France: ESC: DYNAMIZE THE STUDENTS' CENTER

About the local hosting organization

CONCORDIA is a non-profit organisation for Youth and Popular Education founded in 1950 with the aim to promote international exchanges of young volunteers. Concordia's objectives are : - To contribute to the animation of social life by the participation of French and foreign volunteers in the realization of civil works of general interest. - To promote the circulation of people and ideas through international exchanges in order to develop knowledge, mutual understanding and peace. - To promote an education project, encouraging an active citizenship of people for a democratic, united and participatory society. Concordia has a national headquarters and 11 delegations spread throughout France. Our regional office was created in 1984 and is since 2010 located in Amiens, in the North of France. We are carrying out various projects responding to the needs of our local territory and can rely on the experience of the national headquarters. Our team is composed of 4 workers, having specific missions within the organization and numerous volunteers. The regional delegation depends directly on the national management of the association with autonomy in the setting up of projects and collaborating with the teams of the national headquarters on different aspects, which can be linked to the functioning (accounting, payroll, communication) or to the activities. In region, our main activities are the elaboration and realization of volunteering and mobility projects, both long and short term (international workcamps, former EVS, Civic Service, youth exchanges…). Concordia Picardie has been active in Youth In Action Program since 1998 and is now in Erasmus +. Activities carried out by our team are various : - about 15 international workcamps every summer in partnership with cities and villages, - hosting volunteers thanks to the Civic Service and providing our experience to our local partners, - hosting and sending EVS and now ESC volunteers - implementation of Erasmus + projects (youth exchanges and mobility of youth workers) - volunteering teams through ECS Activities : Historically, the main activity of Concordia is the organization of international volunteer workcamps. Each year we propose a program of about a hundred international workcamps in France and more than a thousand possibilities of departure abroad for projects set up by our partners. The association has developed other mobility activities and medium or long term volunteering in France or abroad. Thus, we propose volunteering activities apart from institutional programs (projects of 2 months to one year set up by our partners abroad without any specific financing), but we are also involved, since the creation of the system, in the implementation of the French Civic Service (mainly in France with local partners and in intermediation). Moreover, Concordia is strongly involved in European projects. As part of the European Youth in Action Program, now Erasmus +, the association organizes and coordinates youth exchanges, training for youth actors, hosting and sending volunteers and participates in various national and international seminars. Since 2018, the association has been involved in the European Solidarity Corps and continues to accompany young people on short and long term volunteering projects and team volunteering projects. Our action favors the diversity of the public, notably by the implementation of social inclusion programs (Young Followers on international workcamps, Youth with less opportunities on European programs, specific projects in the framework of the Civic Service). Most of our actions are addressed to young people from 15 to 30 years old, but we also welcome adults regardless of their age in our international workcamps for we believe in the added value of intergenerational exchanges. Networking : Concordia is a member of the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service at the UNESCO, a founding member of the European Alliance of Voluntary Service Associations, a member of the C.N.A.J.E.P. (National Committee of Youth and Popular Education Associations) and of the Cotravaux network (network of voluntary work actors).

Presentation of the programme

Lycée Leo Lagrange welcomes 1,000 students preparing for a general, vocational, or technological bachelor's degree. Our main goal is to teach them tolerance, respect and to offer them a wide range of projects to open their mind to culture and to the world. The volunteer will help students discover their culture, offer group activities with the help of the librarian or teachers, accompany students on school outings, and discover the Hauts-de-France region. The role will be to make the Maison des Lycéens more dynamic and more attractive by proposing activities, contributing and encouraging young people to think about the organisation of events such (table tennis competitions, Halloween, or St Patrick's Day,..), by encouraging solidarity actions such as collecting toys for the "secours populaire" charity.

About the accomodation

You will be accommodated in BULLY LES MINES, in a furnished studio in a residential care home for senior citizens. You will be asked to volunteer for 3 hours per month with the elderly, depending on your skills. The aim is to encourage intergenerational cooperation. Lunch can be taken at the school canteen from Monday to Friday, and will be financed by the high school. The volunteers will receive a food allowance (9 euros per day) and pocket money (8 euros per day) at the beginning of every month, by bank transfer. An electric bike and laptop computer will be provided during the mission.

About the leisure activities

You will benefit from French language lessons (in addition to the EU academy platform) and personal time to develop your project. You will be given SST (first aid) training and other opportunities. As part of the ESC program, the French National Agency will organise 2 seminars for you. The 1rst one is called arrival training and the second one is mid-term training.

Requirements

The Participant profile: We are looking for a person who is motivated by the themes of the mission, ready to work in a team, take the initiative and develop personal projects during these missions. The volunteer must be able to interact with a group of young people, and a former experience working with teenagers would be an advantage. The students made a quick video to present the high school : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ym87dh6XpMDeadline: