Ville et Eurométropole de Strasbourg
1 place de l'Etoile 67000 Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
A practice of processes and methods
Around 50 volunteers are welcomed each year in different units of the administration of the City and Eurometropolis of Strasbourg. Whereas the majority of them are locals and engaged in a civil service, few of them are from European countries within ECS project coming to Strasbourg for a long term period of around 10 months.
The missions proposed to young people are non-administrative and cover a wide range of areas, including culture, environment, education, citizenship and health.
Welcoming young volunteers in the local authority aims at enabling young people to take action on social issues and offering them a framework for commitment that develops their self-confidence, their skills and their ability to think about their future, both as citizens and as professionals.
To foster young people’s emancipation and autonomy , mobility and the discovery of new horizons at local, European and international level, we wanted to propose the same opportunities to local and European volunteers.
The Youth, non-formal education and associative life unit of the City and Eurometropolis of Strasbourg coordinates the volunteering project. Concretely, it supports local and European young volunteers through their projects, offering them additional trainings, project workshops and thematic events such as conferences and collaborative forums.
It works closely with local youth workers and non-profit organisations to create a dynamic and inclusive ecosystem around volunteering. Jointly with a non-profit organisation, project coordinators of the unit have developed workshops to sensitize and fight against discrimination. It is dedicated for young people interested in volunteering and their tutors of the City and Eurometropolis of Strasbourg.
Local and international volunteers of the City and Eurometropolis of Strasbourg are all included in training sessions. One of them is hosted by the “Place for equality” where all volunteers are experiencing, discussing and sharing tools to fight discriminations and thus contributing to social inclusion.
There are monthly meetings between volunteers to explore local public policies, including time for discussions with elected representatives and local authority departments on current social issues.
They have all access to events organised or co-organised by the City and Eurometropolis of Strasbourg (conferences to fight violence against women, for solidarities, World Book Capital 2024, Europe Day, World Democracy Forum, European Youth Event, among others).
This practice allows young people to be guided through their volunteering journey and supported in their personal and professional development. It creates a common dynamic for all the young volunteers involved in the administration and develops their awareness on active citizenship. By providing support for young people and tutors, it facilitates good communication between volunteers, administration and non-profit organisations.
Moreover, it develops the partnership between the City and Eurometropolis of Strasbourg and local non-profit organisations and the capacity of the local authority to welcome in the future more European volunteers, especially young people with fewer opportunities. It paves the way to develop its ECS project and study further opportunities such as solidarity projects or team volunteering activities.
Finally, promoting volunteering at local and European level fosters intercultural learnings and international action within the City and Eurometropolis of Strasbourg. Volunteering projects coordinators are now involved in European cooperation benefiting from SALTO-Youth resources and Europe goes local’s events.
Organisation and practice