Volunteering

To each their volunteering!

The forms of international voluntary and solidarity commitment are very diverse, depending on the situation, the motivations, the availability and the sensitivities of each: it is possible to live a volunteering experience by going alone or by participating in a collective project. The destinations like the duration of the missions are of all kinds, from a few weeks to several years.

Here you will find the commitment that suits you according to your profile or the type of volunteering. You can consult our offers or submit an unsolicited application.

Are you about to leave? You will find everything you need to know to prepare yourself well, as a volunteer in the best conditions.

But above all: ask yourself the right questions!

To choose the volunteering that suits you and prepare for your departure, here are some useful questions to ask yourself.

What is my current situation?

Your age, your family, your financial, and professional situation, your physical and mental health, and your previous experiences, are all elements to consider in your decision to join: it is a question of adapting your project to your possibilities and your constraints.

What are my main motivations?

There is no right or wrong motivation; on the other hand, it is

It's important to balance between meeting your own needs and meeting the needs of others: it's not about being totally altruistic or totally selfish. Reflecting on your motivations will also allow you to better assess the expectations of your volunteering experience, and make them realistic so that you are not disappointed, frustrated or disillusioned.

What are my skills, knowledge and skills?

Although volunteering does not always require specific skills, it is important to define what you like to do and what you know how to do in your volunteer, student or professional activities: this can be used during your experience.

How long am I willing to commit?

It is important to think about the duration of this commitment: while it is not a question of starting a project without being able to finish it, it is sometimes complex to invest oneself in a way that allows intense links with people and projects. leave after a few weeks. You can also have a short first experience, with the aim of engaging longer afterwards: build your own engagement journey.

What are my emotional and material needs?

To leave is to leave one's material and emotional bearings: it is important to take this into account, for example, to know if you need a group living the same experience, to support you, or to assess whether your health can adapt. under certain climatic or sanitary conditions.

What type of activity best deepened me (and others around me)?

Engaging in international solidarity is a noble intention, but also responds to the principle of "do no harm", to others or to oneself. Volunteering abroad will be very rewarding if it is not done at the expense of others (e.g. replacing a local workforce), or at your own risk (e.g. too much responsibility depending on your experience).

What would be the best conditions for my experiment?

Leaving means going to live in conditions
climate, culture and logistics are very different from your daily life. It is important to assess to what extent you are ready to adapt to this difference, and therefore this setting will be the most suitable for your experience (urban/rural, accommodation alone or with others, collective or individual experience, immersion in the local community or with other expatriates, etc.).

Do you want to get involved?

To best prepare for your volunteering project, here are some questions to ask yourself.

In order to have a useful volunteering experience for the people you work with as well as for yourself, you must be able to find the form of commitment that matches your motivations, your profile and the objectives you set.

The search for a quality volunteer mission, responding to a logic of balanced partnership between the sending and hosting structures, involves questioning the approach and thinking about one's own project. Taking the time to develop a commitment project that corresponds to your aspirations and your profile (duration, skills, field of activity) is essential.

To help you, here is a series of questions to ask yourself (or yourself) before you go:

1- Your motivations: to question your project of international commitment, to make it mature: Why do you want to leave? Why abroad? What are your aspirations?

2- Project partners: What is the status of the structure proposing a mission abroad (company, association, etc.), its objectives and values? Do they match you? Was the mission built in consultation with the local structure? Does the mission replace local employment? Is it in competition with a local organization?

3- Support: is initial training planned? Accompaniment during the mission? And on the way back? Can you be put in contact with former volunteers - volunteers?

4- Impacts: What are the impacts (positive, negative) of the mission in terms of contribution to the general interest? What about local communities? Are these impacts measured?

5- Responsibilities: What is the added value you can bring? What skills and qualifications are needed to complete the assignment? Could you exercise them when you return to your country?

6- Support for the mission: Are the financial contributions requested reasonably in relation to the cost of living in the country? How are these contributions used and to whom are they donated?

7- Protection of vulnerable people: Is the protection of vulnerable people (children, people in precarious situations, sick people, etc.) taken into account? Are protective measures in place to prevent any form of abuse?

These questions are inspired by the questions asked by the Service Civil International (SCI).