WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT CONCORDIA’S WORKCAMPS

Concordia’s international workcamps are always organised in co-operation with either local authorities or local organisations; the projects are designed to respond to needs of the community and are always for the common good.

VOLUNTEERS

Groups have between 15 and 20 participants, the average is 17. Concordia wants to have 1/3 of French volunteers and a maximum of 2 teenagers per group.

LOCAL VOLUNTEERS 

Meetings with the local population are an important part of the projects. Also we try in each workcamp to mobilise young people from the village for an active participation to the workcamp. Sometimes they are coming only for leisure time, sometimes they participate also to the work, and sometimes they to be totally part of the project. In general it’s their first « international experience ».

LANGUAGE

The official language of a Concordia workcamp is English . If volunteers know some French, it will facilitate communication: French people don’t have a gift for languages!

LEADERS

Two leaders are present in each workcamp: one for the group life, and another for technical work (this one could be provided by the local community and so he is not oblige to stay after the work itself). Sometimes only one is present (small groups). Concordia’ leaders participate in a training week organised by Concordia and they manage the budget for food, leisure, excursions, etc. with the group.The leader gives the impetus to the group, guiding the volunteers towards taking responsibility for the collective life. The leaders guarantee the values of Concordia and the application of the charter.

WORKING 

With Concordia, work time is about 6 hours a day, but in fact it is more important to attain the work’s objective, defined between the local partner and Concordia.

Leisure time is not planned before: it will be organised by the group with the local population and it will be based on the discovery of the region. Most of the time, camps are in small isolated villages and there is not necessarily a car available on the camp: volunteers should be ready to accept that. 

ACCOMODATION 

General accommodation is basic: a common room for sleeping and eating. Volunteers cook for themselves, sometimes they are sleeping on the floor, sometimes in tents (see the description of each workcamp).

Volunteers should bring a sleeping bag, clothes for rain, winter (especially for the workcamps in the Alps and Auvergne where you can have snow even in august) and summertime, and working clothes, shoes, gloves, etc.

  

CONCORDIA WOULD LIKE THAT THE VOLUNTEERS ON A WORKCAMP:

Respect the values of Concordia described above.

Actively participate in the work to bring it to a successful conclusion. The group organises the work with the aim of reaching an agreed goal.

Participate in the collective life so as to encourage cultural exchanges, the group dynamic, the circulation of ideas.

Participate in the cooking and the housework.

Respect the costs of the workcamp to the Concordia budget.

Participate in the organisation of the leisure time while understanding that it doesn’t always have to be something paid for.

Discover and learn new languages.

Share their knowledge and know-how with others.

Meet the local population and get to know the village, the area of project.