Programme VSS23

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 Education for Democratic Citizenship. 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). We advise you to choose them from the same track to focus your learning journey. Every workshop is facilitated by one trainer. This years’ thematic tracks are: 

• Democracy through participation
• Democracy through education
• Volunteering for democracy
• GLOBAL citizenship, going beyond Europe
• Jolly (a.k.a. anything goes)

Find more information and descriptions of the tracks here!!

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 InfoBooklet, which will be sent to you via email in the first week of July. Stay tuned!

Do you have any hobbies, knowledge, or skills you would like to share with other participants? This is the perfect time for you to do so! “I can teach you” activity mainly focuses on the participants sharing their knowledge with others, whether it is origami, football tricks, a dance you like, history of your country, or something completely different. It is a moment when participants can take over the role of the Volunteer Team and teach something to other participants; during the activity, they can also share their knowledge and skills with one another. 

Keep in mind that this activity is up to the participants. You will have complete ownership of the activity and can come up with your ideas. Don’t limit your creativity, and start thinking about what you would like to teach your fellow VSS participants! 

Please note that the team will not provide any special equipment for the activity, so if you need a specific object or material, try to bring it to VSS. However, if we have what the participant needs on the spot, the team will gladly help and share it with you!

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 4 – 6 persons. Participants won’t be alone in this process, the session will be facilitated by a VSS team member (Trainers and Support Team) and meet every day for approximately 45 minutes.

Since 2008, the VSS participants have been looking forward to the community project organized 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.

This year we are looking into associations and communities in Reims and the Champagne region to continue this tradition of meeting local people and helping a local cause! 

Stay tuned for more information on our options for community projects and getting to know Reims!

This year’s VSS comes with a new type of activity: Volunteer Project Hub! During this time, we will give the participants the space to connect, share practices, knowledge, ideas, and come up with their own projects together! With a free flow, you will be able to attend and create short workshops for fellow volunteers, best practices exchange, idea hub, Agora where you can have discussions with other volunteers, or you can pair up with people to plan your own projects. 

Coucou tout le monde! This year’s VSS is held in Reims, France. Thus our local night is dedicated to French culture, cuisine, and many more. That is why this authentic night will be full of French games, random information about France, tongue twisters, pétanque, dances like cancan and, of course, food degustation. La nuit française is waiting for you. Êtes-vous prêt?

The exhibition has a special role in the VSS. It is a moment of learning, discussing, and exchanging for volunteers and participants who will reflect together on one or various topics linked from different angles to the theme of Education for Democratic Citizenship.

We will take you on a timeline journey. Starting from a fundamental part of history for France and other regions of the globe, we will explore turning points in history and discuss their consequences or possible impact on democratic communities and attitudes. Finally, with your input, we will end this itinerary in 2023 and discuss together what the future might bring for us!

Throughout the exhibition, you will have the chance to reflect on crucial historical moments while also learning more about the history of AFS, how it is connected to democratic citizenship, and what we can do, as volunteers, to actively contribute to the democratic life of our communities and AFS network.

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 Organization, 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 ‘Colours of VSS – Over the Rainbow’, and the dress code is simple: pick one colour, and wear an outfit that is only made up of that colour! Think outside the box, and try to choose a funky colour. There will be a prize for anyone who is the only one wearing the colour they chose!

Sustainability is one of the core values of the VSS. That’s why we provide a space dedicated to Sustainability throughout the event. You will discover and explore an interactive Sustainability corner that can be filled with content by all of you. We’ll focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, on recycling leftover materials from activities or around the venue. Together, we will make decorative and/or useful new things with these items. In this corner, you will also have the possibility to share ideas and habits from your countries related to sustainability.