For Citizens - Service Finder

The Voluntary Ecological Year (FÖJ) is an ecological year of education that gives young people the chance to work and orientthemselves in environmental and nature conservation for one year. This year, the state of Lower Saxony will provide 258 places, which will be spread over around 200 recognised sites between the Harz and the North Sea.

Making a FÖJ means

• Meaningful commitment to environmental protection and nature conservation
• Acquire important know-how in five seminars and exchange ideas with other volunteers
• sniff out "green" professions,
• review your own ideas and develop your own ideas.

The concrete tasks

• depend on the specific circumstances of your deployment site.

The FÖJ in Lower Saxony

• starts on 1 September, at the FÖJ in all-day schools already on 1 August and
• wants to promote the voluntary commitment of young people.

Participants will receive:

• free accommodation and/or food for numerous places of use,
• pocket money. The amount of the pocket money depends on whether the place of use provides accommodation and/or food (155.00 euros, 180.00 euros or 190.00 euros pocket money) or only pays the pocket money (235.00 euros pocket money),
• social security insurance (sickness, pension, care, unemployment and accident insurance),
• free participation in the FÖJ seminars,
• necessary work clothes and work equipment are provided by the site,
• a working week of 38.5 hours,
• 26 working days holiday per year.

And also other social benefits:

• Fare reduction on short-term travel tickets (just like for trainees),
• Orphan's pension will continue to be granted,
• Recognition by the ZVS: Student place commitments before or during the FÖJ are retained.

For parents:

• the granting of child benefit if the child's total income in the relevant calendar year does not exceed the applicable allowance;
• Child allowance for income tax.

Participants will:

• openness to environmental and nature conservation and development policy work,
• Willingness to cooperate in the team and
• at the end of the FÖJ, a report on the experience gained in the year.