Creativity and inclusion at the adventure playground of Péri – Liège
Looking for one volunteer
Trip type
City + Country
Liège, Belgium
Dates of the next project
From the 1st September 2023 to the 31th of August 2024
Deadline to apply
9th of July 2023 (11:59 p.m.)
Hosting organisation : Terrain d'aventure du Péri

Le Terrain d’Aventure du Péri (The Adventure Playground of Péri) is an organisation, created in 1977. Passionate people, parents and neighbours offered to children a new space of freedom as an alternative to the technical progress and modernity. It is a place dedicated to self-development and community life, a place where children can learn and experiment without pressure.
Every day, between 10 and 60 children gather there to share outdoor games, table games, sheds building, do-it-yourself workshops, cooking activities, artistic projects and gardening. All these activities must help them to develop their autonomy, responsibility, critical thinking and solidarity.
There are also a lot of external visits, residential camps organized outside of the Terrain: trips to the Northern sea, swimming pool, bicycle trips, camping. In summer period (JULY and AUGUST), the Terrain is especially busy and welcomes up to 60 kids every day.
The playground is recognized as a youth centre by the French community of Belgium. It follows a mission of education to an active and responsible citizenship.
Check them on Facebook !
The adventure playground is open to all young people, from 5 to 26 years old but the majority of children and youngsters are between 5 and 17 y.o.
There is no obligation to be active and there is no result to reach in the adventure playground. The most important thing is to share and to exchange with others.
In order to avoid any exclusion for socio-economical reasons, the access to the adventure playground is totally free of charge.
The team is made up of 8 workers, and often welcomes students.

CBB host in total 26 international volunteers around Wallonia. The ESC team of CBB tries their best to connect this network of volunteers together through different collective activities and seminars etc.
Support organization : CBB
In addition to this, the hosting organization is supported by the Association des Compagnons Bâtisseurs, aka CBB located in Marche-en-Famenne.
- 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
During the project, the volunteer will be all the time in contact with children and young people. They will launch, lead and follow several activities. These can be various and will depend on their ideas, wishes and skills. They will always suppose democratic participation of the children who have the right to choose and to make proposals.
Usual activities in the Adventure Playground are: artistic workshops (painting, sculptures, serigraphy); creative/participative workshops (cooking, sewing, handicraft, shed buildings, storytelling, wild plants preparations); games (outdoor games, sports games, table games); outdoor activities (nature discovering, gardening).

The volunteer will help in the daily maintenance of the Playground (small reparations, painting, grass cutting, cleaning, tidying, gardening…).
The volunteer will participate and help to organize special events. Their help will be needed in organizing projects with other partner organizations: carnivals, city fests, shed symposiums, residential camps. They will also accompany the children during the visits outside: trips to the sea; bicycle trips and many other things.
Together with workers of Adventure and kids, volunteer will also help in keeping the Vegetable Garden and the Green House made up of plastic bottles.
Accommodation in Liège
The Adventure Playground is located in Liège is the second biggest city of the French-speaking part of Belgium after Brussels. In Liège there are 200 000 inhabitants and almost 450 000 more in its surroundings. Liège is known to be one of the most attractive and lively Belgian cities. The city benefits from a very dynamic cultural life thanks to its various artists and associations. The volunteer can discover cultural activities, concerts, festivals and language exchanges.

Liège is an old industrial city that is changing a lot in its adaptation to the 21st century. Well renovated historical areas are mixed with old industrial buildings and very modern architectural projects. It is located on the border of the river “La Meuse”, close to the German and the Dutch borders.
The Adventure Playground in itself is a wonderful green area of 8 000 m² located on the top of the city, not far from the city centre. The playground is full of grass, trees and sheds built by several generations of children. The Terrain is a very informal space where the children can express their creativity freely… it is what we can call a merry chaos (Fr: “Joyeux bordel”).
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! Especially as this project involves kids.
- Specialities : FRIES, 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
During winter time the Playground is open 4 days per week: Wednesday: 12h – 18h;
Thursday: 15h30 – 21h (from 18h, only children 12+ are allowed);
Friday: 15h30 – 21h (from 18h, only children 12+ are allowed); on the 3rd Friday of each month we organize a “welcome parents night” until 22h;
Saturday : 10h – 17h. During school holidays it is open 5 days per week, from Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 5 pm.
The volunteer will have a very flexible schedule: our working times depend on the children’s free time from school: during the winter there are more “dead periods” while in the summer when the activities increase we have A LOT, A LOT to do !
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.
Accomodation
In Liège the volunteer will share a big house with other people, workers and students. You will have your private room.
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.
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.
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
- Willing to learn French
- Interested in working with children and teenagers
- Ready to propose, take initiative, discuss and give your opinion
- Flexible in terms of working hours, which do not correspond to a classic schedule
- 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 certificate of good conduct related to the work with minors before starting the activity
Beatrice, volunteer in 2018-2019, and Mehmet, volunteer in 2019-2020
“The Terrain d’Aventure du Péri is a place where children can be themselves, where they learn to share, to respect others, to follow their passions and to express their personality and creativity. The animator job is helping them learn to develop their personality and discover their passions and abilities, according to the world around them.”
Beatrice from Italy, ESC volunteer 2019-2020
How to apply ?
Deadline: 4th of June 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (brussels time).
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 (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 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 the deadline, the pre-selected volunteers will be contacted for a skype interview.