Event Programme

This is when we present the theme to you. The methodology can vary but the objective is always to help you get in the mood for learning about Active Digital Citizenship for resilient Students and Volunteers.

With this session, we want to ensure that everyone has the same foundation on the theme to get the most out of all the workshops.

During the application process, you will be asked to choose 2 to 4 workshops (depending on their lengths) out of 4 different tracks (you might choose all of them from the same track to focus on one topic, or explore more of them). Every workshop is facilitated by one trainer.

More information and descriptions of the tracks coming soon!!

During a day full of workshops, it is nice to have a moment to relax, move around, create something, or just talk with someone. That is why we have prepared leisure activities. During this time, you can paint your coffee mug, write poetry, debate, play a treasure hunt, or do nothing. Do as you feel, from moving and sweating to navigating inside yourself. We have prepared different activities each day, so you can always do something new. More information about the leisure activities can be found in the Info Booklet, which will be sent to you via email before the event. Stay tuned!

After a long day of workshops, leisure activities, and networking, you might be full of emotions, ideas, and thoughts you want to share with others, but sometimes it can be difficult. Re-groups, namely the reflection groups, are created precisely for this purpose. After all the information you have gathered throughout the day, you can safely and peacefully share it in a smaller group. Of course, if you don’t feel like sharing your thoughts and you prefer to listen, that is also a great way for you to process what you have experienced during the day. 

Through these moments, we want to create a safe place where you can express yourself and feel comfortable with your peers. Your group will be there to listen and discuss different topics and ideas you may have come up with.

So what is the aim of the reflection groups? Re-groups have been proven to be effective in facilitating and supporting everyone’s individual learning experience in a small group, that’s why there is always room for these sessions at EFIL’s events. 

At the VSS, participants will be divided into fixed re-groups of 5–8 people. Participants won’t be alone in this process, the session will be facilitated by a VSS team member (Trainers and Logistics Team) and meet every day for approximately 45 minutes.

Since 2008, the VSS participants have been looking forward to the Community Project organised since the very first VSS in France. From building fences, and renovating a school, to painting houses and visiting a refugee camp, you or other AFSers like you have helped local communities and got out of their “AFS bubble”. 

The community project is far more than just “getting a chore done”, you will experience this feeling first-hand at this year’s VSS. It’s about giving back and creating something to stay and having an impact on the local people to last far longer than the VSS.

Do you have a current topic that would be useful for your peers in AFS or any hobbies, knowledge, or skills you would like to share with other participants? This is the perfect time for you to do so!🌻

This activity is dedicated to volunteers taking over the Programme to share their skills, knowledge, practices from AFS-context or not, and connect with other participants. For example, you can create a mini-workshop or discussion on specific topics, such as managing local fundraising, facilitation skills, volunteer management OR you can also share your knowledge and skills on origami, football tricks, a dance you like or something completely different.

The Local Night is when participants can most immerge in the culture of the host country, sharing their habits and traditions, and make participants feel even more welcomed in the host country. It can have games and activities or presentations/quizzes about the host country’s culture and traditions for participants to mingle among each other and get to know new people.

What do you imagine when you hear the word “Bazaar”? It usually is a vast market, a place of different noises, smells, and items you can purchase. It is where the seller tries to convince you to buy something from their small shop. On the other hand, you try to persuade them as well by bargaining, so you can successfully buy the desired product. It is also a place full of people from different countries with various cultures and backgrounds, accepting each other and including everyone; here, everyone has their own role and part. That’s the beauty of this experience. 

The VSS Bazaar tries to evoke a similar experience, except you will not buy things with real currency but will be exchanging them. You can be both ‘seller’ and ‘buyer’ simultaneously. So if you have something that represents your AFS Organisation, feel free to bring it; you never know what you can exchange it for. (Also, keep in mind that scouring through different items in our bazaar, you may find a hidden gem.) 

So what precisely is the VSS Bazaar? It is a place where we ask participants to share practices from your AFS Organizations and exchange experiences. Some may bring typical foods and/or AFS Merch to exchange them. 

Therefore, are you ready to be part of this experience? If you are, we look forward to seeing what you offer and what you will exchange it for.

This session on the last day gives participants the chance to recap the week and to learn what fellow participants have worked on in their Workshops. It is a good way to connect the dots between workshops and tracks. 

This plenary moment is the end of the VSS and a time when we say thank you and goodbye!

The final event of the VSS will be the Goodbye Party, a chance to say farewell to all the great people you’ve met over the week and dance the night away! This year’s theme is coming soon!