Volunteering In Paris!
Do you wish to volunteer in Paris but are uncomfortable in French? Search no more!
Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, network, and build your resumé! So, to give you a helping hand, we decided to put together a list of English-Speaking organisations that have volunteer opportunities available:
SOS Helpline trains volunteers to be part of their English-language listening line. Twice a year, they use book sales to raise funds and hold regular informational meetings for potential volunteers.
“Where Internationals Connect in English” and is an anglophone cultural organisation that’s been around since 1978. They offer courses and programs ranging from visual arts to food, wine, and languages.
Serve the City Paris is part of a global movement of English-speaking volunteers that help people in need, asylum seekers, refugees, homeless and underprivileged foreigners in Paris. Volunteers help with food distribution, English lessons, social engagement, and other activities in a kind and light-spirited environment.
BICE is the “International Catholic Child Bureau,” a non-profit committed to defending children’s dignity and rights. They need volunteers in the Paris office for administrative assistance, translations, and visitor welcome.
The American Hospital of Paris
The non-profit American Hospital of Paris (in the suburb of Neuilly) is always looking for volunteers (they do state that you should speak both English and French).
This charity assists English-speaking people in France in being treated for cancer. They train volunteers to support those with cancer and their families and caregivers and help with fundraising events.
Both adults and teens from 16-18 can volunteer at the American Library, with a 4-month minimum commitment expected. Opportunities include a welcome desk, evening event support, shelving, graphic design and video editing.
The American Church in Paris needs volunteers for many activities, both for church services (ushers and nursery volunteers) and assistance at events open to the public, such as “Bloom Where You’re Planted.”
The American Cathedral needs volunteers for their many programs, including adult education, Welcome Committee, Friday Lunch service for those in need, parish life, and their holiday Love in a Box distribution of gifts for children.
This association offers free English learning opportunities to people in precarious situations who are excluded from society. They provide group English classes and extracurricular activities. They also partner with other associations who assist refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and people experiencing difficulties.” English-teaching experience is helpful but not required.
“The world’s largest gathering of solutions for the planet with 1000 solutions, 400 speakers from 120 countries, and 800 investors” brings together changemakers for the planet. Even though the event is usually three days in May, volunteers are needed well in advance and sometimes after to help with everything from communications to welcoming VIPs (in 2022, it was Jane Goodall). The event’s official language is English, but as the organizers are French, it does help to understand some French.