"Hope For Children" UNCRC Policy Center (HFC) established a children’s shelter for boys - unaccompanied minors, called Home for Hope, who have suffered abuse and/or exploitation. The children’s shelter provides interdisciplinary and holistic services aiming to guarantee integration in the host country or seek durable solutions deemed necessary depending on the child’s circumstances and provide legal, social and psychological support and educational activities.The proposed EVS project aims to foster mutual understanding between young people from different countries; develop their transferable skills as solidarity and promote acceptance among young people, promoting social cohesion in the European Union; foster understanding of social issues that youth and children might face; promote participation amongst youth; develop key transferable skills to the participants; develop understanding of the European and international social issues amongst youth.The main theme of the project is “Children” as well as the issues that surround unaccompanied minors such as social exclusion and discrimination. The EVS project is structured to offer an inter-cultural learning experience within a non-formal education environment by developing a personalized learner’s plan for each volunteer. Volunteers will offer their services to the project within the EVS work frame receiving support, information and recognition for their work. The EVS project will last for 12 months and 4 volunteers (2 young males and 2 young females to ensure gender equality) will be selected for the project. The volunteers will be provided with accommodation (shared room) in a rented apartment for the purpose of EVS in Nicosia, Cyprus. The main role of the volunteers will be to collaborate with the staff of the shelter and support their work, as well as take initiative to organize extra activities to promote participation amongst this group. Through their active involvement in various aspects of the shelter and a participatory methodology implemented by the staff team, frequent mentoring and supervision, as well as national and in-house trainings, volunteers will develop key transferable skills (communication, initiative and decision making, teamwork, leadership). Their responsibilities include but are not limited to: facility tasks as daily provision of care for the minors including nutrition, hygiene, clothing, training/education, entertainment; assisting the staff in effective protection of the minors, performing activities for integration into the host country, cultural activities and support with their homework as well as creative organisation of extracurricular activities such as games, sports, and excursions. Common concerns of European citizens will be explored and methods to seek solutions and identify common objectives will be drawn out.Results and impact: the direct engagement of volunteers with teenagers and youth from a range of cultural backgrounds will increase their understanding of cultural differences, improve their cultural sensitivity and dismantle possible stereotypes or prejudices. Throughout the project’s activities, the sentiment of citizenship, solidarity, acceptance of diversity (including cultural diversity) will be mainstreamed and promoted even further to the community. Furthermore, the project will help participants with the development of key transferable competencies and acquirement of knowledge on issues of migration, asylum and social exclusion. The expected impact on participating organizations involves sharing and exchanging expertise on issues of non-formal education and management of youth initiatives.Potential longer term benefits of this project include but are not limited to transferable skills that will potentially aid them with their employability status and the ability to organise and reflect on their own learning. Furthermore, for participants that aim to follow a career path similar to their EVS project this experience will give them useful insight to European processes on similar issues such as migration policies, guardianship and protection of minors etc.