Volunteering:
how does it work ?
Volunteering, an essential development tool
According to the UN, “It will be impossible to achieve the global goals without the participation of a wide range of people at all stages, at all levels and on an ongoing basis”. Volunteering is thus seen as a powerful means of encouraging collaboration and sharing in the service of a more liveable and sustainable world.
Planète Urgence offers meaningful missions that meet the needs expressed by local partners. It guarantees quality support, as close as possible to the volunteers, and seeks to have a strong impact by strengthening the skills of the associations it supports. The aim of volunteering is to facilitate civic commitment in order to make an impact in the field.
Planète Urgence consolidates the projects supported and implemented by nearly a hundred local partners or supports the autonomy of these partners. The Planète Urgence teams present in the countries of intervention know the partners very well and accompany them throughout the project, which allows for a relationship based on proximity and trust.
To be effective, missions are prepared in advance, supervised on site and evaluated on the volunteers’ return. The process of analysing and evaluating the quality and relevance of the assignments is carried out in real time, enabling us to capitalise on good practice and take into account areas for improvement if necessary.
For 83% of partner organisations, Planète Urgence’s interventions are the only way to strengthen or acquire new skills.
The report “Volunteering and Sustainable Development Goals: studies and experiences of Planète Urgence”, published in November 2020, can be found and read here.
More than 10,000 volunteers left with Planète Urgence
Planète Urgence is well known for providing support, training and guaranteeing the safety of its missions. Since 2000, the association has supported more than 10,000 volunteers in carrying out their projects, either individually or via their company, making it one of the leading volunteer-sending associations in France.
Find out about volunteering schemes
Your questions, our answers
Do you still have questions about volunteering with Planète Urgence?
Discover our answers below or contact our teams by email at contact@planete-urgence.org
Countries of intervention considered stable
- For Planète Urgence, the safety of volunteers is a priority. According to the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Planète Urgence only works in stable countries.
- If the countries in which we intervene are not experiencing a major political or military crisis, they are generally said to be “developing”, in other words affected by great poverty, significant disparities in wealth, and a lack of infrastructure and redistribution. As such, these countries may have a dangerous road network, poorly controlled crime and a justice system lacking resources. For each of the countries where we operate, we have a security situation report that is updated daily.
Ongoing reassessment of security
- We keep a constant watch on the situation and are in regular contact with the national and international authorities in the country concerned.
- A safety process is put in place by the association, which we will inform you about during the preparatory training sessions.
- In order to leave on a mission with full knowledge of the facts, Planète Urgence invites you to take note of the opinion of the French authorities for each of the countries in which it operates, as well as our own analyses and operating principles.
Volunteers insured on mission
- Planète Urgence provides its volunteers with health, repatriation and civil liability insurance for the duration of their mission.
- In addition, Planète Urgence can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, using the emergency telephone number which we give to volunteers before their departure.
Volunteers are given as much support as possible so that they can devote themselves entirely to carrying out their assignment.
Prior to their assignment, volunteers attend a two-day training course called “Preparing to Leave”. They can also contact the network of former volunteers for advice or to share experiences.
During the assignment, a follow-up is put in place to ensure that the volunteer’s assignment runs smoothly. Arrival and departure are taken care of by the partner.
Once back in France, the volunteer debriefs and draws up a mission report to measure the impact of the mission.
Application
Search for an assignment and apply by filling in a short initial contact form. Send us your CV and covering letter.
Confirmation
Your volunteering officer will contact you. Together you define your assignment and discuss your motivations and the terms and conditions of your departure.
Approval
If your assignment is approved by the local partner, you will start the formalities for your departure: flight, visa and vaccination.
International volunteering often involves travel that emits a lot of carbon, and the footprint depends on the type of trip.
Calculate your travel footprint on ADEME
At Planète Urgence, we believe that the impacts of development and biodiversity protection missions are greater than their carbon impact – and that if we had to choose a few trips to make in our lives, these trips should be given priority, as they are useful levers for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Meeting people and understanding the challenges of international solidarity over there are also essential to changing our practices and perceptions here at home.
That said, given the urgency of climate change, every carbon emission should be accompanied by a reflection on how to reduce our footprint on the planet. We therefore encourage each volunteer to think about how they can reduce their unnecessary emissions and to take a contributory approach, for example by supporting programmes to preserve forests and biodiversity.
The challenges for a company in implementing CS depend on a number of factors, in particular its CSR objectives, the size of the company, its corporate culture, the nature of its activities, etc.
To convince management to hire CS employees, it is important to :
1/ propose a clear CS policy, highlighting the benefits for the company and its employees
2/ put in place relevant performance indicators.
Discover our white paper: a practical guide to implementing this employee commitment scheme internationally.
To download the White Paper “Corporate Volunteering: getting involved and transforming”, please fill in the form below. An e-mail with the document attached will be sent directly to you.
The Civic Service scheme offers young people the opportunity to take part in missions of general interest. The missions must be accessible to everyone, with no qualifications or professional experience required.
Approvals
Planète Urgence is approved by the MEAE, the CSA and works in partnership with France Volontaire.
