CONCORDIA Normandie-Maine

Concordia is founded in 1950 by English, German and French youngsters. Their aim was to enhance the values of tolerance and peace after the 2nd world war by organising international workcamps of young volunteers. The main objectives of Concordia are the following: - Education i-e helping young people to grow up by acquisition of collective life. - Culture i-e favouring the youth exchanges on an international level, always emphasizing the values of peace, friendship and mutual respect. - Social i-e taking part in concrete actions of solidarity, as well as supporting a civic attitude - Social economy i-e contributing to realisation of local development, in favour of the environment, patrimony, tourism and socio-educational animation. CONCORDIA NORMANDIE-MAINE: Our work is part of a urbain and rural social development policy aiming to support the actions of the different local stakeholders working on the enlargement of the local territory towards the outside world thereby allowing to create a dynamic in which youth and inhabitants are fully involved. We conduct young people in different spaces of commitment that go from the « initiation » on short-term sites, to the involvement on long-term volunteering. That’s in this context that the delegation work with different local stakeholder of the département de la Sarthe and create along with the projects, partnership with various organizations. The goal is to allow a complementarity of different skills existing in the département, to the benefits of the population, youth and elders. THE ACTIONS: The activities of the association continue throughout the year with * weekend or short holiday workcamps, * mid and long term voluntary service, * inclusion of young people with difficulties, * study and activity groups (North-South, International), * Activities in Erasmus + program (youth exchange, training course…), * sending and hosting volunteers of European Voluntary Service. * Concordia also organises 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 organisation, 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 1500 subscribers, 25 employees and 200 activities leaders. The Paris head office supports the 9 regional offices activities i-e the Auvergne, Aquitaine, Brittany, Ile-de-France, Midi-Pyrenees, Normandy, Picardy, Rhône-Alpes and South-East of France. Concordia has the approval of the French Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Ministry of the Environment.