The voluntary ecological year in Austria and Germany is an educational and orientation year for teenagers and young adults of ages 16 through 27. The voluntary ecological year can be attended only once and usually lasts 12 months (from 1 August to 31 July of the following year).
In 1998 the Voluntary Ecological Year (in German: Freiwilliges ÃÂkologisches Jahr /FÃÂJ) was introduced as a model project in various states in Germany. In 2002 the legal bill regarding the Freiwilliges ÃÂkologisches Jahr passed parliamentary procedure and the FÃÂJ was officially established.
By June 1, 2008 a new legislation is regulating youth voluntary services. Until then, the law promoting a voluntary ecological year was in effect.
From 2002 until the suspension of conscription and therefore the mandatory alternative service in 2011 as well, it was also possible for recognized conscientious objector to do the Voluntary Ecological Year as an alternative service.
Today, the Voluntary Ecological Year can be credited as a so-called "waiting term" or "waiting semester" until getting admission to a university. It is financially supported and implemented by the states and individual agencies respectively. The volunteers organize their positions independently in state and federal agencies.
The FÃÂJ can also be completed abroad, for example in France as the so-called Franco-German Ecological Year. However, the number of positions is very limited and there is a very high demand.
FÃÂJ sponsors are mostly non-profit youth organizations, such as churches or environmental protection associations. These agencies and organisations take on the selection of the operational areas and the support for the volunteers.
There are currently around 3,000 FÃÂJ sites in Germany and in addition about 600 positions of the Federal volunteers service for economic protection.
Lists of the FÃÂJ locations are available from the providers in the respective state.
The FÃÂJ has developed a nationally established speaker system. The system is built on a democratic basis. In each state there are different numbers of providers who form the seminar groups with their FÃÂJ participants. In these seminar groups i. d. As a rule, two group spokespersons are elected, who go to group spokesperson meetings and there elect the state spokespersons (also called federal delegates), who represent the FÃÂJ in the respective state. Subsequently, all state spokesmen of the 16 federal states of Germany take part in a federal delegates' conference at which five federal spokespersons are elected to represent the FÃÂJ in Germany and the interests of all FÃÂJ volunteers in public, the press and politics.
Possible areas of experience and work for FÃÂJers are possible in a variety of areas. For example in the following:
The number of volunteers is increasing since the period of 2015/2016.
The providers of the FÃÂJ have to organize a minimum of 25 seminar days per year. In the respective seminars, fixed topics such as ecosystems, sustainability or globalization are discussed. These days are usually organized by FÃÂJ speakers or by self-organization. The participants can also acquire additional qualification modules, such as the modules education or "green jobs".
The cost of the FÃÂJ are defrayed by the providers and partly the states. The volunteers in the Voluntary Ecological Year, who are sometimes still minors, basically consists of monthly pocket money of around â¬180 to â¬370 as well as food and accommodation. If food and accommodation is not provided, it is paid out in full or in part. In addition, government grants different sponsorships.
The Voluntary Ecological Year or also the Voluntary Environmental Year (German: Freiwilliges Umweltjahr / FUJ) in Austria offers young people from 17 years of age the opportunity to get involved in environmental and sustainability issues. The legal background to this is noted in regulation in Sections 22âÂÂ24 in the Volunteer Act.
It is aimed at young adults who are in a professional orientation phase and are interested in environmental, nature conservation and sustainability topics.
The agencies and providers for the Voluntary Environmental Year are approved by the Minister for Environment. Framework
Due to the existing conscription for military service in Austria, since 2013 the FUJ is an alternative compulsory service to the mandatory service in the Austrian Armed Forces for males.