event held
Upcoming event
A laboratory for integration through volunteering
Project ESF-SI-2024-UA-01-0044, funded under the ESF+ call to mitigate the societal consequences of the war in Ukraine.
INNOVolunteering brings together young Ukrainian refugees and young people from host communities in mixed teams, mobilised on general-interest missions in Czechia and Poland. The project experiments with innovative forms of volunteer engagement, fosters European mobility between the three partner countries, and documents what works to inform a transnational civic service model in Central and Eastern Europe.
- Support the social and professional integration of young Ukrainian refugees.
- Build mixed teams working together on shared missions.
- Develop key skills: communication, leadership, teamwork, civic engagement.
- Share practices between cities and civil society actors across Europe.
- Pilot a transnational civic service model that can be replicated elsewhere in Europe.
The consortium
Five organisations, three countries: one coordinator, two beneficiaries each running a youth group, and two associated city partners.
CSCE — Collectif pour un Service Civique Européen
A movement led by people under 30, CSCE has promoted European mobility since 2018 through a civic service combining national engagement and the European Solidarity Corps. In INNOVolunteering, CSCE coordinates the project (WP1) and leads dissemination (WP7) — it does not run a youth group of its own.
The project’s two youth groups are run directly by Tmelník in Czechia and by LOS in Poland. CSCE oversees them, consolidates results and reports to the ESFA.
The project’s two beneficiaries, each recruiting, training and supporting a mixed group of young volunteers.
Tmelník — místo pro mladé
A non-profit based in Mělník (Central Bohemia), Tmelník has run workshops, meetups and mobility projects for 15-30 year-olds in the region since 2011. It is the project’s Czech beneficiary: Tmelník directly recruits, trains and supports the youth volunteer group on the Czech side.
1st wave (WP2): group launched on 28 November 2025, with missions running through mid-2026. A first French volunteer joined the team in January 2026; an individual impact report was published in June 2026.
2nd wave (WP6): planned from October 2026 to April 2027.
LOS — Lubelski Ośrodek Samopomocy
Based in Lublin, LOS has supported associations and civic initiatives in the Lubelskie region since 1998. LOS joined the project in 2026 as the new Polish beneficiary, replacing Fundacja “Zielony Słoń”, and runs the youth volunteer group on the Polish side.
1st cohort (WP2): started in August 2026, with missions running through January 2027. The LOS team has been growing since spring 2026 (recruitment and mission mapping under way).
2nd cohort (WP6): planned from January to June 2027.
Two cities that support the project without running a youth group: local anchoring, the digital platform and spreading the results.
City of Nancy
A major university city in eastern France, Nancy supports the project’s European mobility strand (WP4) and hosted the launch event for the youth exchanges.
Nancy hosted the launch event and youth exchange on 27-28 April 2026 (conference, kick-off meeting and a volunteer training day) and contributes to the project’s European visibility.
City of Lublin
The city of Lublin brings local and institutional anchoring to the project, supporting LOS in establishing the youth group locally and building the project’s digital platform.
Lublin contributes to the digital platform linking volunteers and beneficiaries (WP2) and will host the project’s dissemination and valorisation event, planned for February-March 2027 (WP7).
Recognised by the European Commission
INNOVolunteering is featured on Social Innovation Match, the European Social Fund+ platform showcasing innovative approaches to social inclusion supported by the European Union.
“Innovative approaches to engage Ukrainian youth and host communities” — an ESF+ case study on the mixed volunteer team model developed by INNOVolunteering.
Digital platform
An online training space to prepare, equip and support volunteers throughout their mission.
The e-learning platform is being designed
It will bring together training modules, mentoring resources and progress tracking for volunteers across the three countries (deliverable D5.2). This section will be updated once it launches.
Coming soon
Two milestone events
INNOVolunteering shares its results at two key events, hosted by the associated city partners.
Launch event for the project’s European mobility strand, hosted by the City of Nancy: a conference, consortium kick-off meeting and a volunteer training day.
- Launch conference and project presentation
- Kick-off meeting: CSCE · Tmelník · LOS
- Volunteer training day
Dissemination and valorisation event hosted by the City of Lublin and LOS, closing out the project.
- Presenting the results of both youth groups
- Showcasing the model to local and European stakeholders
- Publication of the final dissemination report (D7.2)
What the project aims to show
Evaluation indicators set out in the grant agreement.
European Social Fund+ — Social Innovation Initiative call
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.