Summary
Who can participate?
- Voluntary civil service, called Service Civique since 2010, concerns all young people from 16 to 25 years old, no diploma requirement ;
- it is open to all nationals of a country of theEuropean Unionas well as to non-EU citizens on condition of justifying one year of regular residence in France ;
- for young people from 16 to 18 years oldthe conditions of engagement are adjusted depending on education : specific missions are proposed.
Main themes of the Voluntary Civil Service
The Voluntary Civil Service revolves around 9 major themes:
- culture and Hobbies
- international Development and humanitarian actions
- education for everyone ;
- environment ;
- intervention emergency in the event of a crisis;
- memory and citizenship ;
- health ;
- solidarity ;
- sports.
In each of these areas, the focus is onwelfarethe solidarity and theeducation.
Different institutions where to carry out your Voluntary Civil Service
- from associations humanitarian (Emmaus, Culture and Freedom, etc.);
- from foundations (France-Liberties Foundation, Salvation Army Foundation, etc.);
- from NGO non-profit ;
- some public bodies : local authorities (regions, departments, municipalities) and certain public establishments or state administrations (including colleges and high schools).
Other possibilities
Other voluntary work is recognized by the Voluntary Civil Service:
- the European Voluntary Service : The EVS was designed to encourage the international mobility of young people aged 18 to 30;
- volunteer firefighters : it concerns people aged 16 to 55, physically fit, and who wish to save lives. The volunteer firefighter commits for a period of 5 years;
- civil volunteering for social cohesion and solidarity : its action is centered on the social or professional integration of people encountering difficulties. This voluntary civil service concerns young people aged 18 to 28, and offers compensation that is generally a little higher than a classic civic service (713.07 euros on 1 January 2013 with possible accommodation and food);
- the Civil volunteering for technical assistance.