Long-term (more than 6 months) "social work" projects in France

Vir'Volt is the regional delegation of Ile de France (Paris region) of the movement Solidarités Jeunesses. Vir'volt stands up for the same values as the national movement which are defending peace both in France and abroad and our local project is meant to develop activities with these global aims.

To reach those goals, the movement is implementing the following activities...

- Organizing international voluntary workcamps (short and long term) in cooperation with the local communities or partner organizations.
- Hosting different groups (schools, community centres) and also offering free leisure activities for different kinds of groups.
- Organizing trainings and seminars and supporting activities for members of our organization.
- Sending volunteers on international workcamps and also on short or long term projects, trainings and seminars.
- Supporting local projects.
- Organizing and participating in activities on social, economical and working integration involving participants with less opportunities.
- Organizing training sessions for volunteers, from France and abroad, with less opportunities.

How was the Ile de France delegation created?

In 1995, a group of friends involved as volunteers in Solidarités Jeunesses at a national level decided to create a delegation in Ile de France region. At first, this group wanted to develop international volunteer workcamps. It was also the opportunity to work with new partners on organizing activities mixing voluntary work, international mobility and inclusion for people with less opportunities.

Today, Vir'Volt, the delegation of Solidarités Jeunesses Ile de France, organizes about 10 international workcamps in 5 different departments of the Ile de France region. With the support of the region Ile de France and local partners, our organization has sent about 50 young people from difficult neighbourhoods to international workcamps in France and abroad every year. At a local level, Vir'volt implements local projects in La Ferté sous Jouarre where the offices are located.

The volunteer will integrate the team of Vir'Volt, regional delegation of Solidarités Jeunesses Ile de France. The staff of Vir'Volt has 4 employees. We host regularly interns and long-term volunteers (Civil service, French-German Cooperation, etc). The Board of the association is made up of 8, some living in La Ferté, some in other areas of the region but they meeting regularly at La Ferté.
The headquarter is at La Ferté sous Jouarre in the North of the Seine et Marne district. This is a small town with 9500 inhabitants and is 45 minutes by train from Paris and 15 minutes from Meaux and also close to the Champagne region. The town has one swimming pool, a public library, many associations and is on the bank of the River Seine which allows to do many activities.

Vir'Volt is involved with many organizations in the local community thus the volunteer will meet and work with other organizations in the region. We work mostly with social (Germinal), cultural (Studio CREAM, Amitiés Sans Frontières), sports (Boxing club, Sport Loisirs Fertois) associations and with schools.

The volunteer will be hosted at the headquarters of Vir'Volt and will live with other volunteers. The house has a bathroom, a kitchen and a shared bedroom fit to host volunteers. Staff will be available to make sure the volunteers will be able to gain all the benefits of their experience in a collective housing. The collective aspect is an important part of the project. The rules of the house will be discussed with the volunteers. Vir'Volt will be hosting 3 to 5 long term volunteers simultaneously.

Through their involvement in local activities, volunteers will be able to get a sense of responsibility, to get involved actively in the local community and to think when they return to their country, about new ways of becoming active citizens in their every day life.
We believe that volunteers, by running projects and activities in Vir'Volt, will learn to be more responsible, and to take initiatives, which will be useful in their social and professional life.

For the short-term and long-term volunteers hosted a weekly evaluation will be organized with the group to give feedback about the project and the collective life. Time will be organized for trainings and discussions but also to assess the motivations of the volunteers, their objectives and the results of the activities.

Volunteers will be able to request individual evaluations whenever they wish so. Volunteers of the association (especially Board members) take an active part in the implementation and support of the project. As a result, they will be involved in the support of the hosted volunteers.

During the national events, volunteers will be able to discover this French region and will have a better understanding of the life of French associations, especially the Solidarités Jeunesses project.
Many organizations have been created by volunteers hosted here when they return to their country, others have become project leaders in partner organizations.

Vir'volt implements several projects in the social, cultural and integration fields, as for an organization based on Popular Education, it is highly important that all should work on projects with people coming from different cultural backgrounds. In this framework, volunteers bring the very necessary intercultural touch to our projects. In all our actions, they help us to keep an intercultural approach, to work on our prejudices, to exchange our looks and views on the world. Thanks to their status and commitment, volunteers bring along deep thinking about each one's responsibility and about one's involvement as a person and as a citizen. In every action, they draw people's attention about voluntary work and promote it. They are the stamina of our organization and they keep us aware. They make proposals, they have their external point of view and they constantly question our project, to make it progress and make it better.

Pre-qualification activity (starting in April and lasting 6 months) -

This action based on mobility, alternating between workcamp and training activities, will host about 10 people in difficult situations. Volunteers will take part in the workcamp with the participants. They will also take part in training activities and will talk about their country and what it is for them be a volunteer. Due to their presence, they will guarantee a social mixture in the group. By working in the workcamp, they will get more responsible. For volunteers, this is a real learning opportunity as a mixed-social group and intercultural experience.

Volunteers will not be the main responsible for this activity. This project will be lead by 2 staff members.

Permanent workcamp (all year long) -

This project will be organized in the town of La Ferté sous Jouarre. Different locations are scheduled in the town. The technical aspects can range from wall building, restoration of social apartments and gardening. The headquarters of the organization need also some restoration work and will be part of the permanent workcamp. There is also some work to do in the garden which will add value to our project and group many people. This is also a location where initiatives can rise (eg. one volunteer is actually organizing a project on painting walls here).

Moreover, to promote our project based on sustainable development and respect of the environment, volunteers will maintain and develop the vegetable garden. This garden is considered as a tool to raise awareness on ecological issues. We use this garden to work with children and with groups coming to the structure.

Due to the partnership with the town, Vir'Volt is participating in local events, which means that volunteers will get involved in projects such as Fête de la Musique, Ferté-Plage, Festival Les Mains Bleues (street art festival), public debates on current issues (we develop this activity with a partner organization called Matière Prise). We're working also on an exhibition named "Meulière Rock" (interviews with older generations, etc).

We will be able to host groups soon as the organization will be in charge of running a park which used to be a camping site. These groups will come from different backgrounds (youth groups, community centres, etc). We plan to offer cheap accommodation, close to Paris, close to nature. The groups will be able to participate in our daily activities (workcamps, gardening, cooking, cultural visits...) and also benefit of the local sports organizations who are regularly asking for these type of projects. The volunteers will also work with these groups.

The volunteers are able to attend French classes in local schools. Usually, it's about one day per week.

International volunteers will be offered the chance to be an activity leader at workcamps for young international volunteers. Volunteers are responsible for the daily life of the group during the summer camp. As described above, they will have undergone training as activity leaders in May. This experience is in many cases a chance for volunteers to pass on the skills acquired during their volunteer experience. It is certainly a very rich experience in terms of responsibility and initiative.

Our association, due to its regional spread, is often asked to promote volunteering in various fairs, forums and meetings dealing with youth, and organized by General Councils, the local Region and local municipalities. Our volunteers lend a more dynamic character to our interventions. It is an opportunity for them to become aware of other initiatives and to better understand the context of the French system, as well as to report on their own experiences.

Volunteers staying for a minimum of 6 months will receive a monthly allowance of 100 EUR.

Centre de Beaumotte was founded in 1979 and is a non-formal educational association. It is the regional delegation of Solidarités Jeunesses in the Franche-Comté region. The aim of our centre is to support people who have fewer opportunities and to encourage them to take responsibility for their own lives.

One of the most important things we do at the Centre is to simply participate in the everyday exchange that occurs when people from different social and cultural backgrounds live together. There are about 20 people who live and work at the Centre, and 10 more who come to work during the day. The Centre hosts teenagers and adults who are facing social and professional problems, and who often have difficulties functioning in society and perhaps do not have support from their families. They live at the Centre from 6 months to one year.

The exchange between the volunteers and those living at the Centre is extremely important, and together we focus our efforts to realise specific projects around the Centre and in neighbouring villages. The residents also participate in seminars covering subjects such as alcohol and drug addictions, help with employment or other life skills. Volunteers are welcome to participate in these if they would like, for example by giving a presentation about their country.

Throughout the year we also organise different social and cultural events, such as concerts, theatrical productions, workshops, and the like.

This project requires no specific knowledge or skills. You do not have to be able to speak French but it is important to be aware that not everybody living here can speak English. There is the opportunity to have French lessons while you are here.

We work approximately 7 hours per day, sometimes we are based in the house, other times we work outside. The outdoors work can be...

- Renovation of the Centre (masonry, carpentry, etc.)
- Preservation of the grounds
- Renovation of the local heritage (fountains, ancient wash-houses, etc.)
- Environmental projects (preservation of the river, gardening, etc.)

After breakfast we all clean the house for 30 minutes. The work day ends around 4.30 pm and we have a morning break and an hour for lunch. Each day 2 or 3 of us work in the kitchen and prepare the meals for the day. Residents and volunteers work together on these tasks.

Volunteers and residents live together in one part of the house. Our house is very big! The staff and their family live in another section of the house but we all eat and socialise together. It is important for volunteers to take part in the communal life and to try and get to know the residents because we live together as one group. The volunteers share their bedrooms with residents and usually with another volunteer; there maybe 2 or 3 people in one bedroom. The rooms are mixed gender so male and female share the same room.

As stated above, the daily intercultural exchange is a great way to achieve some of the goals of the project. The lives of both the volunteers and the residents are enriched as they confront their similarities and differences, and this produces some very powerful moments.

As can be imagined, it can be difficult to get things running smoothly when you are living with 25 other people. To make things easier and more comfortable for everyone, there are a few rules that must be respected at the Centre. The first is that, with the exception of organised special occasions, no alcohol is allowed at the Centre. This is out of respect for residents who have had alcohol problems in the past. Also mobile phones are forbidden in the house. Volunteers are allowed to bring their phones but they will be kept in the office. You can use your phone when you need to but we just ask that you don't use it in the house. There is also a fixed phone that is available to the volunteers (you will need a phone card) and internet is also provided, so you can stay connected with family and friends. The final rule is that we expect all those who live at the Centre to respect night time quiet hours.

Once a week everybody from the house (and those who come here to work but do not live here) participate in a meeting where we discuss how we feel about our week and plan for the week ahead. There is also a separate meeting every 2 weeks just for the volunteers and here we discuss anything they would like to raise. There is a person here who is responsible for the welfare of the volunteers (Paola) and she also has responsibility regarding the work that volunteers do here.

Centre de Beaumotte has been hosting Medium and Long Term Volunteers for the past 30 years, and each of them have left their mark. At any given time the Centre hosts 8 international volunteers. As a volunteer you will have the opportunity to live a unique life experience, to develop your own projects, to learn French and discover the culture here, and to be a positive influence in the lives of those at the Centre. You will work at times with local youths on projects in the surrounding areas. During your time here you will also have the opportunity to lead one or two of Solidarités Jeunesses' international workcamps and to participate in events such as training seminars and general assemblies.

Why do we host international volunteers?

- To provide an intercultural exchange and dimension to all of our projects.
- To enrich the learning process of the residents by mixing different people.
- To stimulate local development by working in collaboration with the community and local associations.
- To give young French people the opportunity to be confronted with new ideas and cultures, and to allow the same for the volunteers.

The Centre is located in a small, rural village where there is not much social activity. This, however, does not mean the volunteers will be either lonely or bored! At any given time there are around 30 people in the Centre, with many more passing through.

Franche-Comté is a beautiful region well known for its wines, sausages and cheese. The Centre is situated on the edge of a river in the village of Beaumotte (pop. 380), in the countryside of the Haute-Saône region. The nearest large towns are Vesoul (25 km) and Besançon (30 km), though the small town of Rioz rests just 12 km away. Trips into town are organised every week based on the activity schedule. A large garden surrounds our building, and we have an activity room we call “Le Bateau”. In here we arrange cultural activities with the young residents of the Centre, and also organise events that the locals can come and participate in.

It is not possible to start the volunteering period during the month of November 2010.

Volunteers staying for at least 6 months, receive 100 Euros per month and have 15 days holiday per year.

The association Village des Jeunes, the regional delegation of Solidarités Jeunesse in Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur, is an non-formal education association recognized by the French Ministry of Youth and Sports. Through its actions, Villages des Jeunes aims to promote...

- The voluntary participation of everyone, especially the youth and the underprivileged, in local, national and international life.
- Local development that keep in mind individuals, the environment and - cultural heritage.
Communication between people from different countries and different generations.
- The concrete construction of peace.

Toward this aim, the association organises short and long-term international programmes, integration actions, trainings, international solidarity actions, and manages three hosting structures in rural environments, including the hamlet of Vaunières.

In the early 1960s, Vaunières was an abandoned village. Thanks to a renovation project and international youth workcamps, the hamlet became a national and international meeting centre. Vaunières is situated 7 km from the village of Saint Julien en Beauchêne at the bottom of a valley in the Alps, at an altitude of 1,200 m. The hamlet is made up of 6 buildings on 80 ha, which allows us to accommodate up to 150 people at a given time.

Collaborating closely with the community of Saint Julien en Beauchêne and the local authorities, the association promotes actions in this region that foster activities in the following areas...

The goal is to have a hosting and meeting centre for people of different social and cultural backgrounds. Vaunières is for many an important passage in their lifetime, a place where citizenship is learned and demonstrated. The centre welcomes many people who are marginalized and in difficult situations, enabling them to participate in day-to-day life, to maintain and renovate the centre, giving them the possibility to have a role in other people's lives. Toward this end, every year, the village welcomes many groups, families, young people in difficult situations, isolated people, international volunteers and hikers who come to participate in the life of the hamlet for various periods.

Thanks to the presence of international volunteers and to the many residents, Vaunières is the ideal place for organising cultural gatherings, artistic projects, concerts, balls, shows, and country parties attended by people from the villages nearby.

The renovation and maintenance of the site is ongoing, and is the means by which hosted people are led to meet each other and carry out something useful. In 2005, Vaunières began to organize and host international workcamps in the surrounding villages in order to support local projects. The revival of this hamlet and the special care given to its maintenance, protect the area both from an environmental point of view and from the standpoint of the architectural heritage.

Throughout the year, the hamlet of Vaunières is managed by three permanent employees and a team of volunteers (5 persons including two EVS) who help implement the project. The association also includes 15 administrators and about thirty volunteers who come to help in the organisation of the different activities on a regular basis.

Permanent staff, volunteers, administrators and hosted public are all responsible for the daily life in the camp, and to ensure that the rules are respected. This means that everybody takes part in the maintenance, cleaning and cooking. Volunteers who wish may also attend Board meetings.

The association Les Villages des Jeunes aims at welcoming different types of people, especially the young and the underprivileged. As the association evolves, the continued presence of volunteers of all nationalities, along with the presence of French people from different social backgrounds has become essential to the association. It ensures an intercultural exchange which is the foundation of our association, and represents an important lever for our local development actions.

The objectives which lead us to welcome Long Term Volunteers are the following...

- Enhancing current actions and starting new ones;
- Promoting peace by confronting different ideas;
- Proposing a real intercultural exchange to the hosted public;
- Fighting deep-rooted prejudices in the local population through our actions;
- Giving the hosted volunteers the opportunity not only to give but also to be on the receiving end of exchange as they meet the local population.

This category describes the ongoing work that occurs at the farm. It is the area in which education takes place, and where people can exchange through work. It concerns environmental projects (cleaning rivers, clearing brushwood), cultural heritage projects (working on a old Chalaisienne Abbey), restoring and improving projects of buildings in villages or in the farm. In agreement with the paid staff, the volunteers who want, may become pedagogic activity leaders on these projects.

The hamlet of Vaunières has space to welcome groups, families and individuals who are on holidays and/or desire to participate in projects. The volunteers will be encouraged to lead these activities (cooking, organising cultural nights, games, hikes in the mountain).

We strongly encourage volunteers to join our team in designing and organising cultural activities which take place in Vaunières or in the nearby villages. The team of the hamlet has put specific tools in place which will enable the volunteers to appropriate this aspect of life on the site.

Personal projects are seen as a way of reflection, discovery and personal enrichment for the volunteers, and to this end, after an initial period of settling in, volunteers will have the chance to carry out one or more individual or collective projects that go along with the goals of the overall project.

French lessons can be arranged according to interest.

To take part in this project, volunteers must:- have a genuine interest in the proposed activities;
- be willing to live in a group for several months;
- be aware that the hamlet of Vaunières is located on a mountain in a very isolated place.

100 EUR of pocket money per month is given to volunteers staying for at least 6 months.

- The minimum length to participate is 6 months. In some cases volunteers can come between 6 to 12 months and agree on the length before their arrival.
- The selection is based primarly on the motivation of the volunteer. So a specific motivation letter is required to apply.
- Other factors taken into account are nationality (no more than one volunteer per nationality), gender (we try to keep a balance). Having a driving licence is a plus.

Solidarités Jeunesses is an organisation that works for non-formal education. It runs a number of small community centres in rural environments and organises short and long-term international workcamps, social integration projects, training programmes and actions for international solidarity.
Created in 1993, the association 'Le Créneau' is the delegation of Solidarités Jeunesses in Auvergne/Rhône-Alpes.

- To have a meeting and hosting structure where the dominant theme is intercultural exchanges through group life.
- To help enliven and develop the region by working in cooperation with the local government and education centres (recreation centres, clubs, schools, etc.).
- To support projects sponsored both by our association and the community by organizing international work camps.
- To help people with social and professional difficulties get back on track.

The project is based out of the Château des Prureaux, in the village of Montcombroux-les-Mines in the centre of France. The nearest towns are those of Vichy (45km, pop. 26,000), Moulins (50km, pop. 22,000) and Roanne (60km, pop. 40,000). Clermont-Ferrand is the nearest city (90km, pop. 250,000). The château is
surrounded by fields and forests, and itself rests on a piece of hedged farmland. Montcombroux-les-Mines is a small village with around 400 inhabitants, and both the name of the town and the architecture reflect it's mining past.

The region is rich in natural and architectural beauty, but marked by an ageing population. With little to no industry,the locals here rely on green tourism, the sale of artisangoods and quality farming dominated by cow breeding. There is little public transportation, and the closest train stations are St. Germain-des-Fossés (35km) and Digoin (25km). The château itself is located in a very isolated spot, 6km form the nearest services. However, thepresence of the permanent team and the groups that we host regularly make up for therelative isolation.

The castle is a bourgeois mansion that was built in the 19th century over the foundations of anold farm. In addition to the main building there is a small forest, a farmyard, a vegetablegarden, and several smaller buildings that make up a courtyard. Since 1993 the association has been devoted to the restoration, maintenance and revival of the area by promoting theartisan traditions of the region (basketry, bread making, etc.) and other local actions and organizing international work camps that host volunteers from all origins.

The volunteer will work an average of 30 hours per week and will take his/her freetime in accordance with his tutor and the needs of the association.

1) The main part of the work consists in restoring the buildings and keeping them in a goodstate, as well as laying out the gardens, farmyard, etc.
2) Throughout the year groups of people will join us at the Château, many of them with social difficulties. Volunteers will help in planning activities, workshops, etc. according to their personal interests.
3) Other opportunities may include organizingworkshops in the schools, participating in and/orleading an international summer work camp,gardening, and promoting the association through local events.
4)Individual project : We strongly believe that is important for the volunteer to implement, during his/her voluntary service, one or several personal ideas in
accordance with the values and the project of the association. We think voluntary should also be an opportunity to reflect, to experiment and to take initiatives. Time is set aside each weekin order to allow to the volunteers to dedicate themselves to their personal projects.

The volunteer will participate in the group life, together with the staff, the official members and the guests and will contribute:
- to the general renovation - masonry, painting, maintenance;

cooking, cleaning, shopping, bread making;

weekly meeting, host and transportation of the guests;
- to the activities implemented - video projections, debates, games, happenings, trainings.

The volunteers will share rooms with 3 other volunteers within the castle.

We do not have any specific criteria of selection. We want to offer an opportunity to share in the experience here to all kinds of
people, regardless of their age, their social origin, their level of French language, or their skills.

- to participate to the whole project, which will at times include evenings and weekends;
- to have the willingness to join other people, share impressions and ideas and to live a sometimes hard but very rich collective experience for several
months;
- to note that Le Créneau is situated in a very remote place, in the middle of the countryside, without any public transport.

- The minimum length to participate is 6 months. In some cases volunteers can come between 6 to 12 months and agree on the length before their arrival.
- The selection is based primarly on the motivation of the volunteer. So a specific motivation letter is required to apply.
- Other factors taken into account are nationality (no more than one volunteer per nationality), gender (we try to keep a balance). Having a driving licence is a plus.

Being an association of youth and popular education, “La Maison des Bateleurs” is the regional delegation in Poitou-Charentes of the national french movement “Solidarités Jeunesses”. She aims to promote peace between people by organising voluntary work and intercultural encounters.

One of our main values is the appreciation of each individual in a group, so one can develop oneself while respecting and being considerate of one’s fellow being. It is our wish to build a collective project, in order to demonstrate that we can live together, every participant being provided with a different cultural background, and use our potential in a constructive way. The association believes in values of tolerance and respect, she opposes every form of exclusion and discrimination. The entire of the actions of the association aims to facilitate the encounter of people with different horizons, in order to provide them with the opportunity to contribute to the construction of an open society, where all generations, cultures and nations can live in peace.

The different activities of this organisation are to organise short international workcamps, to be a part of the local animation of the area, to develop social integration projects, to be a hosting place for a public from different backgrounds, to build European projects about different topics.

Since few years, the association decided to focus its key activity towards environmental and ecological projects, in order to gain a reputation of a location of alternative and experimental living in terms of sustainability. In fact the association supports a considerate style of living, in respect of the nature (consumption, economisation of water and energy, conscious food, waste separation…).

Montendre is a rural town with about 3200 inhabitants in an agricultural region, about 70 km north from Bordeaux and 80 km away from the Atlantic Ocean (Western France).

The activities organized with the volunteers are mainly manual workshops and activities of local development. A lot of the organised activities take place at La Maison des Bateleurs but some are also organised in Montendre, in the neighbouring towns or with others associations.

Volunteers will learn technical techniques on renovation projects (masonry, carpentry, woodwork…) or on educational projects about sustainable development (organic garden, green building, etc.). The
participation or the development of different activities such as French courses, artistic, musical workshops according depend on the propositions and the skills of all the people at the centre.
Saturdays and Sundays will be dedicated to the discovery of the region, French culture and occasionally to host some groups and/or cultural events.

During their stay at La Maison des Bateleurs and with the support of the other volunteers and the supervising team, the volunteer is involved in:
- Animation of the hosting and meeting centre, La Maison des Bateleurs, whose main themes are intercultural exchange, citizenship and environment.
- Hosting groups from different social, generational, geographic backgrounds (social or educational centers).
- Participation in animation and local development of the region by working in cooperation with local authority and structures of animation and education (leisure centre, youth clubs, high schools…).
- Mobilization and hosting persons in situation of difficulty in their social and professional inclusion steps.
- Becoming a leader for some international workcamps in the region during the summer.

There will be about 6 to 7 volunteers in the team and one or two coordinators who will organize daily life with you. The group consists of French, European and international volunteers from other continents. The team of volunteers will manage a budget for shopping, and everybody is going to prepare meals.

Volunteers will use community rooms at the host center (sleeping, cooking, meals, bathroom). The rooms are shared. The number of people in each room is around 4 or 5 persons and there is no separation between men and women because we want to develop mixity. There are
weekly meetings to talk about collective life and practical arrangements. The volunteers will share a collective life with the other volunteers, the hosted people (preparation of the meal, washing the dishes, house cleaning).

The volunteers do not need to have specific skills but have to be interested in learning manual techniques, a foreign language, as well as a will to take responsibilities at different levels and to explore creative and artistic activities. The common languages on the project are frequently English and French. We do not ask volunteers to have specific skills but they have to be interested in the projects they're applying to and understand that they are based on manual work and collective life and that they are in rural areas, far from cities.

18+

- The minimum length to participate is 6 months. In some cases volunteers can come between 6 to 12 months and agree on the length before their arrival.
- The selection is based primarly on the motivation of the volunteer. So a specific motivation letter is required to apply.
- Other factors taken into account are nationality (no more than one volunteer per nationality), gender (we try to keep a balance). Having a driving licence is a plus.

Solidarités Jeunesses is an organisation that works for non-formal education. It runs a number of small community centres in rural environments and organises short and long-term international workcamps, social integration projects, training programmes and
actions for international solidarity. Created in 2003, the association CITRUS, represents the project of Solidarités Jeunesses in Midi-Pyrénées. The main activities of the association CITRUS are the organisation of workcamps with international volunteers, the organisation of workshops raising awareness of the environment, and the promotion of volunteering.

the project is in Laguépie, a small village with 730 inhabitants, in the region “Pays Midi-Quercy”, situated in a rural and isolated area, about hundred kilometres north-eastern of Toulouse. This territory of Occitan traditions is covered by an associative net,
which organises social and cultural activities, in an environment marked by weak economic activities and the ageing of the population. Laguépie is at 35 minutes by car from Septfonds (head office of the association Citrus), and it is about thirty kilometres from the towns of Albi
(50 000 inhabitants), Gaillac (12 000 inhabitants), and Villefranche-de-Rouergue (12 000 inhabitants), and also about 70 km from the city of Montauban (55 000 inhabitants).

Volunteers will work 30 to 35 hours per week and take their holidays in consultation with the team, according to the season and needs of the association. Two half days per week are given to the conception and realisation of a personal project and language support. By participating in workshops and meetings organised by the
association, volunteers are actively involved in the associative life, contribute to the general organization of the implemented activities, and can propose their own ideas.

- Manual work - Volunteers will participate to the renewing and reconstructing of an old farm and its buildings, which is called “La Mayounelle”, in order to create a centre of reception and intercultural meeting, as well as the restoration of the small buildings in the surrounding municipalities. The work is undertaken in a team, and managed under the responsibility of a qualified leader.

- Local animation - The volunteers will participate regularly in activities of local animation, in cultural events or in activities with educational character in partnership with the municipalities, institutions and the local associations. The association supports for example the local schools to set up workshops regarding the environment, within the framework of the project of the collective garden.

- Workcamps - Long term volunteers may become campleaders during the summer in other villages of the region, under the support of the permanent staff. Every year, a collective training of one week is organised by Solidarités Jeunesses to enable them to acquire the
necessary skills to function as workcamp leader. They can also invest themselves in the preparation of workcamps (prenegotiation meetings, logistic support, establishment of tools, selection of the location etc.)

The volunteers will be accommodated in collective housing, share rooms (2 to 3 volunteers per room) in a big house in the centre of the village, which is provided by the municipality. All the hosted people participate in the tasks of daily life and are requested to respect the collectively established rules of life - schedules, sharing out daily tasks, etc - everything that concerns the intercultural exchange.

The volunteers will have regular and free access to Internet, a telephone line in order to receive calls at the hosting place, and by looking out for possibilities of transportation according to needs (bicycles, minibus, public transport possibilities by bus in the local area,
and train station in Laguépie : one hour by train from Toulouse).

We expect that the volunteer has a good understanding of the global project, and that he or she wants to be part of the group dynamic of and the collective life. We consider volunteering as an act of exchange between a volunteer, who offers his or her time, work, and energy for the benefit of a project of common interest and a
host community that offers the volunteer a field of learning, testing and personal development. We ask that volunteers are motivated, open minded and ready to make concessions in order to work as a team and live with other people very different.

18-25

- The minimum length to participate is 6 months. In some cases volunteers can come between 6 to 12 months and agree on the length before their arrival.
- The selection is based primarly on the motivation of the volunteer. So a specific motivation letter is required to apply.
- Other factors taken into account are nationality (no more than one volunteer per nationality), gender (we try to keep a balance). Having a driving licence is a plus.

Centre de Beaumotte was founded in 1979 and is a non-formal educational association. It is the regional delegation of Solidarités Jeunesses' in the Franche-Comté region. The aim of our centre is to support people who have fewer opportunities and to encourage them to take responsibility for their own lives.

One of the most important things we do at the centre is to simply participate in the everyday exchange that occurs when people from different social and cultural backgrounds live together.
There are about 20 people who live and work at the centre, and 10 more who come to work during the day. The centre hosts teenagers and adults who are facing social and professional problems, and who often have difficulties functioning in society and perhaps do not have support from their family. They live at the centre from 6 months to one year. The exchange between the volunteers and those living at the centre is extremely important, and together we focus our efforts to realise specific projects around the centre and in neighbouring villages. The residents also participate in seminars covering subject such as alcohol and drug addictions and help with employment or other life skills. The volunteers are welcome to participate in these if they would like, for example to give a presentation about your country.

Throughout the year we also organise different social and cultural events, such as concerts, theatrical productions, workshops, and the like. This project requires no specific knowledge or skills. You do not have to be able to speak French but it is important to be aware that not
everybody living here can speak English. There is the opportunity to have French lessons while you are here.

All long term volunteers receive 105 Euros every month and have 15 days holiday per year.

We work approximately 7 hours per day, sometimes we are based in the house, other times we work outside the house. The outside work could be:
- Renovation of the centre (masonry, carpentry, etc.)
- Preservation of the grounds
- Renovation of the local heritage (fountains, ancient wash-houses, etc.)
- Environmental projects (preservation of the river, gardening, etc.)

After breakfast we all clean the house for 30 minutes. The work day ends around 4.30 pm and we have a morning break and an hour for lunch. Each day 2 or 3 of us work in the kitchen and prepare the meals for the day. Residents and volunteers work together on these tasks.

Volunteers and residents live together in one part of the house. Our house is very big! The staff and their family live in another section of the house but we all eat and socialise together. It is important for volunteers to take part in the communal life and to try and get to know the residents because we live together as one group.

The volunteers share their bedrooms with residents and usually another volunteer; there maybe 2 or 3 people in one bedroom. The rooms are mixed gender so male and female share the same room. As stated above, the daily intercultural exchange is a great way to achieve some of the goals of the project. The lives of both the volunteers and the residents are enriched as they confront their similarities and differences, and this produces some very powerful moments. As can be imagined, it can be difficult to get things running smoothly when you are living with 25 other people.

To make things easier and more comfortable for everyone, there are a few rules that must be respected at the centre. The first is that, with the exception of organised special occasions, no alcohol is allowed at the centre. This is out of respect for residents who have had alcohol problems in the past. You can use your phone when you need to but we just ask that you don't use it frequently in the house. There is also a fixed phone that is available to the volunteers (you will need a phone card) and internet is also provided so you can stay connected with family and friends. The final rule is that we expect all those who live at the centre to respect night time quiet hours.

Once a week everybody from the house (and those who come here to work but do not live here) participates in a meeting where we discuss how we feel about our week and plan for the week ahead. There is also a separate meeting when its needed just for the volunteers and here we discuss anything you would like to raise. There is a person here who is responsible for the welfare of the volunteers (Melissa) and she also has responsibility regarding the work that the volunteers do here.

The Centre de Beaumotte has been hosting medium and long term volunteers for the past 30 years, and each of them have left their mark. At any given time the centre hosts 8 international volunteers. As a volunteer you will have the opportunity to live a unique life experience, to develop your own projects, to learn French and discover the culture here, and to be a positive influence in the lives of those at the centre. You will work at times with local youths on projects in the surrounding areas. During your time here you will also have the opportunity to lead one or two of Solidarités Jeunesses' international work camps and to
participate in events such as training seminars and general assemblies.

Why do we host international volunteers?

- To provide an intercultural exchange and dimension to all of our projects.
- To enrich the learning process of the residents by mixing different people.
- To stimulate local development by working in collaboration with the community and local associations.
- To give young French people the opportunity to be confronted with new ideas and cultures, and to allow the same for the volunteers.

The centre is located in a small, rural village where there is not much social activity. This, however, does not mean the volunteers will be either lonely or bored! At any given time there are around 30 people in the centre, with many more passing through.

The Franche-Comté is a beautiful region well known for its wines, sausages and cheeses. The centre is situated on the edge of a river in the village of Beaumotte (pop. 380), in the countryside of the Haute-Saône. The nearest large towns are Vesoul (25km) and Besançon (30km), though the small town of Rioz rests just 12km away. Trips into town are organised every week based on the activity schedule. A large garden surrounds our building, and we have an activity room we call “le Bateau”. In “le Bateau” we arrange cultural activities with the young residents of the centre, and also organise events that the locals can come and participate in.

Beaumotte is situated 30 km North of Besançon and 25 km South of Vesoul. Between the villages Rioz and Montbozon.

Leaning on the resources of the associative regions, Solidarités Jeunesses has developed an action for and together with the young people by using international workcamps and places of intercultural exchange to break down the barriers between the generations and promote active solidarity.
Also Solidarités Jeunesses is a movement of Popular Education, which gathers different associations. These associations organize short and long term voluntary projects, inclusion activities, different training programs, actions promoting international solidarity and they also
run rural centres hosting people and contributing to local development.

- The minimum length to participate is 6 months. In some cases volunteers can come between 6 to 12 months and agree on the length before their arrival.
- The selection is based primarly on the motivation of the volunteer. So a specific motivation letter is required to apply.
- Other factors taken into account are nationality (no more than one volunteer per nationality), gender (we try to keep a balance). Having a driving licence is a plus.

Solidarités Jeunesses is an organisation that works for non-formal education. It runs a number of small community centres in rural environments and organises short and long-term international workcamps, social integration projects, training programmes and actions for international solidarity. Founded in 1974 by a small group of local people, le Réseau d'Entraide Volontaire has become regional delegation of Solidarités Jeunesses in 1979.

The house is located in the centre of the village of Beauvoisin (pop. 3500), 15 km from Nimes and 40 km from Montpellier. A bus runs between Beauvoisin and Nîmes 3 times per day. The sea is just 35 km away, and the surrounding areas are very rich and diverse, offering visitors the chance to see the plains of Camargue, the mountains of Cevennes, the Mediterranean Sea, vineyards, olive groves, natural reserves and local monuments.

They work on renovation sites around 30 hours per week. In 2014, the volunteers will do some renovation and construction work in the organization's house. A big project of this period will be the transformation of the house which will enable the association to host
groups with better facilities. Volunteers will be involved in parts of this renovation work.

in a community of the area they will renovate the ruins of a mill and its water canal.

In the village of Beauvoisin the association is eager to develop projects with the municipality. Depending on the different partnerships, volunteers might participate in small festivals with the locals, workshops for children or activities with the local elderlys home.
Also, they will have the opportunity to be campleaders or co-campleaders for short term workcamps the association organizes in summer. They will learn French, participate in cultural activities, and use their talents to enrich the project.

All long term volunteers live in the village house and do daily activities together (cooking, cleaning, budget, activities, etc.), with the help of the permanent staff and the elected officials of the
association who live in the vicinity.

Basic english would be great. We also need volunteers to be interested in the projects they're applying to
and that they understand that they are based on manual work and collective life and that they are in rural areas, far from cities.