France – Les Courmettes

Le Domaine des Courmettes is A Rocha France’s second site, an hour’s drive up into the hills northwest of Nice. It offers 600 ha of preserved wildlife in a variety of natural habitats and a breathtaking view of the French Riviera. The Domain is open to the public, with several hiking trails.

This is a pioneering experience, with a small on-site team and volunteering needs in many areas: building, painting, roofing, insulating, administrating, welcoming visitors and hikers, nature surveying, path-making, marketing, hosting commercial events, and so on. Les Courmettes holds huge potential for touching hearts and lives and helping visitors connect with the losses generated by climate change and the joys of living healthily. Come and be a part of it as an individual or even better, as a group!

A Rocha also hopes to develop various environmental education tools in the near future, as well as eco-tourism in the years to come.

Volunteers at Les Courmettes are welcomed for stays of at least two weeks. Living conditions are a little rougher than at Les Tourades, especially during the winter months, and city dwellers might feel somewhat isolated over longer stays. Count on about 130 euros for a week’s full board (subject to change).

Those who participate in outdoors work need to be physically fit and able to hike around the Domain. Ability in French, while not essential, is an asset. Because the community at Les Courmettes is an international one, we do not offer a French-language immersion experience

Long-term volunteer positions at Les Courmettes include:

• logistics assistant for events management and welcoming visitors (with organisational and people skills)
• building maintenance coordinator (with a variety of construction and home improvement skills)
• land management assistant (with skills in environmental management)
• renewable energy project manager (for implementation on site and to offer feasibility studies for churches and parachurch structures)
• environmental education assistant (with skills in education, small group leadership, graphic design and drawing)
• gardening and house help (with agriculture and organisational skills).

These team members may live on or off-site; they would join the team for six to 12 months or more. They must be financially self-supporting, and A Rocha France is available to help volunteers raise support from their local communities.

To apply, please fill out our volunteer application form.