Deskrizzjoni tal-Organizzazzjoni

The Syndicat d'initiatives - aka SI - (or tourist information bureau) of Rochefort is an organisation of local interest, which aims are to promote and galvanise the territory. In order to do so, it works in three different areas.

1. Events organisation: the SI organises around 20 days of events during the year, among which
- le Carrefour BD (the comic books crossroad), an event where comic books are celebrated thanks to different meetings with the authors, and where to enjoy some visual street art and take advantage of a large second hand comics market;
- le Marché du rire (the laughter market), organised in the frame of the laughter festival "Festival International du rire de Rochefort" in May (three weeks long);
- the giant flea market in July in the town centre;
- the "Serenades" (6 evenings in July and August), a springboard for young musicians followed by a concert, where people are invited to attend the competition;
- le Rendez-Vous (the Meeting, in August), an artistic and local market contributing to the promotion of arts and the local distribution network. Street art and local food products are the stars of this event;
- la Balade gourmande nocturne (the night gourmet stroll), where several local associations are contributing either by providing the food, either by providing the entertainment (fire juggling, equestrian shows...);
- le Village de Noël (Christmas Market), 2 weekends in December.

2. Info point: the SI is running an information office 7/7 360 days per year. It collects, sorts and selects useful information one might need to enjoy the different opportunities in Rochefort and its surroundings. The information is aimed at tourists but at locals as well since the SI also informs about places where to camp for youth movements, summer activities for children and also the cultural agenda of the area, accommodations, restaurants, etc.. . The info point also manages the ticket selling for the "Festival du rire".

3.Touristic attractions:
- the SI promotes, publishes the maps and checks on a regular basis several marked paths (7 marked paths in the town of Rochefort, around 30 marked paths in the surrounding villages). Sometimes it also participates in the maintenance of these marked paths;
- for six months/year, the SI manages the "little train", a touristic attraction allowing the customers to visit Rochefort in a one-hour-long train trip;
- for six months/year, the SI manages as well a mini-golf and the outdoor swimming pool of Rochefort. They deal with several organisational aspects: tickets selling, snacks and drinks providing, safety measures...
In order to propose all these activities, the SI works in collaboration with a wide network of local partners: Rochefort Cultural centre, Rochefort Youth house, le Festival du rire, the local development agency of Rochefort and many others.
Moreover, the SI has the great privilege to count on several local volunteers helping during the different events and in the maintenance of the marked paths.
The target group of the SI are visitors, divided between tourists and locals. In around 75% of the cases, the attendees to the SI events and activities are Belgian people.

Suġġetti ta' inklużjoni

Din l-organizzazzjoni lesta tinvolvi voluntiera li qed jiffaċċjaw sitwazzjonijiet li jagħmlu l-parteċipazzjoni f'attivitajiet aktar diffiċli, minn dawn il-kategoriji li ġejjin għal tipi ta' proġetti differenti:

• Differenzi kulturali
• Refuġjati