Concordia Picardie NPDC

Concordia aims to: - Educate young people by allowing them to develop through cooperative learning. - Encourage young people to expereience new cultures through international youth exhcanges, whilst emphasising the importance of peace, friendship and a mutual respct for others. - Encourage young people to get involved as part of a harmonious society, through actions of solidarity whilst developing tolerance for the envionment around them. - Contribute to development, through educating young people on issues regarding the environment, patrimony, tourism and socially. Workcamps are a perfect tool to reach these goals: Participating in a workcamp means working voluntarily during three weeks at a project of a common utility, such as environment, archaeology, culture, heritage. It is a form of informal education, but also as an opportunity to discover a new region and its inhabitants. The participants get to know the real life of a small community, as well as the culture and customs of other volunteers, who come from all around the world. Every year Concordia gives the opportunity to more than 1000 French youths to get involved in its partner projects abroad and hosts around 1200 foreign volunteers on its own workcamps in France. Concordia is a member of: - Three major international networks which support voluntary service: The Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organizations which is a network of 30 national organizations in 20 countries, CCIVS (Co-ordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service) which is an organization founded under the aegis of UNESCO in 1948 and coordinates about 300 organizations worldwide and AVSO an European network with the goal of improving European voluntary service - The National Association COTRAVAUX (Co-ordination of French Voluntary Work organizations). The other activities of the association continue throughout the year with weekend or short holiday workcamps, mid and long term voluntary service, integration of people with difficulties, study and activity groups (North-South, International), sending and hosting volunteers of European Voluntary Service. Concordia also organizes various trainings throughout the year. Those who wish to be even more involved in Concordia’s activities can be elected at the management committee; Concordia is a democratic organization, led by dynamic and motivated volunteers as well as young people, and supported by paid staff. Today the management committee counts 15 members, there are 1800 subscribers, 25 employees and 200 activity leaders. The Paris head office supports the seven regional offices activities i-e the Alps, Auvergne, Aquitaine, Normandy, Picardy, South-Southwest, and Ile-de-France. Concordia has the approval of the French Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Ministry of the Environment.