FAQ

Do I have to be a member of the association to participate at the projects?

No, we do not require membership. You need to meet the requirements that are detailed in each call. Just apply for the given project (following the instructions on how to apply that is indicated within each specific call). Of course if you have been participating in many activities and you feel that you are ready to help the association on the long term too, conact us and one of our members will recommend your for membership at the next general assembly.

Are there any participation fees to participate at the projects?

All of our activities are free of charge, even the international ones. However some of the international ones might require you to advance the travel costs, but they will be reimbursed you (within the budget limitation indicated in the specific call) after sending us all requested supporting documents related to the travel.

How long has the Hang-Kép Egyesület (Sound-Picture Association) exist? Does it work only in Debrecen, Hungary?

Young people founded the non-profit organisation in March 2000. Some of those who were volunteer ones, are workers of the association. It is based in Debrecen, Hungary, but it organises activities all around Hungary, we have partners with whom we are running projects in all of the countries of the EU and also in many if the neighboring countries. We are always open for developing new partnerships locally and internationally.

How can I apply for the projects/ different activities?

When we have an open call, we promote it on our webpage under the “news” section, there you will find all details described how to apply and what are the deadlines. Also all calls published on social media will lead to to the relevant call via a link. We do not accept applications through the social media DMs, please follow the links that are shared.

What kind of volunteer activities are offered for young people (European Solidarity Corps)?

We usually publish the actual calls under the “news” section of the webpage. There might be periods when only some of the volunteer activities are open. We have been working with international since 2006, and each year is different, many of the activities and practices of today are based on the past years’ experiences. Here is a general description on what we usually offer every year (depending on if we receive EU financial support for all activities and how much is the annual budget we can use). But these are the ESC (European Solidarity Corps)  volunteer activities we offer in general:

A) Hortobagy Volunteer Activities (Empowered by Nature)

The Empowered by Nature project can take place in Hortobagy at 2 locations:

1) At the Bird Hospital, where wild injured birds are treated and prepared for returning back to nature after recovery. Some of them them do not recover and stay at the hospital or in the park around it and enjoy the 24/7 care. Sometimes there are other animals there too (cat, dog, lamb, deer, reptile etc.) that are injured and people bring to the hospital for treatment. The non-profit foundation that is running the place never refuses the treatment and once it is possible to move the injured animal, the workers try to find the best placements for them. The Bird Hospital Foundation is working with several local and international volunteer every year. It has been hosting international volunteers (EVS/ ESC) since 2016 and volunteer groups for 30-46 days since 2018.

2) The Aminal Park of the Pusta (Patting Zoo) is an other location for both individual volunteers (helping 2-12 months) and groups (usually staying for 46 days). Here traditional Hungarian domestic animals are showcased for mainly families and groups of kids to bring nature closer to them. They can pat goats, donkeys, horses and get to know more about herbs or Hungarian traditions. The volunteers here help with the day-care of the animals (feeding, changing water and the hay in the stables), welcoming visitors and showing them around, helping in organising family games and programs, doing promotional activities and since it is a huge territory there is always some supervised maintenance work (painting wooden elements, lawn-moving, collecting trash, building a new location for the animals, repairing fences, etc.)

These activities do not require speaking Hungarian or English (a minimal English is enough to participate), just make sure you have an online translator handy or be brave to use body language to explain things if necessary.

B) Debrecen Volunteer Activities (Community Communication)

It is a project for those who are ready to learn about photography and videography and willing to use the acquired knowledge to help the local communities. The location is Debrecen, the 2^nd biggest town of Hungary (200.000 people plus a big local and international student life). Activities include: training on photography and editing, visiting different cultural and youth programs of the town (programs of our organisation, our partners’ activities, community and cultural programs that might be interesting for the locally living internationals to join. Our aim is to bring people (no matter of age, race, gender, religion, culture etc.) closer together and we believe that these volunteers can be the ambassadors of this work by creating cultural bridges with their visuals (photo albums and videos). Till now we have been running only long-term individual volunteer projects at this activity (6-12 months). Since volunteers need to post on social media and add texts (descriptions, links, captions) or add text/ voice messages to the videos, we require a medium-level of English for this activity.

C) Art for the Community Volunteer Activities (ZeroPhobia)

It is a small group volunteer activity (with 10-12 participants) designed for a shorter period (3-4 weeks) for young people who are ready to fight xenophobia, racism, social injustice with the means of art (examples: acting/ forum or image theatre; music – doing performances for the public and involving them; Living Library activities, Food and Culture programs for the locals with conversations; creating attention raising visuals offline or online). This activity has been tested but it is not running every year due to the lack or resources. Watch out for the calls, expected for the summer periods, for 21-28 days periods. This activity may require English language for the community planning activities, but a basic English enough with a good amount of creativity. You do not need to be an artist, just a good person who is ready to make the world a better place by taking small steps with the involvement attention raising of the communities. Location of the group volunteering will be specified in the given call (if it is open).

What is the difference between individual volunteering and group volunteering?

Individual volunteers come alone. Their start of the project is agreed individually. If they come for 6, 10 or 12 months is usually agreed and planned together with the applicants and the hosting locations considering the amount of work and resources (human, financial and natural ones). Of course this does not mean they are alone all the times, there might be another volunteer arriving at the same time, or maybe someone joins a few months earlier or later. If someone leave the project earlier, it does not affect the other volunteers as they are all on individual volunteering activities. We usually make a call for the long-term volunteers, asking for CV and motivation letter, after the first round of selection there is a Zoom meeting. As a general rule we host every year 2-4 long-term (6-12 months) volunteers at the Community Communication project (Debrecen), 2 long-term (6-12 months) volunteers at the Animal park of the Pusta (Hortobágy) and 4 long-term (6-12 months) volunteer at the BirdHospital (Hortobágy). For the individual volunteer activities the volunteers need to have a sending/ supporting organisation (holding a Quality Label; QL) form their countries. The list of organisations holding a QL: https://youth.europa.eu/volunteering/organisations_en

The volunteer teams or group volunteer activities involve min 5 participants who start and finish the  project at the same time. Groups vary between 5 and 40 people, we usually work with 12-15 people in each group, in some summer busy periods it might be maximum 22 people. This does not mean that the volunteers always do everything together, but the team has an orientation training together at the beginning, so all participants have to arrive on the starting day the latest and the participants all leave on the last day or after that. Since in Hortobagy we usually offer volunteer team activities of 46 days our of which there are 18 fee days and 28 working days (each working day 6 hrs) it is also great if the team members do not use the free days at the same time. Of course it is good to make free times together with you new mates, but if there are 15 people one day and zero the next day, it is not the best to balance work and get things done. But during the orientation we create a work schedule and this way you can plan your free days. For volunteer teams it is not a must to have a sending/ supporting organisation, but it might help with the preparation.

How many free time do I have during the volunteer activity?

As a general rule a working week consists of 30 hrs of volunteer work. There should be 2 days off every week and 2 free days every month. In case of long-term (more than 2 months) individual volunteers, we leave it to the participants when they want to use their free time. We indicate months before when we have larger events when we count on their help for sure, but otherwise each individual decides how to use the free day. The monthly extra 2 days can be grouped and used for a longer travel to, they can add up. For the short-term teams in case of a 46 days long project (general time of the Empowered by Nature volunteer team activity) there are 28 working days (each 6 hrs) and 18 free days. The orientation training day counts as a working day. You can spend your free time as you wish, just stay in the accommodation and rest, explore or plan local programs or travel.

What can I do on the free days?

• It really depends on the personality of a person. In Debrecen (the 2^nd biggest town of Hungary, it is 40 kms from Hortobágy) there are plenty of local cultural or even international activities. Here are some examples:
• Want to learn to play music or sing: Rocksuli Debrecen (Rock-school) weekly individual lessons with professional music teachers https://www.rocksuli.hu/weblap/helyszinek/debrecen
• English conversation clubs (weekly) and several English language presentations, workshops, books,  board-game events etc. Visited by a lot of internationals and some locals too: American Corner Debrecen https://www.facebook.com/@AmCornerDEB
• A lot of programs for international students but not always only for students: ESN Debrecen https://www.facebook.com/ESNDebrecen
• Green projects: Food not Bombs https://www.instagram.com/fnb_debrecen/ or https://www.facebook.com/FoodNotBombsDebrecen/ (the last Saturday of each month food saving activities; collecting veggies and fruits from markets and preparing canned food and fresh food for homeless people, English speaking volunteers are always welcome). Future of Debrecen: https://www.facebook.com/futureofdebrecen They often have programs where you can join.
• The University of Debrecen has a good sports complex, many students (locals and internationals) practice sports regularly. If you are looking for a team to join, the best it to create a post here and ask for help (some will suggest a good program or a solution). Facebook: Hungarians Help International Student is Debrecen: https://www.facebook.com/groups/901074509957459

Things you can do in Hortobagy:

• Visit the Animal Park/ Bird Hospital/ Wild Animal Park – consult your work-coordinator when and where you can join
• Go to Hortobágy-Máta (30 minutes walk from the accommodation) and pat the horses at the stables. It is free to enter that area, you can visit the stables with many horses. If you want to participate at a carriage ride in on the plains (around 40 minutes guided tour with Hungarian-English speaking guide) or take riding lessons, visit the Visitors’ Center in the center of the village and ask for the appointments and prices. https://www.hnp.hu/en
• Go on bird-watching, visit the Great Fish-ponds of Hortobagy and take the little train there and back, follow nature trails, visit the Herdmen Museum ask for times and programs at the Visitros’ Center or visit here: https://www.hnp.hu/en, take a guided boat tour on Hortobagy river, follow some of the trails along the river: talk to your work coordinator; other programs: https://visithortobagy.com/en/mata-stud or https://visithortobagy.com/elmenyek
• We will always share the ongoing and upcoming community events in the WhatsApp group for the participants.

If you have a free afternoon and you would like to go for a swim or enjoy thermal bath: go to Balmazújváros (take the train, only 2 stops, next to the Penny Market), there is a complex of thermal spa and in the summer they have outdoor pools for a budget price: https://www.kamillafurdo.com/ And once you are there you might want to do the grocery at the local Lidl or Penny Market (both budget prices) before you take the train back to Hortobagy.

If you are planning a shorter or longer travel: 

• Eger (1 day trip): take the bus from Hortobagy (there is a directl bus following the route Debrecen-Hortobagy-Eger). Take the bus from Hortobagy Visitors’ Center towards Eger (to the right). For the bus schedules check: www.menetrendek.hu It is worth to visit: https://visiteger.com/en (Castle, Minaret, Catacombs, red wine tasting)
• Tokaj (1 or 2 days trip): It is a longer travel and you might need to change transportation (in Debrecen) For the train and bus schedules check: www.menetrendek.hu It is for wine lovers, the region is famous for its Tokaji Wine (white and sweet), it is better to plan for 2 days if you want to participate at wine tasting cellar programs. https://visittokaj.org/
• Nagyvárad/ Oradea – in Romania (2 days trip) You can take a train or a Flixbus from Debrecen. For trains: https://jegy.mav.hu/ or for Flixbus: https://www.flixbus.hu/

  You need to cross a border, Romania is also in the Schengen-Zone so there is not border control, but be aware that the local currency is RON, so you need to change money (if you use cash). Please note that Oradea is in a different time-zone (+ 1 hr), so when planning the travels always use the local time.

• Budapest (2-3 days trip): take a train to Budapest (https://jegy.mav.hu/ ), there are direct trains from Debrecen every hour to Budapest- Nyugati station (passing by the Ferihegy airport station) or you can travel from Hortobagy with a change in Füzesabony and arrive to Budapest-Keleti station. There are a lot of things to visit, make your search: https://www.budapestinfo.hu/en
• Lake Balaton (3-5 days trip): take a train from Debrecen (https://jegy.mav.hu/ ), in the summer there are direct trains, so you do not need to change in Budapest, but if you prefer, you can spend 2 days in Budapest and then travel to lake Balaton for a few more days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Balaton or an opinion: https://www.mywanderlust.pl/visit-lake-balaton-hungary/

What do you mean by mini projects?

As part of the European Solidarity Corps volunteer program the participants are encouraged to plan and implement some smaller activities for the benefit of the community or to practice some of the skills they have developed. A project has a planning, an implementation and an evaluation phase. If someone decided to to a mini project we expect them to do all 3 phases, as we cannot plan and prepare it instead of the person and once the call for participants is out, we cannot implement it instead of the person who dreamed the project. Mini projects can be organising a cultural event and inviting the locals (planing, advertising, inviting, cooking and preparing other other cultural activities, time and location, doing it, sharing photos of the event, lessons learnt) or having a workshop on something some is good at (cooking, handcraft, music, juggling, acting, etc.) or organising a workshop for kids, painting a gate or a wall to make the place nicer (like a mural), collecting trash and creating visibility of the actions to stop littering, planting flower to make a garden prettier and more bird-friendly. There are a lot of possibilities. We support you in your actions but we do not do it instead of you. It is also OK not to do a mini project during the volunteering activity. And of course it is possible to do it with other volunteers or local.

What documents do you need for travel reimbursements?

We try to specify at each specific call but in general these are the minimum requirements and you should send them always via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. :

• Flight: itinerary/ invoice (indicating the place and date of departure and arrival, name of passenger, price paid) We need originals (not screen shots) so please forward the itinerary/ invoice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This way we can get verification from the flight company in case of any concerns with the travel price. We need all boarding passes too (if it is paper slip you get at the airport, you can give it to us upon arrival or take a photo of it and send the picture via email, if it as electronic one, if you got it via email as a .pdf or downloaded it, forward it to the email address, if it is in the app, make a screen shot of it and send it as an attachment to an email.
• Bus/ train: we need the tickets with the times and places of departure and arrival.
• Public transport (city transport): we need the tickets
• Taxi: if you need to use a taxi at any part of the travel, please consult us before, taxi cost are reimbursed only if there is no other way to travel at a given route.
• Usage of own personal/ family car (like someone drives you to the airport of a nearby town or you drive the car to Hungary from home): it is possible to reimburse that and it is not fuel or gas bill that we need but: we need the copy of vehicle registration certificate (that you need to have always in the car showing who the owner is, type of car, cm3 of the engine, diesel/ benzine, etc.). Based on this document we make the calculation based on the rules of the Hungarian Tax office for persobal car usage.

Why do I need to send all travel related documents via email?

This is the official channel we accept any documents. Most of the projects are EU funded and we need to follow a strict documentation for the report. This is the easiest ans safest way to track all documents related to one person. We can chat and discuss daily issues via WhatsApp, but for the project related documentation, you will need to have a valid email address. Also for the official registration reasons for each project you will need to have an email address.

What do I need to take and what not to the volunteer activities in Hortobagy?

Check the weather forecast and bring your clothes adjusting to that. Have a hat or a cap to protect from the sun, a raincoat for rainy days and proper clothes for the work (shoes! that you do not mind getting super dirty, clothes for painting or gardening). Flip-flops or sandals for internal use at the accommodation. Anything you need in the bathroom and towels. We provide bed sheets and covers.  As the summer can be super hot, have a sun-tan lotion and a mosquito repeller with you or you can buy one after arrival. We provide basic cleaning items and toilet papers as a starter pack, but later on you will need to buy these prom the money you receive at the beginning of the project.

How much earlier can I arrive to Hungary and how many days extra can I stay before going home?

You can come earlier to Hungary, maybe you want to spend a few days visiting Budapest before heading to Debrecen or Hortobagy. It is not limited but if it is more than 2 weeks before, we need a justification why you came you much earlier. Also after finishing the project if you want to stay longer, it is OK, even 2 weeks longer, but anything more than that should be justified if you want to use the travel reimbursement of the project.  Of course if you do not want the travel to be reimbursed according to the rules of the program, you can stay as long as you want. Please note that for the extra days we do not provide any subsistence and we cannot provide accommodation for extra nights. 

Can I choose my project dates?

The dates in the call are fixed dates. The volunteer team members start and finish together, so it is not possible to change the dates of the project. However within the project period (within the 46 days) you can choose which days you will work and which days will be free days. Note that in a period of 46 days there are 28 work days (each 6 hrs of work) and 18 free days. So you need to be in Hortobagy, Hungary on the 1^st day of the activity as there will be a an orientation meeting that evening and also next day and we will create the plan of work days and free days for the next period. Of course you can travel during your free time, but the return date to home has to be on the last day of the project of after that. If you have an early flight you may want to leave super early on the last day or you may leave the day before to Budapest and catch the morning flight/ bus or train. Of course a vis major can happen during the activity, something that was not expected before, we can discuss and find a solution for that.

If you are applying for a long-term project, that is 2-12 months long, we can be more flexible with the dates of the activity as the individual volunteering activities are more flexible.

I have an important family matter, exam or a program at home the I need to attend during the project. Can I go home for the rpogram? Or Can I stay for a shorter period?

I am going to another country than my home, do I get reimbursed for that too?

The travel cost can be used for the travel between your home town/ or the place where you are living and a return travel there. In case you want to return to another country, you need to justify why. It may be reimbursed too but we need to talk it over and if necessary we will consult the financier (the national agency of the European Solidarity Corps).  If you are going on holidays or to visit a friend or to another project, it will not be an eligible cost.

Can I participate at other EU projects (like youth exchanges or training or other volunteer activities) during my volunteering period in my free time?

No, it would be a double financing since you receive food and pocket money and accommodation for the period from an EU grant. However before and after the project you can participate in other EU funded project. However it might happen that an other EU granted project is going on locally and you join some of the activities informally or a helper, that is totally fine.

Can I get a single room or just stay with my partner together in a double room?

In the volunteer house in Hortobagy we have rooms of different sizes. The house uses solar energy. 1 room is without air-conditioning and it has 2 single beds. The other rooms have bunk beds: 2 rooms with 4 beds each and a bigger room with 6 beds. The participants do the room distribution after arrival considering the gender balance. As the teams are usually with 12-15 participants, usually most beds are taken but it has happened before that someone was with their partner in the double room (the chances are low).

Where can I exchange money?

In the village of Hortobagy there are 3 grocery stores, a fruits & vegetables stand and several smaller eating out possibilities. All of the accept card payment. Locally can payments are only in Hungarian forint (HUF), you can exchange EUR to HUF after arrival in Budapest (the airport exchange is not that favourable), we recommend to change around the train stations in Budapest or in Kőbánya-Kispest station) or once you arrive to Debrecen (there are multiple exchange offices, all of them safe to use). We can discuss all the options and opening hours of the exchange offices at the orientation meeting too.

I am following a special diet, where can I get products related to that?

It really depends on the diet, but Hortobagy is a village with 3 grocery stores and 1 stand for fruits and veggies. These stores cover the basic needs and even more, you can find in each of them

I am a smoker. Can I buy cigarettes locally?

The accommodation is non-smoking, you can smoke only outside on the lower terrace at a designated place. In Hungary you can buy tobacco only is special shops “National Tobacco Shops”, in bigger towns there are plenty of them, in Hortobagy there is only 1 tobacco shop, you can buy tobacco there if you are over 18. They might ask for an ID. The prices are the same everywhere. Please not that in many places (like train stations, platforms, bus stops, close to school or shops entrances etc.) you are not allowed to smoke. 

Age rules specified:

The volunteer activities are open for young people between 18 and 30. So you need to turn 18 the latest on the 1^st day of the activity (so arrive on or after your 18^th birthday) and the volunteer cannot be older than 30 at the start of the activity (this means you cannot celebrate your 31^st birthday before starting the activity, so you can be over 30 but not 31 yet on the 1^st day of the project).

Countries eligible and specified for the residency:

For each activity we specify in the call (see “news” section) the which countries’ residents can apply.