ASSOCIATION CONCORDIA

opis organizacije

CONCORDIA is a non-profit organisation for Youth and Popular Education founded in 1950 with the aim to promote international exchanges of young volunteers. Concordia's objectives are :
- To contribute to the animation of the social life by the participation of French and foreign volunteers in the realization of civil works of general interest.
- To promote the circulation of people and ideas through international exchanges in order to develop knowledge, mutual understanding and peace.
- To promote an education project, encouraging an active citizenship of people for a democratic, united and participatory society.

Concordia has a national headquarters and 11 delegations spread throughout France. The delegations carry out various projects responding to the needs of their local territories and can rely on the experience of the national headquarters, and especially the team of the international sector, to coordinate them. Currently, the association has a permanent team of 35 employees. This team is enlarged from time to time for the implementation of specific activities (seasonal animators on international projects, facilitators or trainers on Erasmus+ projects).

In terms of structure, the regional delegations are secondary establishments of the national headquarters of the association. Each entity (head office and delegations) has its own budget, which are however consolidated in the annual accounts of the association. The regional delegations depend directly on the national management of the association with autonomy in the setting up of projects and collaborate with the teams of the national headquarters on different aspects, which can be linked to the functioning (accounting, payroll, communication) or to the activities (in particular with the international sector for the question of European projects). See attached the organization chart.

The national headquarters and the various regional delegations have their own accreditations linked to European programs (previously YiA, Erasmus+ and ESC). Hosting and sending activities are organized by the regional delegations in conjunction with their local partners. They also manage the financial aspects (grants and budget management). The head office, through its international sector, coordinates all the activities carried out (relations with international partners, common tools, reporting, training, advice, etc.). The head office directly manages some European projects, especially those requiring the mobilization of the whole network of regional delegations (previously annual project of short term EVS) or multiannual projects in the framework of the KA2 actions of the Erasmus+ program. See attached "specific ESC" organization chart

Concordia’s headquarters located in Paris, is in charge of :
- Supervising and coordinating all the European projects implemented by the regional delegations
- Concordia’s representation within our networks
- Sending volunteers in European Solidarity Corps projects

Historically, the main activity of Concordia is the organization of international volunteer workcamps. Each year we propose a program of about a hundred international workcamps in France and more than a thousand possibilities of departure abroad for projects set up by our partners.
The association has developed other mobility activities and medium or long term volunteering in France or abroad. Thus, we propose volunteering activities apart from institutional programs (projects of 2 months to one year set up by our partners abroad without any specific financing), but we are also involved, since the creation of the system, in the implementation of the French Civic Service (mainly in France with local partners and in intermediation).

Moreover, Concordia is strongly involved in European projects. As part of the European Youth in Action Program, now Erasmus +, the association organizes and coordinates youth exchanges, training for youth actors, hosting and sending volunteers and participates in various national and international seminars. Since 2018, the association has been involved in the European Solidarity Corps and continues to accompany young people on short and long term volunteering projects and team volunteering projects.

Our action favors the diversity of the public, notably by the implementation of social inclusion programs (Youth with less opportunities on international workcamps or European programs, specific projects in the framework of the Civic Service). Most of our actions are addressed to young people from 15 to 30 years old, but we also welcome adults regardless of their age in our international workcamps for we believe in the added value of intergenerational exchanges.

Concordia is a member of the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service at the UNESCO, a founding member of the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations, a member of the C.N.A.J.E.P. and of the Cotravaux network.

Volunteering project