In 1998 the Voluntary Ecological Year (in German: Freiwilliges Ökologisches Jahr /FÖJ) was introduced as a model project in various states in Germany.
In 2002 the legal bill regarding the Freiwilliges Ökologisches Jahr passed parliamentary procedure and the FÖJ was officially established.
FÖJ sponsors are mostly non-profit youth organizations, such as churches or environmental protection associations.
There are currently around 3,000 FÖJ sites in Germany and in addition about 600 positions of the Federal volunteers service for economic protection.
The volunteers in the Voluntary Ecological Year, who are sometimes still minors, basically consists of monthly pocket money of around €180 to €370 as well as food and accommodation.
It is aimed at young adults who are in a professional orientation phase and are interested in environmental, nature conservation and sustainability topics.
The agencies and providers for the Voluntary Environmental Year are approved by the Minister for Environment.