FB post here by Patty Sifferle I’m wondering if there is a culture of retired people doing volunteer work in France there is in the US. What types of volunteer work have any of you done and how has it worked out? Some of the best of replies include:
Volunteering is extremely developed in France among young retirees. The country runs almost all of its non-profit activities on young retirees.
France has a long history of participation in non-profit with the 1901 association freedom law.
The town/city website often list organizations in their city. In addition, if you attend church, you also have faith based groups.The government also has a dedicated volunteering website with offers for more long term projects with NGOs and large non-profit organizations.
https://france-volontaires.org/
Yes! Some are listed on jeveuxaider.gouv.fr
It is a great way to get to meet people and practice your French.
I volunteered for three years with Resto de Cœur (Restaurant of the Heart), a food pantry (and more) charity started by a famous French comedian. Approx 120,000 volunteer workers (benevoles) throughout France…
I volunteer for Cancer Support France. My main role is acting as an interpreter at medical consultations and writing a report in English afterwards. But there are many different roles within the association.
Every town and villages has a ton of “association” you can be part of. There is a “forum des associations” each September to showcase everything you can participate to!
Marilee Taussig