Would you like a Citizen Service?

Le Service Citoyen is a life experience rich in encounters and learning about oneself and others. Every year, nearly 650 young Belgians aged 18 to 25 inclusive embark on the adventure!

Additional assets of the project: the acquisition of valuable skills for job hunting and genuine recognition from Forem and Actiris.

What is a Service Citoyen?

Le Service Citoyen is aimed at all young people aged 18 to 25 who wish to engage in volunteering in Belgium. There are no prerequisites other than a strong dose of motivation and a basic knowledge of French.

A Service Citoyen consists of 3 things:

• A 4-day-a-week mission within a host organization

• Group sessions with other young people aged 18 to 25

• Individual support (non-mandatory)

  Every young person in Service Citoyen chooses the mission that interests them from a catalog on the website: https://service-citoyen.be/faire-un-service-citoyen/les-missions. There are currently more than 1,200 missions available in Belgium!

  These missions are very diverse, there really is something for everyone! They are divided into 4 meaningful sectors: support for people (care homes, centers for disadvantaged people or people with disabilities, Red Cross or Fedasil centers, etc.), environment and sustainable development (educational farms, natural parks, animal shelters, market gardening cooperatives, etc.), culture and education (concert halls, cultural centers, youth centers, libraries, primary or nursery schools, etc.) and education through sport (ADEPS center).

  A Service Citoyen is also a collective experience. Groups of 25 young people start every month between September and May in the 5 Service Citoyen branches: Brussels, Liège, Charleroi, Namur and Leuven. Groups are also organized in Verviers, Tournai and Libramont this autumn!

  Even though everyone is solo at their mission location, the group gets together about 2 or 3 times a month for collective sessions: 1 or 2-day training modules on civic themes (non-violent communication, European First Aid Certificate, eco-citizenship, etc.) as well as projects and discussion sessions to take stock of acquired skills and reflect together on life after Service Citoyen.

  Throughout the Service Citoyen, every young person has the opportunity to meet an individual coach to address any kind of difficulty and think about their orientation at the end of the Service Citoyen. The objective is to draw on this very concrete experience lived at the mission site to orient oneself with greater confidence after the Service Citoyen. After these 6 intense months, some start looking for a job, others choose to resume studies or training. Still others engage in volunteering again, sometimes abroad.

  The Service Citoyen aims at 4 objectives:

  • The personal development of each young person

  • Social cohesion

  • The exercise of engaged citizenship

  • The strengthening of solidarity

    In practice

    Le Service Citoyen is recognized by Forem and Actiris. The young job seeker continues their integration internship during their Service Citoyen and is also exempt from active job hunting. If they receive family, social or unemployment benefits, they keep them during the 6 months of their Service Citoyen. However, it is not mandatory to be registered as a job seeker to do a Service Citoyen.

    Furthermore, each young person receives compensation for this commitment amounting to 10 € per worked day. They are insured and their travel costs between their home and their mission location are also covered with a monthly cap of 100 €.

    Want to know more? Discover the interview with Julie who shares her experience at Service Citoyen.

    What to do if I land a job during my Service Citoyen?

    It frequently happens that young people continue their job search during their Service Citoyen. If they land a job that interests them, they can of course end their Service Citoyen without consequences.

    How to register?

    The entry point to Service Citoyen is mandatory participation in an information session. Each branch organizes one every week. At the end of the information session, each young person can complete a registration file if they wish. To see upcoming info session dates and register: https://service-citoyen.be/faire-un-service-citoyen/sessions.