Eurasia net: Ethical Volunteering for all!

Dear globetrotter, occasional traveler, or great adventurer,

You're probably aware of the educational benefits of travelling: self-discovery, opening up to others, being curious about another culture... You've probably experienced it yourself! What if we told you that supporting Eurasia Net could give the opportunity to many many others to experience it as well?

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By promoting ethical volunteering, we make it possible for enthusiastic young people to make the most of their volunteering experience, by putting non-formal education at the heart of what we do.

We've noticed a whole bunch of stereotypes and exoticism about Asian countries going around in young people's minds. We've heard that "There is no Justice in X country" or that "All women are oppressed in Y country". We think we can change those preconceived ideas by giving the opportunity to young people (aged between 18 and 26) to volunteer in Asia, and to do it responsibly.

By responsibly we mean "well prepared" and conscious about their role as a guest and a volunteer in a culturally different place. In other words, we've decided to channel the exoticism of travelling far far away, and the romanticism attached to the notion of "solidarity" into something a little more constructive: intercultural curiosity.

How do you do that? You may ask.

Well, let me introduce you to our main project: "Eurasia Twin"...

"Eursia Twin" started in 2015, and guess what, we've been getting better since, and thanks to you we will be continuing to do so!

"Eurasia Twin" it's 20 to 25 volunteers each year, comitted to a 9 months "Civic Service" both within a local organisation in France with us, and an international organisation in Europe or Asia with one of our partners. It's also a wide range of "missions" in the fields of education; environment; culture etc. And a wide range of tasks from communication and web marketing to hands on agricultural work, depending on the needs of the organisation and the suggestions of the volunteer.

"Glocal" volunteering: why not?

Volunteering time is split between the local and the international organizations. Indeed, we believe that helping far away might seem sexy, but helping your local community is also crucial.

Locally, at Eurasia Net, we deliver "intercultural trainings" to our volunteers, for instance, we lead workshops on the Sustainable Development Goals and their local/international application. We invite volunteers to do research on the country they are about to volunteer in and welcome group discussions about the relationship between a volunteer and his/her host organization. And of course, we provide information about Health, Security, and Visa procedures to facilitate and accompany our volunteers at best.

"Eurasia Twin" couldn't be possible without our network of reliable partners across Europe and Asia. These international partnerships have been developped and nurtured across the years. We try to meet both our partners' needs, and our volunteers' enthusiasm, and so far we've successfully managed to strike a balance!

Once the volunteers come back, they come back to us for a whole month, where we give them the tools to reflect upon their volunteering experience. And more importantly, to share what they've learnt by organizing local events. The idea is also to accompany and support the volunteer in his personal project.

Ethical Volunteering for all !

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