Travel,
discover, exchange, but also learn to adapt as
you are immersed into the daily life of an organisation
and a country
The
"Eco-Volunteering around the Mediterranean"
programme is coordinated by the GEC (Grouping
of European Campuses) with the support and financial
assistance of the European Commission — as
part of an initiative called the European Voluntary
Service for Young People (EVS), originally set
up in 1996 — and the local administration
of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Region in France.
This
programme is open to young people from 18 to 25
years old, residing legally in some countries
of the European Union or the Mediterranean (see
conditions for participation). Its objective is
to provide participants with an enriching experience
by including them in a voluntary project abroad
for a period of 6 to 12 months. During this time,
they will assist organisations or local communities
whilst being immerged in another country and another
culture, reinforcing their Euro-Mediterranean
citizenship.
The
projects available as part of the Eco-Volunteering
around the Mediterranean Programme relate to the
environment, heritage preservation and local development.
The
European Voluntary Service (EVS) will enable you
to invest your skills and your qualities (goodwill,
creativity, enthusiasm, energy, adaptability,
etc.) in a social or cultural activity that benefits
the whole community, particularly those who welcome
you locally. In this way, you will take part in
the life of a foreign organisation, with its daily
operations but also the difficulties that it encounters.
The
EVS is also a programme for intercultural exchange
that will allow you to explore another country,
get to know its inhabitants, its language and
culture. You will be immersed in a local community
whilst contributing aspects of your own culture,
your viewpoint, as well as methods and knowledge
acquired in your home country. This requires a
lot of flexibility on your part, and a highly
developed capacity for adapting to others.
The
various projects of the Eco-Volunteering Programme
are not training placements, but they can contribute
to your integration into a professional activity
upon your return, thanks to a European certificate
that validates your participation.
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8
projects in 6 European and Mediterranean countries
For
several years, the GEC has been responsible for
putting together a variety of voluntary initiatives
in the areas of the environment, heritage, and
local development, for hundreds of young people
from Europe and Mediterranean countries (Campus,
REVEP and RIVE projects).
We
wanted to contribute again in the Community programme
called the ?European Voluntary Service for young
people?. So we called on our network of partner
organisations in 6 European and Mediterranean
countries to give you the opportunity to participate
in one of the 8 development projects in both rural
and urban settings, relating to initiatives as
diverse as the rehabilitation of a park in an
area dedicated to education and environmental
awareness in Tunis, the improvement of sustainable
management of natural resources in a traditional
Algerian oasis, or the compilation of a travel
guide about Byzantine monasteries in Greece.
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The
“extras” covered by the GEC (Grouping
of European Campuses)
You
will not be alone as you carry out your EVS: not
only will you benefit from the support and supervision
of your hosting organisation, but you can also
count on the coordinator of the Eco-Volunteering
Programme, Laura de Franchis, and on the international
division of the GEC, to help answer all your questions
and respond to any needs or difficulties that
you might encounter.
As
well as its role as a sending organisation for
young volunteers, the GEC is committed to selecting
reliable host organisations. Most of the initiatives
have partnered with the GEC for several years.
All parties — the GEC itself, the host
organisations and the young volunteers —
sign the "voluntary
service charter", which defines the
common principles for working together and describes
the general approach that we all share.
The
GEC is also committed to preparing you before
your departure with training sessions held in
each country of residence. We provide technical
backup, regular follow-up throughout the EVS,
networking with other young volunteers participating
in the Eco-Volunteering Programme. We also care
for the administrative and financial aspects of
the programme ? several administrative procedures
are carried out for you, and all your expenses
that are directly linked to the EVS are covered.
We are also setting up a system by which ex-volunteers
from previous programmes can sponsor new volunteers.
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What
is Eco-Volunteering?
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