Have you ever imagined participating in a Europe-wide radio playwriting competition or volunteering for the United Nations? Or perhaps studying Jazz with a world-renowned orchestra or doing an internship with NATO? If your answer is ‘yes’, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, with a little help from Eurodesk, a European youth information network, can step in to help.

If you’re looking to spread your wings and leap at the multiple opportunities outside of Malta, whether it’s to study, work, do voluntary work or an internship, the European Union offers endless possibilities through Eurodesk – a one-stop shop where you can search for the prospects that best suit you.

Eurodesk is a support organisation to Erasmus+ that was established with the intention of helping European youths, aged between 18 and 30, to have easy access to information about working and studying opportunties in different countries. But not just. It also provides information on scholarships, grants, and possibilities of voluntary work and internships, as well as on all kinds of international competitions that you can participate in.

With 39 centres in 37 European countries, Eurodesk seeks to encourage young people to become active and mobile citizens. The opportunities to travel aren’t only Europe-based. A scholarship to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in the United States, is just one example of what’s on offer.

Whilst making the information easily accessible online, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, the entity responsible for Malta’s Eurodesk centre, also offers this service from its hub in St Venera.

For ease of reference, the information on the Eurodesk website is divided into five main sections.

Learning is a platform that provides information about anything and everything that’s related to expanding your knowledge: from summer camps to seminars, to training courses, scholarships, and the like. The subjects of interest vary from entrepreneurship to interpreting, to advocacy, journalism, music, and dance. Content creation and the European Space Camp, together with learning how to do business in Japan, are also among the programmes offered.

Although the opportunities to Volunteer in our local community are vast, travelling to help others can be a once in a lifetime experience, and the Eurodesk website gives endless options. From working on different projects in Switzerland, to teaching English in Romania, or perhaps travelling beyond Europe to promote and help preserve world heritage sites, there’s definitely a humanitarian scope that will pique your interest to break away from the island.

The different agencies, committees and departments within the institutions of the European Union, including the Commission and the Council, offer Internships, traineeships and summer jobs in a variety of fields. Yet, if you’re interested in exploring horizons beyond the EU, the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF and the OHCHR are among the organisations that offer similar prospects.

If it’s funding for particular projects that you’re after, or perhaps benefitting from a residency programme, then it’s the Grants section that you need to refer to. Whether it’s culture related, sports, technology, research or even teacher training, there’s definitely something to everyone’s liking. Travel grants are also available for anyone interested in political and social issues, as young people can become ‘ambassadors’.

One initiative that perhaps doesn’t automatically come to mind is participating in international competitions and tournaments. Once again, the prospects vary from video content creation to design and engineering, playwriting, working on climate change solutions and more. A little research is all it takes, then finding the subject that catches your attention and taking the plunge to accept the challenge.

To find out more, you can call Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, send an email on [email protected] or chat with the team online on their website. You can also book an appointment to hold a face-to-face meeting with one of their representatives, who can discuss your goals and dreams, and suggest opportunities that are ideal for you. Don’t just dream it, live it!