andage – marche-en-famenne

Looking for one volunteer

This project is still waiting for labellisation approval – it cannot start before it’s approved

Trip type

City + Country

Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium

Dates of the next project

01 Februray 2024 (flexible) – 31 January 2025
IMPORTANT: the activity is subject to acceptance of the new ESC label of the organization (ongoing process).

Deadline to apply

No fixed deadline: first come first served

Hosting organisation: Andage

The missions of the non-profit organization ANDAGE is to develop innovative projects and responses adapted to the needs of people with physical, mental or multiple disabilities, adults and children and their families.

In order to fulfill this mission, Andage has 5 services, each answering a different need: residential, daycare, accompaniement, supported houses and inclusion.

Andage’s actions are also built on a wide network with many local organisations, as well as families of their beneficiaries. Through the services and collaborations, Andage offers individual and collective support to their beneficiaries in order to increase their quality of life and well being.

Check their website !

All year long, Andage proposes different activities, collective or not, within their services (workshops about carpentry, handcraft, gardening, music, sport) or outside (visits, excursions…) among which different residential trips are organised.

Andage also organises the ‘Alter Boutique’, a swap place in the centre of Marche en Famenne, where anyone can come and swap items, have a cup of coffee or admire the constantly displayed local artists exhibitions. The place is link with the community, encourages inclusion and is held by beneficiaries as well as Andage staff.

Support organisation: CBB

Check us on Facebook, Instagram and take a look at our website!

CBB is a nonprofit, apolitical youth organisation recognized and financially supported by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. We propose different activities based on volunteering and nonformal education: local and international workcamps, short and long term volunteering services (including ESC), leisure time activities for and with disabled people, camp leaders trainings, etc. CBB is active within the different European programs of volunteering and non-formal education since 1997 and also hosts ESC volunteers each year.

CBB’s role as support organisation is to:

Promote the project and links between local and international associations
Support the selection and preparation of European volunteers before arrival
Manage administrative matters such as budget allowances, creation of bank account, enrollment at the municipality, insurance contracts
Write the activity agreement
Provide pedagogical support for the volunteer and the hosting organisation by ensuring the participation to the NA seminars, organising evaluation meetings with the volunteer and the hosting organization to reflect on learning outcomes
Handle practical arrangements, including accommodation, health insurance, French lessons, online language tools, etc.
Create networking activities with all ESC volunteers of the hosting organisations we support

Join the team of Andage in Marche-en-Famenne

– Take part in the team meetings

– Take part in the meetings with the beneficiaries

– Implement new projects

– Join the different workshops and residential activities

Meetings will be organised weekly to plan your tasks. You will also benefit from the support of a tutor.

Support the existing projects

The 'Alter Boutique'

A typical day at the Alter Boutique would take place between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (opening hours). The place is open from Tuesday to Saturday, and offers learning workshops for beneficiaries on Mondays. In some exceptional cases, the volunteer may participate in tasks outside of these hours, when organizing a special event.

The volunteer will be able to :

– Participate or propose an activity on Mondays as part of the learning workshops with the beneficiaries

– Help the beneficiaries with the reception and service of users

– Help the beneficiaries with sorting, cataloging and showcasing objects available for barter

– Participate in weekly department meetings

– Participate in the maintenance and cleaning of the place, as well as in the daily life of the department

– Help set up when new exhibitions arrive

– Participate/ propose civic activities to be organized within the alterboutique

The day Center of Aye (SAJA)

The center welcomes 25 beneficiaries with varying degrees of disability from the age of 21. Beneficiaries are welcomed from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Monday to Friday. The center is characterized by a particularly spacious building and a garden, the place of numerous activities. At the day center, the activities offered are essentially activities linked to crafts, leisure, well-being or individual support. The volunteer will participate and promote the participation of beneficiaries according to their individual needs and their motor and mental abilities in a whole series of activities : – Participation and support in Wednesday cooking workshops (helping with shopping on Monday, helping people during the workshop, helping to tidy and clean afterwards) – Participation and support in gardening workshops (growing flowers and vegetables, collecting seeds for sowing, etc.)

– Participation and support in carpentry workshops (cutting wood, creating small creations: insect hotel, flower box, garden table)

– Participation and support in sports workshops (gym, fitness, cross-fit, psychomotor skills, swimming pool) and artistic (candle making workshop, music, etc.)

– Accompaniment during walks in the forest or excursions with donkeys

– Participation and support in photo workshops

– Support for medium-term projects: project with a primary school to work on prejudices against people with disabilities, repair of games intended for disadvantaged young people, theater workshop which results in a play performed publicly…

– Proposal of workshop ideas based on the abilities and desires of the volunteer himself. They take place on a daily basis, and each half day the volunteer will be able to choose in which activity they wish to get involved and provide help according to their interest, their desire for learning or their abilities.

The volunteer will also participate generally in the daily life of the service and will help maintain and maintain the premises.

Support the development of new projects

Echapée belle

Innovative project called Echappée Belle where the objective is to offer an open resourcing space for the Andage community and the different associations of Marche-en-Famenne.

A space for exchanges, cultural and around biodiversity activities, games and library with an area focused on disability.

The volunteer will first come and give his ideas and thoughts on this project. Once this is set up, they will be able to participate in the organization of the game library area, and support the beneficiaries in their tasks.

Biodiversity project

A call for projects around biodiversity was submitted in collaboration with the municipality of Marche en Famenne to the region. This involves developing the already existing vegetable garden of Aye project at the alley of the monument, in Marche en Famenne.

The volunteer will participate, alongside Andage staff and beneficiaries, but also city workers, in planting the various plants and shrubs once the call for projects has been approved.

In addition, they will participate in gardening projects, in the layout of the premises as well as in the maintenance of the plantations.

The role imagined for the volunteer is to support the Andage team, but also to be a source of proposals for new workshops, new activities, etc.

Time will be provided for them to be able to reflect on a personal project to be carried out within Andage and in accordance with its principles, values and rules.

The volunteer will be encouraged to bring their point of view, their potential expertise, and to explore new avenues and new projects according to their interests and desires.

Accommodation in Marche-en-Famenne

Andage is located in a small, 17.000 inhabitants town in the French-speaking part of Belgium. This unique situation will allow the volunteer to share the semi-rural lifestyle of the area, but also to meet young people from different places of the country as well as to be in contact with people from the other side of the world.

The volunteer will live and mostly work in Marche-en-Famenne, which offfers all modern facilities (shops, supermarkets, sports centre, cinema).

For the urban-life-style-lovers, it is, however, IMPORTANT to know that our town is located in a semi-rural area. Even if it is not far away from the biggest Belgian cities (57 km from Liège, 106 km from Brussels, 47 km from Namur) and well connected by train, Marche-en-Famenne can sometimes look remote and very quiet.

The country - BELGIUM

Squeezed between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France, Belgium is one of Europe’s tiddlers. The north is flat, with a beach of 65km along the North Sea full of resorts, except for a few patches of windswept dunes. In the south you will not find mountains, but the hilly forests of the Belgian Ardenne. We have 4 seasons well contrasted, cold winter and sunny summer… But be ready to look up to a grey sky at least half of the year.

Despite the rainy clouds, Belgian people are usually warm. A lot of cultural and free events happen during the year, which makes your journey in this little country entertaining and resourceful.

This project will take part in the south of the country where we speak French. Be therefore ready to learn and speak French!

Specialities : FRIES, BEERS and FESTIVALS
AREA: 30,518 sq km
POPULATION: 11.492.641 million
CAPITAL: Brussels (pop: 1.212.352)
REGIONS: Flanders (North), Wallonia (South), Brussels – Capital
COMMUNITIES: Flemish-, French- and German-speaking community
LANGUAGE: Dutch (±59%), French (±37%) and German (±1%)
CURRENCY: Euro

Working Hours

Working hours will usually be from 09:00 until 16:00 but we ask our volunteers to have some flexibility about this. You will have an average of 35 hours a week.

Food

You will receive a budget and will prepare your own meals.

Pocket Money

Participation in the European Solidarity Corps is free of charge, except for exceptional contribution to travel costs. You will therefore receive free board and lodging during the whole activity. In addition, you will receive pocket money for personal expenses throughout the duration of the activity, including holidays.

Accommodation

You will live in a house that will be shared with other volunteers, with a separate room. It is located in the centre of Marche-en-Famenne and has all the modern facilities.

Insurance

You get covered, throughout the activity period, by the obligatory European Solidarity Corps insurance plan (Henner) that the European Commission sets up. This coverage is only complementary to the mandatory coverage of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which you must obtain prior to departure.

In certain cases, when national rules deprive participants from coverage under EHIC for the duration of the placement, Henner will provide full coverage. However, you must provide proof that obtaining the EHIC in your case was not possible. You should contact your National Agency for advice on your specific circumstances. You must read carefully the insurance-related information here.

Language course

EU Academy + French lesson. We provide an online language course as part of the budget from the Commission. You will need to complete a level test before the activity starts. We encourage you to join free French lessons given in the municipality or around if possible. We recommend that the participant starts practicing French prior to their arrival in Belgium and that they participate in as many activities as possible in order to get better at the language.

Aged 18-30 years old
Motivated to join our project
Sincere interest for our activities
Interested in learning french (for better interaction with the beneficiaries)
Willing to discover and to learn, open minded to try new things.
Before departure, being in contact with a support/sending organisation to receive information and preparation
> Look up for a support organisation in your region via this link
Project open to everyone, regardless of their nationality, religion, believes, diploma, or professional experience
Able to give copy of your criminal record before starting the activity

How to apply ?

No fixed deadline: first come first served!

1. Answer the questionnaire below – scroll down a bit to see it (NB: you will be asked to attach a CV at the end of the form)

2. In the frame of the new program of the European Commission, the European Solidarity Corps, you need to create a profile on the new data base: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en (“JOIN THE CORPS”).

3. (optional) if you’re feeling creative, please feel free to send us any additional material related to your application: esc@compagnonsbatisseurs.be

The creation of a profile on the ESC portal AND fulfilling the form are compulsory for us to take your application into consideration.

In the days following your application, the pre-selected volunteers will be contacted for a skype interview.

ESC at Andage / Application form and motivation letter

Step 1 of 3 - Personal Data

Personnal data
By filling the information below, you provide us with personal information. You are aware of the fact and agree that the pieces of information will be used in the frame of the call for candidates for the Erasmus+ volunteering project. Your personal data will be used by the persons in charge of the selection of volunteers in the sending and coordinating/hosting organizations. Each part mentioned takes the responsibility of erasing the documents containing your personal data once the selection procedure is over.
Name*
Surname Name
PRN*
If you already have it - it’s a super long number you receive when you get registered into the PASS
Email adress*
Birthdate*
Day
Month
Year
Phone number*
Current address*
Street Address City ZIP / Postal Code Country
Do you need a visa for this project ?*
Languages spoken*
Please specify which level you have whenever possible
Are you available for the whole period of the project?*
Preference will be given to the volunteers able to join the project for the whole period.
Have you ever taken part in a volunteering project under ERASMUS+ or European Solidarity Corps programme?*
- YES
- NO
If yes, what was it and for how long ?
Sending organization (Name, OID number, post address, phone number, contact person’s name and email address)*
What are your (long term) travel experiences?*

Long term

Short term