Posts Tagged ‘service civique’

  • Time to “blow the bloody doors off” youth civic service

    By Hannah Wright On 4th January 11

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    hannah

    National Citizens Service launchThanks to the lovely folk at IANYS, I’ve learnt a lot about youth national service of late, which is mighty handy as it seems everyone who’s anyone is getting in on this particular act at the moment. (And when I say everyone, I mean everyone, from Hilary Clinton to Sir Michael Caine.)

    Of course, this year, 12 National Citizens Service pilots will test David Cameron’s big idea on 11,000 16-year-olds in the UK. These 7-8 week summer projects aim to “help young people develop the skills and attitude to get involved in the community and become active and responsible citizens.”

    Meanwhile, as Noel Hatch recently reminded me, France got their national youth service up and running last year, when the French National Assembly voted to invest heavily in Service Civique (Civic Service). They ask for a significant commitment of 6-12 months full-time service, with “missions” available in nine areas of interest at home and abroad. (My favourite example from their site is: Health education: for example, explaining binge-drinking consequences to primary school children – I guess they don’t have the Daily Mail in France.) In 2010, Service Civique had over 10,000 young volunteers, and it aims to mobilize 75,000 young people by 2015.

    French volunteers are also compensated for their time, receiving 440€ per month directly from the government, and an extra 100€ expenses in cash, vouchers or in kind from their host organisation to cover food, accommodation or transportation expenses. Disadvantaged young people could qualify for an additional 100€ per month, and all volunteers get their social welfare fully financed by the government.

    This stipend obviously makes a big difference to those involved, as this quote from Hassan, a participant, shows:

    “Entering into society, earning my living honestly, having a paycheck, and apartment, a family. Everything that I’ve refused until now, is now my role.”

    Bermuda also got in on the act in 2010, announcing a voluntary national service programme for 24-30 year olds. This time, participants will serve for 16 hours each month for two years, earning incentives including free public transport, low interest bank loans, discounts at shops, and ongoing support from organization and alumni networks. And the Ivory Coast has been piloting its own version of civic service, focussing on peace building and preparing young people for employment, and plans to develop a national strategy based on the results of this pilot.

    There are so many approaches to national youth service, and so many difficult questions to consider, that I’ve resolved to find out more, so this month I’ll mostly be reading Service Without Guns – I mean, you can’t quibble with a title like that, can you?

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    Posted in international volunteering