Centre socioculturel

THE SOCIAL CENTRE Social and cultural center Le Teil is non profit organisation which goal is to acting efficiently in the field of child and youth education and also cooperating with families in the town Le Teil. Our organisation would like to be a major player in youth non-formal education from 3 to 17 years, as well as to be a valued partner to parents and teachers. It is associated with the main educational bodies, whose paths the youngsters have crossed, contributing to them becoming good citizens. CSC aims to maintain principle values such as seculartiy, equality, youth engagement, and solidarity throughout all its actions- and it is on these terms that CSC orientates activities. We set up extra curricular activites in the leisure centre- for children of 3 to 11 after lunch time and on Wednesdays ( a school-free day in France). We organise activities during holidays- such as summer camps, cultural visits, and outings, thematic workshops (drawing, environment...), as well as exchanges between generations- the goal of which is to promote the community, and to boost interaction between young and old, using various means such as video, photography, cultural events. As far as teenagers (12 to 17) are concerned, our organisation opens a daily youth centre in which they can access computers, music, games, magazines, books. During school holidays, we set up camps, cultural and leisure activities, and outings. We are also part in European Youth in action program. And we host a EVS volunteer. Another aspect of our work is to support youngsters in carrying out their own projects like summer camps and European youth exchanges. To make our activities and camps affordable for everybody we set up fund raising activities, run for and by youngsters. Our organization takes part in all events which are held by the municipality- such as anti-racism week, month of diversities, the annual national music festival, the carnival, and games week. CSC guides, supports, and trains youths (from 17 to 25) wanting to be a youth leader for the summer. In France a qualification is needed for leading a group of children. Finally, CSC, together with the community centre, organises activities for families. The goal is to get them involved in the leisure centre as voluntary workers- or into the association as elected members. INTERNATIONAL We also participate in the European exchange programme supporting the mobility of youngsters around Europe. We are convinced that the involvement of youths is inseparably linked to European integration. By hosting a volunteer, our organisation is able to develop the European dimension of our local projects. By the exchange the volunteers we promote the civic participation and autonomy of the youngster as well as make them discover the cultural dimension of their host country, thus preventing discrimination and encouraging the understanding of diversity. For a few years now, our local organisation has been taking part in youth exchange programmes at a European and international level. As an example, since 2002, several European youth exchanges have taken place with countries such as Spain, Germany and Italy. In 2008 were involved with a bilateral exchange with Morocco which also took place in 2009, this year we were part of OFAJ youth exchange with Germany and for the next year we are planning the European youth exchange with Italy, Poland, Germany and Slovenia. The person in charge of the EVS in our organisation is a former EVS volunteer who has also coordinated European youth exchanges. His experience and motivation for “youth in action” programmes are an asset, and a major support, for the guidance of any volunteer wanting to get involved with a similar project. EVS project in our organisation means working in youth centre on a different projects like organising concerts, different cultural activities, participating in music festival, different camps, youth exchanges, participating in presentation of centre in schools, presenting your culture, working with kids and make different activities for them on Wednesdays when there is school day off in France. Also participating in French course. The work is very dynamic, interesting, creative and it definitely offers different sorts of knowledge.