Hosting organisation: Essentiel
Essentiel asbl is a non-profit organisation that aims to accompany people with disabilities in all aspects of their daily life and self-development.
The philosophy of the place follows two main principles:
- Inclusion: Essentiel’s objective is to create and maintain a social bound between handicapped people from all generations in the spirit of solidarity. The activities are co-organized by people with disability, and opened to anyone.
- Permanent research: Essentiel’s mission goes beyond the life in the centre. It is also a place for experiments, global thinking and permanent research about the inclusion of people with disability within the society.
Essentiel is:
- A living place for 30 inhabitants with disabilities
- A place hosting workshops for the residents, but also open to people from nearby centres
- A service «halte-répit» that aims to take care of children for families that temporarily need a break
- An inclusive kindergarden, managed by another non-profit organisation, which hosts 20 children with or without disability
Essentiel provides a variety of activities:
- Sensory activities: hippotherapy, yoga, sound bath, snoezelen, cyclo-dance, cooking, animal care, storytelling, working in the vegetable garden
- Sports activities: table tennis, hockey, swimming pool, games with balls, athletics, walks, hippotherapy
- Artistic activities: art (painting, drawing, sculpture), crafts (at the service of the store open once a month), theater and expression, music
- Cognitive activities: class, emotion workshop, speech therapy, board games
- Other activities: training of guides at the Folon museum, opening of our little shop once a month with a cafetaria part where our residents serve gourmet coffee
- Activities for the community: taking care of the animals living on site, gardening, cooking, grocery shopping, maintenance of the buildings
Support organisation: CBB
- 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
Volunteers get involved in the daily life of Essentiel. The aim of Essentiel’s activities is to help handicapped people to have a more interesting daily life and to integrate them more into the society life. The place is buzzing with various activities and involve a larger audience than only the people living on site.
The volunteer’s tasks
- Participation in the activities of your choice
Twice a day the residents can choose among 7 to 10 activities (hippotherapy, gardening, snoezelen, sewing) proposed by the staff. The volunteers will accompany the staff in one of these activities.
- Individual support
Take some time alone with a beneficiary in order to help them do something they want to: have a walk in the village, go on the Internet, assist them with their personel projects
- Contribution to collective life
We expect volunteers to be positive, to act as “engines”‘ within the project. We ask them to take part in the daily life of the centre by:
– Preparing meals and snacks, being at the table with the residents to share a convivial moment and possibly offer help
– Assisting and motivating residents to take part in the life of Essentiel
– Offering and demonstrating positivity and optimism in order to contribute to a positive atmosphere conducive to creativity and dynamism
– Helping the smooth running of Essentiel’s project by giving a hand when it is needed
– Offering mini-activities during the day when there is a down time
- Contribution to projects
We also expect volunteers to come with their own ideas for projects to be implemented together with the residents, or to contribute to the resident’s ideas.
Volunteer’s profile
- Aged 18-30 years old
- Open-minded, curious, enthusiastic, empathetic
- Able to work in a team, with different target groups
- Willing to learn French
- Interested in working with peopple with disability
- 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
Read more about the location, practical details and the application process HERE.
Lisainfot Euroopa Solidaarsuskorpuse programmi kohta leiad siit.
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