ESC: Volunteering to help people with mental disabilities

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. The delegations carry out various projects responding to the needs of their local territories and can rely on the experience of the national headquarters, and especially the team of the international sector, to coordinate them. Currently, the association has a permanent team of 35 employees. This team is enlarged from time to time for the implementation of specific activities (seasonal animators on international projects, facilitators or trainers on Erasmus+ projects). In terms of structure, the regional delegations are secondary establishments of the national headquarters of the association. Each entity (head office and delegations) has its own budget, which are however consolidated in the annual accounts of the association. See attached the organization chart. 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 +. Since 2018, the association is involved in the European Solidarity Corps and continues to accompany young people on short and long term volunteering projects and team volunteering projects. 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). The regional delegation “Concordia Aquitaine” is one of the oldest and was implanted in the village of Saint Caprais de Bordeaux, 30km south of Bordeaux in 1996. This regional headquarters placement was chosen to answer to the needs of young people in rural areas and to be more inclusive as an organisation by going towards the young people, who are the most isolated and remote of mobility. Our latest project aiming to bring mobility to youth is the “Caravane of Mobility”. The caravan makes it possible to physically go and participate in local events especially in rural areas throughout the Aquitaine Region in order to meet young people of diverse backgrounds and make them discover the many possibilities of european and international mobility and civic engagement existing. Furthermore being implanted in a rural area since 25 years made it possible to create a large and diverse network of local partners, organisations and association and to tie strong bonds with the local community and inhabitants who frequent our delegation and its events, as well as our active participation in the politics regarding youth and mobility in the Community of Communes” Portes d’Entre deux mers”. Concordia Aquitaine is the only Concordia delegation where the volunteer house is owned by the association. This volunteer house is right next to the office building which allows a regular and very close exchange and relationship between the volunteers, interns and worker. The house also has a huge garden area, which has a funding for being a “Social life space”, we welcome there a diverse public around activities, events and other educational and social activities that are organised by Concordia Aquitaine in cooperation and partnership with diverse local and regional organisations. This intercultural environment and its diverse offers made Concordia Aquitaine an important referential structure for young people from the whole Aquitaine region as well as for the different structures that work with and for youth for all questions of European Youth Mobility.