In Thuringia, the Voluntary Social Year, Voluntary Ecological Year and Voluntary Cultural Year were combined to form the Thuringia Year.

The Thuringia Year offers interested adolescents and young adults the opportunity to volunteer full-time in a wide variety of areas of our society, to get involved and to develop personally in the process. This year is particularly suitable for young people - especially after graduating from school - to find out about their career options, to orient themselves professionally and to try out a career field in practice. In this respect, the Thuringia Year can also help with personal life planning.

All adolescents and young adults whose main place of residence is in Thuringia and who have completed their full-time compulsory education and are under 27 years of age and not in a training, study or employment relationship are eligible to participate.

Opportunities are available in a wide variety of social and cultural institutions, in the health care sector, for the disabled, in child and youth welfare institutions, in daycare centers, in sports clubs, schools, in the preservation of historical monuments, and in nature conservation and environmental education.

The Thuringia Year begins on September 1 and usually lasts twelve months. The minimum duration of the assignment is six months. The practical work is accompanied by a total of 25 seminar days on various topics, which are held as educational seminar weeks or individual seminars.

Participants receive a monthly allowance and work clothes as well as a flat rate for room and board. Social security contributions (health, pension, nursing care and unemployment insurance) are paid by the sponsors. The child allowance continues to be paid.