Volunteer Opportunities in Paris - Private Custom Tours & Free Paris Resource Guide

About Secrets of Paris

Calendar of Paris Events

June 2-3
This weekend is the Portes Ouvertes at Les Frigos! Check out the artist studios in one of the most famous former squats in Paris. In the 13th (near the Bibliothèque Mitterrand, just off Rue de Tolbiac), ree entry, Saturday (2-10pm) and Sunday (2-8pm).

June 8-10
Nearly 6,000 feathered and sequinned costumes, designed and made in the workshops of the Folies Bergère, one of the world’s most prestigious music-halls, are going on auction at the Palais de la Bourse (Place de la Bourse, 2nd) over three sessions (two catalogued sales on Saturday 9th at 6pm and Sunday 10th at 4pm, one non-catalogued sale of costumes, accessories, notions and supplies). To this magnificent set of lots will be added a hundred posters and programmes recounting a century of revues, original musical scores composed for Folies Bergère revues and drawings by famous fashion illustrator Erté. Public exhibition of the collection from 2-6pm on Friday, 10am-5pm on Saturday, 10am-3pm on Sunday.

June 17
It's time yet again to don your most fashionable hat and a picnic basket and head up to Chantilly for the annual Prix de Diane at the Chantilly Hippodrome. It's Ladies' Day at the races, and the fashions might overshadown the horses, but overall it's a fabulous day out for free (well, if you can get out there by train or car or helicopter). Check out one of my posts from the 2010 event with photos.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL CALENDAR

Heather's Lady's Guide to the Sexy City

Sign-up to the Secrets of Paris newsletter and get "Heather's Top Ten Tips for a Stress-Free Visit to Versailles"

Volunteer Opportunities in Paris: Get Involved!

France Bénévolat
This website is one of the best for volunteer opportunities in France, with over 300 listings for Paris alone. This one is only in French, as most of the volunteers must be French-speaking. They list all kinds of positions, from coaching sports teams to working with handicap children to admin work for Reporters Without Borders.

Espace Bénévolat is an ideal place to start for English-speaking volunteers. This group is a sort of volunteer portal where you can find out about all of the volunteer opportunities available by location, type of activity, or type of charity. Armelle Lévy-Collin is in charge of the English-speaking volunteer opportunities, as well as the special projects for the 18-25 year old volunteers. Contact her directly at espacebenevolat.anglophones@gmail.com.

Je Veux Aider also makes it super simple to find out how you can help, starting with three donation categories: time, money, and “other” (like used clothing or computer donations). You can find, using their search system, volunteer opportunities in your neighborhood for health, education, children, international, social, environment, etc. Sign up for their newsletter to keep up with opportunities throughout the year.

Restos du Coeur

The “Restaurants of the Heart” are soup kitchens and grocery distribution centers located throughout France. Founded by the late comedian Coluche in 1985, this popular charity is known for its spirit of solidarity and good humor. As a weekly volunteer at one of the mobile distribution units, I can say that the Parisians I’ve met here are nothing like the grim, cranky, cynics you see on the metro every day, LOL! They are always looking for volunteers with regular availability.

SOS Helpline
A free and anonymous helpline for the English-speaking community since 1974, SOS Help is always in need of volunteers to help with the phone line as well as office administration. Training provided.

Orange RockCorps
This is a fun one: donate your time to charity in exchange for free tickets to music concerts. It's targeted to young people of Generation Y (born between 1978 and 1994).

The American Church of Paris
The American Church keeps the English-speaking community informed of volunteer opportunities and humanitarian needs throughout the year. Those of you who don’t speak French may want to start here.

Croix Rouge
The French Red Cross is a huge organization with many activities throughout the country. They sell holiday cards, organize toy drives, collect donations for particularly urgent international disasters (like Hurricane Katrina or the Pakistan earthquake). They also give regular first-aid and CPR certification classes in Paris for €60. They are always looking for volunteers for everything from organizing book or clothing collections to office assistance and first-aid response teams. They even send professionals on international missions (helps to speak English and have 6-9 months availability). They are currently recruiting young people 16-25 for their “Service Civil Voluntaire”

Secours Populaire Français
One of the most active charities in France, the Secours Populaire is similar to the Red Cross, with a focus on humanitarian projects within France in the fields of education, health, emergency aid, and human rights. They have a huge Père Noël campaign at Christmas (you’ll see the “Green Santa helpers” around town). They’re looking for volunteers of all ages (they even have a program for young children).

Secours Catholique
A charity created by the Catholic priest Monseigneur Rodhain in 1946 after the horrors of the occupation during WWII. Today the organization is one of the largest in France, with local and international humanitarian projects. They recruit regularly for short and long-term missions in France and overseas. In Paris they are currently looking for dynamic volunteers to accompany at-risk children (a sort of Big Brother/Big Sister project), to welcome people at their soup kitchen on weekend evenings, and technical assistance with the annual directory.

Help keep this guide up to date! Report errors or broken links.