VOLUNTEERING IN A CULTURAL CENTER IN LIEGE

Looking for one volunteer

City + Country

Liège, Belgium

Dates of the next project

From 1st September 2021 to 30th June 2022

Deadline to apply

Due to Covid-19 crisis, dates are subject to modifications.

Hosting organization: Espace Georges Truffaut

The non-profit organization Comité Culturel Droixhe-Bressoux – Espace Georges Truffaut (EGT) was founded in early 2004, to create a hub for local cultural activities. It aims at promoting cultural and intercultural development in the disadvantaged district of Droixhe- Bressoux, Liège. Its primary mission is to encourage, facilitate and coordinate local cultural initiatives, following the idea of making culture available to everyone and fostering community development and urban regeneration.

The EGT is a welcoming place for creative and cultural exchanges. It is a meeting point for citizens of different ages and cultures: it is also a collaborative space for local associations (members of the “Autour de l’Etang” collective ), municipal services and other cultural centers of the city, showcasing their activities.

In this perspective, our projects are created and implemented in partnership with other associations and organizations of the entire Liège area. Thinking and creating together enables us to join our strengths, encourage meetings between different groups and helps us be more attentive to the needs and wishes of the population.

We aim at:

  • Highlighting and encouraging the development of the creative potential of the local inhabitants having a different cultural background by creating a social link in our aggregation place.

  • Raising public awareness about societal issues through culture and therefore supporting the development of active citizenship.

  • Encouraging cultural inclusion and social interactions to raise awareness about societal issues

To be consistent with this approach, we also strive to:

  • Support and contribute to existing projects and activities taking place in the Droixhe- Bressoux district (for example, the local Halloween event, the Women’s Rights International day, the neighborhood party and the Repair Cafés)

  • Reach out to children by carrying out cultural actions toward the local schools

Our target groups are mainly represented by the residents of the Droixhe-Bressoux district, but our activities are open to people coming from all over the Liège area. Depending on the projects and collaborations, these target groups can vary ranging from young children to senior citizens, with several activities being intergenerational. To better understand the wishes and the needs of the local community, we constantly talk to local associations promoting a tight partnership with them, while at the same time making an effort to get to know the inhabitants of the neighborhood in order to adapt our cultural offers to their demands.

Our staff consists of 5 people (management, project coordination, animation, technical and practical support), and regularly welcomes temporary members under an “article 60” contract (short-term contract for social welfare beneficiaries) to support the work of the team, mainly for technical follow-up, maintenance and stage management.

Among our activities, the project “Fil solidaire” based on responsible and ethical consumption on the topic of clothing. “Bocalocal”, on the other hand, involves the use of all the 5 senses and invites children aged 9 to 12 to (re)discover their neighborhood. Moreover, the collaboration with the cultural center “Les Chiroux” allows us to organize theater plays for children and other activities aimed at strengthening the bond between parents and children. Other activities organized by EGT are “Les Zaprem” (board games afternoons), the “Fêtes connaissance” in partnership with the Red Cross (highlighting the importance of the elderly and fostering their social inclusion), the celebration of the “Fête de la musique” and the event “Les mots grands ouverts” (whose goal is to promote literature which is inclusive and representative of our culturally diverse society).

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/EspaceGeorgesTruffautDroixhe/

Web page: https://espacegeorgestruffaut.be/

Support organization: CBB
CBB is a non-profit, non-political youth organization recognized and financially supported by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The organization proposes different kinds of activities, based on volunteering and non-formal education: local and international workcamps, medium and long term voluntary services (including ESC), and leisure time activities for and with disabled people, camp leaders trainings…
 
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 organization is to:
  • Promote the project and link between local and the international networks;
  • Support in the selection and preparation of European volunteers before arrival;
  • Manage of administrative matters: budget allowances; support in the creation of the bank account and enrollment at the municipality; enrollment in insurance (if not done by sending organization);
  • Prepare the activity agreement;
  • Provide pedagogical support for the volunteer and the hosting organization: ensures the participation to the NA seminars; organization of auto-evaluation meetings for the volunteer and the hosting organization to reflect on learning outcomes;
  • Handle practical arrangements: accommodation; information about health insurance system in Belgium; indications about French lesson possibilities; online language tool;…
  • Create networking between all ESC volunteers of the hosting organizations we support.

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