Voluntary ecological year

The Voluntary Ecological Year ( FÖJ) is an educational and orientation year for young people aged 16 to 27 years. The Voluntary Ecological Year usually takes twelve months in order to complete it successfully, however, at least six. It usually begins on 1 August and ends on 31 July of the following year. The voluntary ecological year may be counted as a waiting semester at the Foundation for university admissions, formerly ZVS. It is financially supported by the countries and individual carriers and carried out. Participants organize themselves beyond also independently in state and federal bodies. The voluntary ecological year can be completed abroad, but this is rare, since there are only a few places. In Austria there is the Voluntary environmental year.

Carrier

Project year carrier are mostly non-profit youth organizations such as churches and environmental organizations. These carriers take over through their national recognition, the selection of the operating units and support of the participants of the Voluntary Ecological Year as well as the management of state funding.

Employment places

Lists of the operating units (EST ) is available from the carriers in each state. As EST -profit organizations are eligible to note in their work environmental aspects and their wide range of work areas and activities in areas of practical conservation through environmental education to environmental research. Each work site is supervised by a carrier, in which even the project year participants attended his seminars.

Possible experience and work areas for FÖJler are possible in many areas. For example, in the following:

  • Agriculture, forestry and horticulture
  • Company Jobs
  • Environmental Education
  • Association's work
  • Environmental, animal and nature centers,
  • Bodies in public agencies / institutions
  • Food Processing
  • Scientific Environmental Protection

Seminars

The support of the individual operating units organize a total of 25 seminar days, divided into 5 weeks. In the individual weeks set by the FÖJ participants or institutions topics such as ecosystems, sustainability and globalization are discussed. The structure of these days is mostly by speakers or self-organization. The participants, in some carriers acquire additional training modules such as the building blocks of education or Green professions.

Speaker System

The FÖJ is currently the only voluntary service in Germany which has a nationwide speaker system. The system is based Democratic. Select your group spokesperson at the beginning of the project year, the individual seminar groups. This, in turn, select the Country Representative of which in turn are some federal delegates. At the Federal Assembly of Delegates five national speakers are then elected by all Federal Delegates. These represent the interests of FÖJ to the public and organize Transnational large-scale operations. The Federal Voluntary Service is required by law to establish a comparable speaker system, what is happening at the moment.

Costs and maintenance

The cost of maintenance support for project year participants are a part of the job sites or their support, on the other part of the federal states. The upkeep of participants in the Voluntary Ecological Year, which are often still minors, basically consists of a monthly allowance of 180 € to 370 € as well as meals and accommodation. The latter will be provided, but often also paid entirely or partially. In addition, government grants can be obtained such as child benefit, housing benefit and Hartz IV The amount of maintenance depends on the respective state dependent, there are serious differences within Germany. The terms of maintenance for adult FÖJ participants by parents or guardians is not provided for the period of the project year, especially if the FÖJ is only for bridging a waiting period, he will be paid by the payers listed above. For underage FÖJ participants may need a rest consist of maintenance that must be done usually by parents or care -saturated crushing.

Legal framework

The socio-legal basis for the voluntary ecological year are regulated since June 1, 2008 the Act on the promotion of youth voluntary services. Until then, the Law for the Promotion of a voluntary ecological year was ( links below ).

Historical

1998 FÖJ was introduced as a pilot project in several states. 2002, the project year federal law was passed and thus the FÖJ officially founded.

From 2002 until the suspension of the civil service in 2011, it was also recognized conscientious objector ( CO ) is possible to make the voluntary ecological year. In § 14 c of the Civil Service Act was, inter alia, stipulates that each recognized objectors, of the twelve months engaged as FÖJler and the Federal Office for Civilian Service (BAZ ) was able to prove was no longer used ( by the project year carrier organization ) to do community service. The BAZ participated only in the case in addition equipped " 14 c- spaces " at their expense. KDV so had already indicate in the application that they want to make the FÖJ as a substitute for military service. The " civilians FÖJ " was not offered by all FÖJ straps. Basically contributed conscientious objectors the voluntary ecological year FÖJ conditions, ie the conditions and peculiarities of the civil service were not considered here.

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