Volunteering is an exchange, a meeting, between one person who wishes to offer his/her time, energy, views to a general interest project. It is also an intercultural ground of learning (apprenticeship), experiments and personal construction.

Le REV – in the heart of the Cévennes

History

Founded in 1974 in Beauvoisin in the Gard, the REV for « Réseau d’Entraide Volontaire » became a regional delegation of Solidarités Jeunesses in 1979.

The REV used to have its main activity in Gard and temporary activities in Lozère.

Since 2020, the association is in full mutation and is in the process of settling in Lozère and have the main activity in this area.

The 2022 project is about setting the project.

We have a big building in Lozère, at Finiels, and in the next years it will be our base camp.

The new site will includes a main building where the activities will be held, one chalet to host long term volunteers and one to host permanent staff. The place is surrounded by fields and forest. It‘s a very isolated place, the next village is 7km far away, with some first necessity shops. To find us on google maps, look for « Eagle Nest », 44.407563 ; 3.749373

This means that you and the team you will be part of are the pioneer of this new settlement.

The main building is a former summer hosting center. It needs to be almost fully refurbished.

Your tasks will be on 3 axis :
1- To start the refurbishing of the building

2-To start to create link with local population and organizations by being involved in events, meetings and taking part to local project. Even by being proactive in the proposal of new project that will enhance the link with the local community.

3- Run the classic activities of the REV during summer : hosting groups, lead international workcamps (from some weeks to some months).

It’s a demanding but rewarding project. If you look for a challenge

Our project

REV’s project is really diverse, in one year of volunteering you will participate to various projects and actions. The main goals of the Project are to meet one another, to create a constructive dynamic, as well to break stereotypes, and stigmas by working together and living collectively.

Collective life

The project of SJ delegation is based in the collective, When you decide to participate to our local project, you decide to get involved with a team on every aspect of the daily life (eg:Cooking, eating, cleaning, socializing, living in peace and harmony)

During the first year, 4 volunteers, 1 intern, 1 paid-worker will all live together. As it is a new place, the living conditions will not be ideal but one of the tasks of the team will be to improve the accommodation to make it a pleasant place to live. As we are located in mountains, climate can be hard.

Working together

This work has an educational purpose and allows the participants to learn to work together, beyond their social, cultural and linguistic differences.

You will work about 35 hours per week, the work is varied and you will get the support of the staff. However, the working hours can vary according the season. On the summer during the workcamps the rythm will be more intense.

Environmental involvement

The new place is located in Parc National des Cévennes, a UNESCO site. The environment is an important part of our daily life. This aspect will be taken into account at all levels: for the restoration of the building the emphasis will be on ecomaterials, in terms of restoration we favor organic and local food. The sorting of waste, the rational use of vehicles but also of water is part of our practice. Another important aspect will be the awareness of the public welcomed on the site.

Voluntary service is an exchange, a meeting between an individual that grows through the participation of a collective project and through contact of local community and different people.

The volunteer offers time, energy, efforts and commitment towards local communities.

Through this experience the volunteer has the opportunity for experimentation and intercultural learnings.

In Solidarités Jeunesses, volunteering doesn’t mean humanitarian actions. Every volunteering project is a different experience.

Especially in Le REV, volunteering implies an important personal commitment. In all projects we implement cultural diversity, people are living together and working together regardless age, origin, nationality, gender, skills…

Missions

The volunteers participate in all the actions of the association in a
transversal way (some of the missions are leading by a referent):

-Renovation of the building ;
– Settlement of the outdoors ;
– Organization of the daily life ;
– Involvment in the local community: Promoting the organization taking
part to other local organization events, interacting with all sort of different
people ;
– Leading international workcamps for young volunteers during summer
(adults and teenagers) ;
– Promotion of volunteering and communication on the actions.

The volunteers live in a chalet, on site, equipped for collective living:

2 non mixed collective rooms,
1 bathroom with toilet and shower,
1 large dining room,
A kitchen

The chalet has not been inhabited for some time, the comfort is rudimentary. The refurbishing of this chalet can be part of your volunteer program

The office of the REV is also located on site.

REV is hosting long term volunteer, but not only. During the year, you will share your daily life with the public for one or more weeks. You will make this reception more dynamic by proposing activities: big games, themed evenings, citizen debates, etc.

Mobility sensitization and local life

As Le REV is being installed, you will be in charge to identify young local people and promote international mobility from peer to peer. You will be also involve in developing local animation (international meals, langage courses, etc.) The activities will be identified by the group of volunteers themselves.

Hosting events

As part of Solidarités Jeunesses movement, Le REV hosts working groups, training courses, exchange workshops.

You, the other volunteers and the staff participate in the organisation of these events. Every hosting is different, but you with the team will be really involved in the activities, the collective organization and leisure time. These moments allow us to meet other people, discover the movement and
exchange practices.

Hosting groups in «solidarity action»

It allows a group of young people, accompanied by educators, to experience life and activities on site.

For one or two weeks, the young people are welcomed and share in the daily life of the camp : work, meal preparation, cleaning, discovering the area.

The group is under the responsibility of its educators.

The groups are fully included regardless of personal background, culture, gender and sexual orientation.

During the summer, on its site or in villages of the region, Le REV organises international workcamps and European youth exchanges.

These are 2 projects where you will lead the community life, in pair with another volunteer or a professional of the animation

International Workcamps

For 2 to 3 weeks, a group of 12 volunteers of different nationalities meet to carry out a concrete project of general and local interest. As a co-animator, you will accompany the participants in their daily and collective life: managing a budget, proposing activities, promote group dynamics and cohesion, foster the link with the project and the inhabitants of the village.

Youth Exchanges

Between 20 and 25 young people from different countries, who came to meet and get to know each other better, around a 3-week project, with an educational aim.

They organise a series of activities around a theme of common interest in various fields: the environment, the media and information for young people, the solidarity, etc.

Your role: to accompany and guide them in the organisation and running of the activities!

Facilitator training

Throughout the year, you will be prepared and made aware of the summer workcamp season via several collective times: preparation meetings, work on the permanent workcamp, collective life meetings, afternoons of discovering animation tools.

– A 5-day training course will also be offered, designed and run by Solidarités Jeunesses. It will give you the tools and methods necessary to lead groups.

By coming to Le REV, you are not only joining a local association of general interest, but also a real national movement, present in several regions of France: Solidarités Jeunesses. Le REV is one of its 8 delegations and represents it in Occitanie Est. You can discover it via :

Gathering of volunteers

During 3 to 5 days, volunteers from the different delegations meet and share their experiences. These meetings take place at the beginning and at the end of your course.

The training offer

The Solidarités Jeunesses movement’s trainings allow you to deepen your understanding of different aspects that meet a multitude of needs. You can participate in one training course during your volunteering.

The feedback weekend

At the end of your journey, you will share and exchange during a whole weekend with your peers to take stock of what you have learned and how to make the most of it. A time to go further and question your commitment.

Inter-delegation exchange

During your stay, you can spend a week in another delegation of the movement. You will be able to share the daily life of other volunteers and discover a different way of working!

What if it was you?

You…

… have between 20 and 30
… want to learn differently
… want to discover yourself and meet others
… are ready to engage in a challenging project
… are ready to engage where to bring into
… like to make proposals and take initiatives
… want to lead project with different public
… you have your driving license
… are not afraid to live in the wilderness in an isolated place

… Then we hope we will meet you soon !!!