Since 2003, the France Volontaires branch on Réunion has been supporting local authority policies on regional cooperation and mobility for young Reunionese people. A few hundred young people from Réunion have therefore left under a Volunteers for International Solidarity (VSI) contract to spend time in different countries of the Indian Ocean and Southern Africa: South Africa, Australia, Comoros, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, the Seychelles and Tanzania.
A stimulus for international cooperation and autonomy for young Reunionese people
- 07 January 2020
I am particularly proud to have contributed to the study of energy consumption in the Seychelles. I am trying my best to keep the cooperation between Réunion and the Seychelles alive.
France Volontaires is the French platform for International Exchange and Solidarity Volunteering. Since January 2003, the association has created a regional representation in Réunion with responsibility for the Indian Ocean in order to promote and develop international volunteering for young people from Réunion.
This project allows the skills of private and public structures in the partner countries of the Interreg Indian Ocean programme to be bolstered by making young Reunionese graduates available to them for a period of one to three years.
Positions of responsibility
Selected according to their profile for long projects (12 to 36 months), the young volunteers are made available to private and public structures, such as ministries, chambers of commerce and industry, tourist offices, French Alliances, cultural centres or associations in the partner countries of the Interreg programme. These structures submit a request to receive volunteers and sign a partnership agreement with the association France Volontaires. The fields of intervention are varied: the French-speaking world, culture, tourism, economy, environment, research, etc.
On average, VSIs are between 24 and 34 years old and are young graduates (3 to 5 years of higher education) from a variety of backgrounds, some of which have experience, while others do not. They take up a role for a minimum of 12 months in positions of responsibility, for which they are reimbursed.
Transfer of skills and cooperation
Co-financed by the ERDF and the Réunion Regional Council, the project has three objectives:
to strengthen the capacities of the welcome structures through long missions undertaken by young graduates and the transfer of skills;to enable young graduates from Réunion to gain professional experience in the Indian Ocean zone;to strengthen cooperation links between Réunion and the countries of the zone.A springboard for employment
Between 2015 and 2017, 64 young people from Réunion carried out a mission lasting from one to three years in one of the countries of the zone. By the end of 2018, 43 volunteers were in roles, including 14 in Madagascar, 11 in Mauritius, 6 in Comoros, 6 in the Seychelles, 2 in Mozambique, 2 in Tanzania, 1 in Australia and 1 in India. 46 VSIs are currently in a role.
According to the latest study carried out by the France Volontaires association in 2016, 85% of former volunteers were employed in Réunion, France and the Indian Ocean region.
Total investment and European funding
The “Volunteering for International Solidarity in the Indian Ocean” project has been the subject of a total investment of EUR 2 601 720; the contribution of the European Regional Development Fund amounts to EUR 2 211 462 under the “Indian Ocean Area” cooperation programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Raising the level of skills through actions aimed at developing training”.