CBB's Hyphen for Inclusion – Marche-en-Famenne

Looking for one volunteer

Trip type

ESC Volunteering

City + Country

Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium

Dates

From 1st February 2027 to 31st January 2028

Deadline to apply

05/10/2026, 23:59 CET

Hosting and support organisation -
Compagnons Bâtisseurs Belgium

The association “Compagnons Bâtisseurs” is a youth organisation based in the French speaking part of Belgium. We offer volunteering projects in Belgium for young people from 15 years old. Individually or in groups, a few days or several months, the projects always encourage meeting with others, discovery, diversity and adventure.

The aim is to offer to young people spaces in which they can interact and express themselves in order to raise their awareness about social and human challenges, to create solidarity, to increase their participation and commitment to society.

Volunteering, non-formal education, a permanent international dimension, welcoming diversity and networking are several aspects crucial to the organisation’s functioning.

Our activities are varied but always will have volunteering and/or non formal education at its heart.

Any activity of Compagnons Bâtisseurs has to allow:
• The fulfilment of free, independent and responsible individuals (favour empowerment)
• The meetings beyond the differences (raise awareness about the richness of diversity)
• The experience of civic engagement and volunteering promotion (encourage commitments)
• The informal and non-formal learnings (acquire and develop competences)

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

Our public is unique by its diversity. Young people from all origins and with different abilities interact and meet each other within our projects.

Young students, workers, youth experiencing difficulties, young Belgians and young from abroad, young people with and without disabilities.
Specific support measures allow us to act and insure the participation of all.

We have different places of work and activities, most of them located in Marche-en-Famenne. We have an office in the town centre, a community garden of more 20 acres nearby, a house hosting ESC volunteers whose activity takes place in Marche en Famenne, and a place able to host groups for residential activities throughout the year. Additionally, to these places, we also have an office in Liège from where part of the team works. Depending on the project you’ll participate in, you will be more or less involved in the maintenance and activities of these places.

EVS (Erasmus+) and now European Solidarity Corps (ESC) experience

We have participated in the EVS Program both as Sending and Hosting Organization since 1997.
We believe that this program perfectly fits our organization goals and methods: non-formal education, active citizenship promotion, volunteering and multiculturalism are keywords in our daily activities.

We also particularly appreciate the learning opportunities that the volunteering program financed by the European Commission offer to all young people, regardless of their origin, background and economic means.
That’s why CBB supports the projects of about 30 international volunteers around Wallonia. The ESC team of CBB tries their best to connect this network of volunteers through different collective activities, seminars etc…

CBB is a member of the ALLIANCE of European Volunteer Service Organisations and the Coordinating Committee of the International Voluntary Service (CCIVS).

CBB develops different projects which mainly focus on group dynamics. As an ESC volunteer, you will get actively involved in our activities, from the preparation to the evaluation. Your role will also be to facilitate, together with CBB leaders and other CBB volunteers, the inclusion and participation of diverse audiences (local population, people with disabilities, people newly arrived in Belgium, ESC volunteers, etc.) in the activities of the organisation. The activities, varied, are described below.

Please note that this is an exhaustive list of possible activities you will be participating in varying proportions, depending on the team’s priorities and on your own interests.

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

Activities in CBB garden gather locals from many different backgrounds interested in learning about environment in general. The activity takes place in CBB community garden. It takes place between March and early November (except in July and August), with around 15 activities per year. In between activities, you will organise regular visits for maintenance, watering and harvesting.
Intercultural Activities (“DIM”). Around 15 activities are organised per year. The aim is to create a meeting space for people newly arrived in Belgium and the local community. You will help planning these activities according to your interests and passions. For example: bread making, walks in places of high natural interests, etc.
Board games and Cine clubs are evening activities organised for locals with various backgrounds (most of the public is with mental disability). Board games evenings are organised every month, while cine-club is organised every 2 months.

YOUR OTHER MISSIONS

Apart from supporting the inclusion of youth as well as the group dynamic in our activities, we also expect you to get involved in other aspects of the organisation’s activities.

Camp leaders training: with CBB staff members, you will be in charge of the good implementation of the training for the young people who volunteer to lead international projects. You will have the opportunity of taking initiatives, organizing workshops and bringing new ideas. Being involved in this training will enable you to be made aware of the topic of group management, techniques of animation, organization of activities
Supporting maintenance and management of our facilities for residential activities: CBB owns a facility aiming at hosting residential activities. It requires a regular follow-up of the available material and cooking products; cleanliness of the place and the laundry. You will occasionally support the dedicated CBB staff in these tasks.
Personal projects: we really hope that you will bring us innovation and creativity. Depending on your preferences, desires and capacities, you will be encouraged to develop a personal project as long as it complies with the values defended by our organisation. We are ready to support you in its implementation!

RESIDENTIAL ACTIVITIES

International workcamps are short term voluntary projects gathering young people from different countries. During 2 or 3 weeks, these young people work on a voluntary basis for a non-profit organisation or a local community. The tasks to realise during an international workcamp can be very varied: renovation, construction, environment protection, summer camps for children, work in asylum-seekers centres…

Youth exchanges are short term international projects where young people gather in order to, through non formal education and different workshops, exchange about a topic considered important by and for young people. It can be as varied as: gender (in)equality; social medias and its impact; migration and exile; environment; youth unemployement…
Weekend workcamps are similar to international workcamps but are dedicated to local volunteers and last from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. Examples are: renovation, gardening, construction projects, as well as inclusive projects with people with disabilities.
Environmental weeks are 6 days projects CBB organises for local young people. The content is partly made of environmental awareness through non formal education (visiting exhibition; upcycling workshops; wild cuisine workshops…), partly made of voluntary contribution (building a solar shower, a henhouse…)

Accomodation in Marche-en-Famenne

CBB offers the unique opportunity to encounter plenty of international exchanges while being located in a small, 17.000 inhabitants town in the French-speaking part of Belgium. From our office, in the center of Marche-en-Famenne, we organize projects all over the French Community of Belgium (Brussels and Wallonia) and maintain close partnerships with non-profit organizations from all over the world. 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 (except some activities that will happen outside the town), 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, the south dominated by the picturesque Ardennes and the 65km North Sea coastline monopolized by resorts, except for a few patches of windswept dunes. The 4 seasons are well divided, cold and white winter and warm and sunny summer… But be ready to grey sky at least haf part of the year.

But the belgian population are usually warm. A lot of cultural and free events in the street happen during the year, which brings your journey in this little country funny and ressourcefull.

This project will be taking part in the south of the country which is french speaking. Be therefore ready to learn and speak french .

Specialities : FRIES and BEERS and FESTIVALS
AREA: 30,518 sq km
POPULATION: 11.420.163 million
CAPITAL: Brussels (pop: 1.191.604)
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 be flexible and involve participation in evening events, as well as in school holidays and weekends. 5 days per week will be worked on average. Days off will compensate the extra shift hours if necessary to keep an average of 38 hours a week (French lesson included). The volunteer will generally have two consecutive free days per week except for special events and has the right to two days of holiday per month.

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 6 other volunteers. It is located in the centre of Marche-en-Famenne and has all the modern facilities.

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.

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.

Profile of the volunteer

Aged 18-30 years old
Open-minded, curious, enthusiastic, empathetic
Able to work in a team, with different target groups, and in a multicultural environment
Ready to propose, take initiative, discuss and give your opinion
Flexible in terms of working hours, which do not correspond to a classic schedule (evening and weekend work, with compensatory time off)
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
Able to give copy of certificate of good conduct related to the work with minors before starting the activity
Our project is open to anybody motivated by volunteering and who wishes to be involved in our organization and working in the field of inclusion, regardless of their nationality, religion, believes, diploma, professional experience.
We expect the volunteer to:
- Be highly motivated to learn French and follow french classes, as it will make your tasks and interactions with our diversified publics easier and more effective;

PLEASE NOTE : This project recently changed. Those testimonials represent only part of the project.

Almut, volunteer at CBB 2023-2024

Dear future volunteer,

Welcome to Belgium and at Compagnons Bâtisseurs!

My name is Almut, I’m 25 (sadly not for long anymore), and I come from Italy. I am currently in the middle of my volunteering project but it actually seems to me that I’m at its end. Time flies! At the beginning I thought that 10 months would have been too many, that I needed to start working and earning money, but now I couldn’t be happier with my choice. My agenda is so full of exciting projects, activities and events, that I am afraid of the day in which all of this will finish. Every day is a learning experience and this is the main reason why I am so glad to be here and to have applied to this project.

Yes, Marche-en-Famenne is a small town and it can appear boring, but I am never bored because there’s always something going on: festivals, karaoke night at La Maison des Jeunes, a show at La Maison de la Culture… And you can always ask your future flatmates to go for a walk in the forest, go to the swimming pool, cook or watch a movie together. I really love our house and my flatmates.

I am mostly busy on weekends because I go to various places in Belgium to have fun with people with disabilities. The goal is to give them the opportunity to have fun and to socialize during the weekends. For example, my first weekend here was at a medieval festival, but it can be any fun activity, like shows, amusement parks, visit to a science center, and more. In the past 6 months, I’ve never traveled so much. I have been to the Czech Republic, France, and Germany, just for work reasons!

I am also involved in many other projects. If I am interested in something, people at Compagnons Bâtisseurs are more than willing to get my help. For example, since I am passionate about climate issues, I will animate a youth exchange about sustainable consumption. Moreover, I’ve created some colorful sheets about food storage using Canva.

CBB people, as well as the Belgians, are incredibly welcoming and they make you feel as a part of their projects. Yeah, of course, it’s not always a bed of roses, sometimes I felt lonely, sometimes I felt I was just one of many other volunteers who would leave soon. However, they make you a part of the association, they let you participate in their boring meetings (but this means they are including you in the decision-making process), and most importantly, they are eager to listen to your opinion.

Long story short, I wish for this experience to never end.

Tamara, volunteeer at CBB 2018-2019

If you are reading this it means that you’ve heard about Compagnons Bâtisseurs Belgique already. In case I’m wrong, go google it now – something worth knowing !

When I was accepted to start my one year EVS (ESC) project in Marche-en-Famenne in October 2018, I’ve received my project description. One rough literature giving me facts like:

You’ll be living in a small town of the southern-French-speaking part of Belgium. You will stay with 6 housemates in two-storey house. You’ll be organizing leisure time activities and residential week-ends for and with disabled people. You’ll be animating work camps and youth exchanges for youngsters with less opportunities. You’ll be managing some of the paperwork and computer work in the office, etc..

No one said how much fun it will be to dance with two best friends with Down syndrome. With which passion the guy without motor skills in half of his body plays the ukulele. No one said either that you’ll have to clean your disgusting dirty fridge yourself. No one mentioned how hard it is to miss your best friends birthday or graduation party. Nor that you’ll be the one saying ‘butt’ instead of ‘neck’ in your non-mother tongue (NOT KNOWING YOU SAID IT). That you’ll make an omelette in a cooking ladle just because your housemate was wondering if it was possible. No one tells you how annoying it is to explain million times to a person with mental disability not to touch anything in the museum.

Or that maybe worms will hatch in your compost during hot summer. No one said that you’ll find new family and have a friend from every continent (except Antarctica?) at the end of the project. Or that you’ll develop sugar addiction because of the amazing taste of Belgium chocolate. You couldn’t know how honest and devoting the hug from a person with Down syndrome is. Or how significant mom’s soup can be when you’re sick. No one warn you how long you’ll need to adjust on having rainy day every time you planned to spend a day out – because that’s how Belgium works. No one prepared you for countless times of being the only person at the table not understanding the joke. But neither for the sense of pride you’ll feel when you become capable of understanding someone with speech defect on the language you didn’t speak few months earlier. I will add one advice for you regarding your future housemates. No, don’t let them cut your hair, hairdresser is expensive but worth it. And yes, you should definitely try super strong and awful alcohol whose name you can’t pronounce from their countries. That’s how a good story starts.

There are tons of things you won’t know until you try. Some of them will be delightful and some terrifying. Every experience is unique and depends on you. So go, apply on that project you cast an eye on and make it your perfect year.

Michele, volunteer from 2015 to 2016

Hello everybody,

I’m Michele, I’m 35 years old and I come from Italy but it is quite 5 years that I live in Belgium.

I work for CBB for quite 4 years starting to make coffee, but italian coffee is too strong so now I make pasta for all. Ok I’m kidding. At CBB (I don’t spend time to explain who are CBB. You can explore our super nice website) I’m animator and coordinator of the local projects that we organise in Belgium as International Workcamps, Volunteering Week-ends, Camp Leader training, etc… but my story starts… A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY…

Italy.

Stardate April 2015.

It was a long time that I was looking for a job. I thought that I was wasting my time, I was loosing my hopes and my energies when suddenly I discover the Erasmus + program and the EVS (now is called CES). And why not ? I really needed a change, an earthquake in my life. It was my last year to participate so I started to send application everywhere. The beginning wasn’t so encouraging because I didn’t received many answers and they weren’t good. I was thinking maybe that I’m too old and organisations were looking for people younger than me but… one day CBB and Belgium knocked at my door, not physically but…

The person choosed for their project declined at the last moment so they needed someone available to come in Belgium soon. They was interested in my profile, I was interested in their project and so my story with CBB began.

But before I had to say goodbye to my mom.

Actually I completely forgot to say to my mom that I was looking for a one-year project abroad and so the day when I was accepted the hardest thing was to say: “Hey mom how are you? Next month I will go to Belgium for one year”.

After one week of crying we went together to buy a big suitcase.

My year of volunteering was a really nice experience.

My project started in october of 2015 and it consisted in helping CBB with their activities with mental disable people. So for one year I had the opportunity to discover Belgium with them and with other volunteers during week-end trips. And now organising activities with disable people is still a part of my job.

During the week I look for activities to do together, planned visites, prepared the menus, did some administrative tasks… and the week-end I was on the road. From Friday evening, when we met with disable people and volunteers, until Sunday afternoon we stayed together, we prepared the meals together, we helped them to prepare their beds and arrange their stuff, we played games (always UNO), we had karaoke or disco night, we made activities together. For exemple I remember that one time we slept on a boat and one time on a old train, we went to the beach, medieval festivals, zoo, natural parks, brasseries to drink… coca cola. I have a lot of very nice memories.

We organised also a week trip in Portugal during the summer and I was in charge to make the planning. Quel voyage !!!

I was also included in many other activities because CBB make a lot of things!

During my year I lived in Marche en Famenne, a semi rural village in the french speaking part of Belgium, and I a shared a house before with a belgian lady that spoke only french and me, at the beginnig, only english so we had dinner with me, her and google translate. After some months I shared the volunteer’s house of CBB with 4 others european volunteers lived in Marche en Famenne. A really nice experience also because it was the first time that I lived with so much people.

After my year I was so lucky that CBB was looking for someone and they propose to me a job. So here I’m.

My life changed completly and it was by chance.

To conclude the only advice I want to give to you is to keep open mind, be curious and don’t hesitate to ask.

That’s all folks.

Michele Curto (35, Italy)

How to apply ?

Deadline: 05/10/2026 at 23:59 CET.

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

2. Answer the questionnaire below – scroll down a bit if you can’t see it (NB: you will be asked to attach a CV at the end of the form)

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

The creation of a profile on the ESC portal AND fulfilling the form (in English or French) is compulsory for us to take your application into consideration.

In the days following the application deadline, the pre-selected volunteers will be contacted for a Zoom meeting

PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM WITHOUT THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE !

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, we prefer personnal answers than perfect ones

Please answer the questionnaire in FRENCH or in ENGLISH only

ESC Hyphen for inclusion

Step 1 of 4 - Personal Data

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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.
Birthdate*
Month
Day
Year
Phone number*
Don't forget your country code (+33 for France, +34 for Spain...)
Official residency address*
Street Address City ZIP / Postal Code Country
Email adress*
Do you need a visa in order to participate to this project?*
If you're not from EU, it is most likely that you'll need to apply for a visa in order to participate to this project, even if you have a valid visa at this current time.
Are you available for the whole project duration?*
Preference will be given to the volunteers able to join the project for the whole period.
Within the ESC framework, you are only entitled to 12 months of financially supported VOLUNTEERING projects. Have you ever benefitted of financial support for other volunteering projects before?*
If yes, what was it and for how long?*
Sending organization (Name, OID number, contact person’s name and email address)*
What are your (long term) travel experiences?*

Long term

Short term

CBB's Hyphen for Inclusion – Marche-en-Famenne

Hosting and support organisation -
Compagnons Bâtisseurs Belgium

Accomodation in Marche-en-Famenne

The country - Belgium

Working Hours

Food

Pocket Money

Accommodation

Language course

Insurance

Profile of the volunteer

PLEASE NOTE : This project recently changed. Those testimonials represent only part of the project.

Almut, volunteer at CBB 2023-2024

Tamara, volunteeer at CBB 2018-2019

Michele, volunteer from 2015 to 2016

How to apply ?

ESC Hyphen for inclusion

Step 1 of 4 - Personal Data

Personnal data

Here you get more into the AMO Micados project

Long term

Short term

CBB's Hyphen for Inclusion – Marche-en-Famenne

Hosting and support organisation - Compagnons Bâtisseurs Belgium

Personnal data

Here you get more into the AMO Micados project

Hosting and support organisation -
Compagnons Bâtisseurs Belgium