If you want to volunteer in Germany, depending on the sector you wish to volunteer in and the length of time you’d like to volunteer for, your options are varied. Both German citizens and foreigners from EU and non EU states can participate in the Voluntary Social Year (Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr or FSJ) which is a government-funded program that allows participants to volunteer in either Germany’s social sector, or that of a foreign country, for 12 to 18 months. There is also the Voluntary Ecological Year (Freiwilliges Ökologisches Jahr) which is run according to the precise same regulations as the FSJ, but volunteers work in the environmental sector in Germany or abroad. Both programs enable volunteers to learn more about a possible vocation, are limited to 18 months (24 months in special cases) and are open to school finishers up until the age of 27.