Ambassadors of european values 2015/2016 - Season 1

One of our main missions is to promote Europe and its values: education for peace, citizenship and a sense of Europe.

The context in France and throughout Europe (rise of the extreme parties, electoral abstention…) requires us to promote the foundations of the European Union and the mobilization of young people. The idea is also to give everyone a better knowledge and understanding of Europe and its institutions, particularly among those who are furthest from the mainstream. The young people engaged in the European Solidarity Corps and in the civil service who will be taking part in this project will be setting up awareness-raising and educational actions to promote interculturality and peer learning.

European volunteers will be welcomed in pairs with young french people on civil service, enabling them to express a multiple, diverse, civic-minded Europe committed to the values of sharing and peace. Each pair of volunteers will act as ambassadors for the values, traditions and culture of Europe that will enable us to meet our objectives.

The volunteers will have the opportunity to get involved in a collective action while developing educational, technical and pedagogical skills. This project will give them the opportunity to co-construct unique responses to local problems, while benefiting from this contribution for their individual careers and developing as European citizens.

The project we are proposing to our volunteers will enable them to develop their communication skills and intercultural exchanges. This project will enable them to gain in open-mindedness, curiosity, knowledge of Europe and European citizenship. Being active in this project will enable volunteers to make rich and varied encounters. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to develop a social network, as well as being informed of various practical cultural “good plans”.

They will also gain an insight into the world of associations, teamwork and the organization of events of varying sizes, while learning to manage time and deadlines. They will also be able to develop their technical skills in communication tools such as radio, social networks and animation tools.

The main activities will take the form of organizing games, debates, cultural, sporting or other activities, depending on volunteers’ wishes. During the first two months, the volunteers will receive theoretical, practical and technical training to help them develop the tools they will then use in their interventions. These months will take the form of morning and afternoon trainings and workshops, to create and leave space for young people to develop intervention tools adapted to their personalities.