Welcome,

European
Volunteer

Puget-Théniers (France)
www.foyer-rural-cepage.com
 ABOUT US
The name of our organisation, Foyer Rural
CEPAGE, stands for Culture, Economy,
Heritage, Facilitation and Study Groups. It
was founded in 1987 to foster local
development in the rural area. Today, it
offers a variety of services for the
population.

CEPAGE has acquired the label of a "youth

and popular education" organization from
the French state. We promote and use non-
formal education methods in the various
activities we offer.

Our organisation’s team consists of 5

employees and several volunteers.

CERV (Rural Citizens Labs 4 EU)

European
Erasmus + (Adult Education)
Division
Erasmus + KA1 (Youth Exchanges)

FIELDS Access to Rights

Public France Services
OF Family
ACTION Services Social Center Live Together
Youth

Sud Labs (Computer Skills)

Training Women Entrepreneurship

Support for Young People Towards Employment
VOLUNTEERING
DURATION 1 year (beginning on the 1st of February 2023)

WORKLOAD +30 hours/week (depending on the activities)

TRAVEL A travel grant based on your location (up to

275€ or 360€)
REIMBURSEMENT
A single room in a fully equipped shared
ACCOMMODATION apartment 2 minutes away from the office

FOOD ALLOWANCE 220€ per month

POCKET MONEY 180€ per month

YOU WILL HAVE TO DO YOUR VOLUNTEERING

ACTIVITIES FROM THE FOLLOWING LIST:

Participating in developing, organising

and facilitating Erasmus+ and CERV
European Cooperation
projects (Rural Citizens Labs 4 EU &
Skill Up for Professional Integration).

Animation of the social life of the town

Inclusive Intercultural by providing English, French & other
Activities languages for local people, as well as
interesting conferences, workshops,etc.
 Making public and social services more
accessible to the population (MSF and
Social Centre SudLab). Improving the participation of
local citizens and supporting families
via creating and maintaining a social
centre and food bank with Red Cross.

Creating the posters and design for

Social Media different activities, video creation and
assisting with communication strategy.
Providing training in different fields
(youth work, basic knowledge for
Trainings integrating the labour market,
entrepreneurship ) and assisting the
conferences.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

9.30-12.30
Office time 9.30-12.30
9.30 - 12.30 9.30-12.30 9.30-12.30
(11.00 - English social action
Office time Office time Academic for Office time
with food bank
Campus Connecte)

12.30-13.30 12.30-13.30 12.30-13.30 12.30-13.30 12.30-13.30

Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch

13.30-17.00
Office time 13.30-17.00
14.00 French atelier Office time
13.30-17.00
for refugees 14.00 French atelier 13.30-17.00 13.30-17.00
Office time
for refugees Office time FREE TIME
15:00 french lesson
15.00 french lesson
17.00 English atelier

Office time can be flexible, you can add your atelier or change the time with the atelier participants. Also, keep
in mind that some of the current activities could change during the year and some others could be
implemented outside set working-time hours.
This schedule is an example, activities can be changed according to your interest and the organization
needs
TESTIMONIALS
CARLES
CORRAL
SPAIN
2022/23

This volunteering allows you to work in activities that you normally would not engage with.
For instance, organising and conducting language workshops is something that I would not
have done by myself, due to my professional path. However, after this year, I have gained
new skills such as teaching methodologies or event organisation; and I have improved others,
namely, communication skills, speaking in public and self-confidence in what I’m doing. Not
to mention the acquirements I have got in languages itself, improving my English and French
and even discovering things about my native languages.

Also, with my assistance in the conceptualization and implementation of European projects I

had the chance to develop my experience in the field of Project Management (which is
something entirely linked to my professional career) and, at the same time, I have learned
about the cooperation between European organisations and I have seen the variety of
programmes the European Union offers to carry on social projects.

Concerning my life in Puget-Théniers, I remember when I was applying for this volunteering
that, even with my motivation to have an experience in another country and environment, I
kept wondering how a city-dweller like me would fit in a small town like this one. Well,
indeed, you will not have many opportunities to go to parties or to hang out with young
people, and even sometimes it can get a bit lonely, but you will have the occasion to meet an
exciting community that will make you grow as a person. People from different backgrounds
with contrasting perspectives on life can provide you with a better understanding of this
social diversity, make you learn from them and, overall, give you an idea of how to live
together despite our differences.

Last but not least, the CEPAGE team itself have been one of the best things from this
experience. A nice small team of great people who creates a perfectly healthy and relaxed
work environment where you can flourish and develop your activities gaining experience and
confidence in yourself.

Good luck with your next adventure!

4
 DARINA
BAIZHANOVA
KAZAKHSTAN/ITALY
2022/23

You cannot imagine how fast one year of volunteering at Cepage passes….

Due to the variety of different activities and events, time flies. I enjoyed participating in and
organizing social events such as conferences, language courses, international cafes and
food banks. It was a great opportunity to meet local people and to know more about their
culture and language. Moreover, I had the possibility to be useful to society. For example, I
could help the Ukrainian and Albanese refugees by being a translator and giving basic
courses in the French language which has been quite challenging for me as I am in the
process of learning it.

Besides social activities, I was involved in European projects where I could develop my
professional skills. For instance, I mastered my skills in video editing, social media
management, design and event management in these projects. Furthermore, I always
enjoy interacting with people from different countries and backgrounds and thanks to
European projects it's always possible.

It is exciting to be a volunteer at Cepage as the organisation works in different areas. You

can always have some things to do, you can have the liberty to take an initiative to create
an activity (for example, I would do the conference about my country in January) and if you
have some free time, you can dedicate your time to learning French. The team is not big but
very charming, kind and helpful. We had a lot of fun in the office :)

As Puget-Theniers is not so big, there are not many young people that we have interacted
with, but we enjoyed being with people of different ages and backgrounds with whom we
became friends. That was very precious. The other young person I interacted with was the
other European volunteer :) haha. However, Puget-Theniers is a very beautiful place. Every
morning you can face mountains covered with a cloudy blanket and that’s amazing. The
disadvantage of the town in the mountains is that it is quite remote and the public transport
is not as frequent as we wish.

Overall, I am very glad to have participated in the European Solidarity Corps Program and
to have been a part of the Cepage team!

5
 PUGET THÉNIERS

Puget-Théniers is a small town with nearly 2000

inhabitants located 60 kilometers away from Nice.

Rich with a turbulent history, birthplace of the socialist

revolutionary Auguste Blanqui, it symbolizes a southern
city that knows how to cope with its age: population
proud of itsmheritage and confident in its future, public
facilities, a unique preserved environment between the
sea and mountains. The city has a House of Public
Services which includes the Town Hall, the Community
of Communes Alpes d'Azur and one of our organisation.

Puget-Théniers stands out as a meeting point for many

sports and cultural activities. Here you can find a
municipal swimming pool, tennis courts, a sport field, a
media library, and numerous sports and cultural
clubs/associations.

There is a bus line that connects Nice and Entraunes via

Puget-Théniers and other villages like Entrevaux. You
can also take a train Nice-Digne-les-Bains that also
goes through Puget-Théniers.