Although the UK is joining Erasmus+ again from 2027, there has been no word from the Government yet about rejoining the European Solidarity Corps, which is an EU programme similar to Erasmus+ for volunteering rather than study that is open to any young person from participating countries between the ages of 18-30 (and up to 35 for humanitarian projects). You don't need to be a student or in another form of education to take part, so it has the potential to open up opportunities to a much wider range of young people. Non-EU participating countries include Iceland and Liechenstein, as well as some others further afield, so this is something that the UK can join without rejoining the EU itself.
The scheme offers funded opportunities for young people to either undertake 12 week to 1 year volunteer placements in Europe or further afield, or to design and set up a project addressing social issues in their own local community (so right here in the UK!). Those going abroad receive funding which covers their visa, transport, accommodation, insurance and living costs, so having the opportunity to combine a European Solidarity Corps placement with the proposed Youth Experience Scheme visa could make participation in the latter scheme accessible to a much greater range of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
A couple of petitions have now been set up to support getting this on the agenda for the next UK-EU summit - a UK Parliament petition, and a Change.org petition which explains a bit more about the programme and its benefits.
If you'd like to help make this happen, please do sign and share using the links below!
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/780859
https://c.org/hTbJCw8sWp