THE NORTHERN LIGHTS – L’aurore boréale
Neyron, France
⭐️ Activity Title
Living Regeneration
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🔷 Activity Details
Description
Living Regeneration is a 4-month European Solidarity Corps volunteering experience at The Northern Lights, a regenerative community in rural France. We are currently looking for one volunteer with a particular focus on Social Connection & Communication: creating social media content, documenting community life, supporting local cultural events, Erasmus+ project writing and reporting, and developing educational toolkits and dissemination materials. We are looking for someone who enjoys storytelling, creativity and bringing people together purposefully. This is not an office-based communication role: you will be part of everyday community life and are expected to get your hands dirty alongside the team in agroecology, eco-construction, low-tech energy systems, cooking and shared tasks. A space to contribute your existing skills while developing new ones through learning by doing, solidarity and intercultural community life. Read the full InfoPack here: https://l1nk.dev/6sf7hcx
Accommodation, food and transport arrangements
Volunteers are hosted at The Northern Lights’ 300-year-old farm of 22 hectres in Saint-Nizier-le-Bouchoux, with access to a shared kitchen, dining area, workspaces and other shared facilities. They are accomodated in an indoor dormitory with single private or shared rooms depending on availability. Meals are healthy, mostly organic and home-grown, with volunteers participating in cooking and communal tasks. The farm uses compost toilets, ecological showers and conscious water use. Travel costs are reimbursed according to ESC distance bands and eligible travel rules. Pick-up can be arranged from Saint-Amour or Fleurville-Pont-de-Vaux train stations.
Training during the activity
Volunteers learn through hands-on practice, mentoring and skill-sharing within the community. Training includes regenerative agriculture, eco-construction, low-tech and energy systems, tool use and sustainable living. For this position, particular learning opportunities include social media and storytelling, Erasmus+ project writing, documentation, toolkit and educational material design, event organisation and community outreach. Volunteers are encouraged to share their own skills and develop personal initiatives, while reflecting on their learning and competences throughout the experience.
Participant profile
We are currently looking for one motivated volunteer aged 18–30 to join the existing international team at The Northern Lights for approximately four months, with a particular focus on Social Connection & Communication.
This position is especially suited to someone interested in storytelling, communication, community engagement and creative project work. We would particularly welcome applicants with skills, experience or a strong motivation to develop in one or more of the following areas:
- social media content creation, photography, video and visual storytelling;
- writing, editing and documenting community activities;
- Erasmus+ / ESC project communication, application or report writing;
- designing educational materials, toolkits, newsletters or dissemination content;
- organising local cultural events, workshops and community activities;
- creating connections between people, projects and the local community.
Previous professional experience is not required. Motivation, creativity, reliability and willingness to learn are more important. At the same time, we are looking for someone who can also bring their own ideas, knowledge and skills to the project. The Northern Lights is based on exchange and learning from one another, so we value people who are comfortable taking initiative and co-creating rather than simply waiting to be given tasks.
Importantly, this is not an office-based communication position. The volunteer will live and participate fully in the everyday life of a regenerative farm and community. You should therefore be genuinely interested in getting your hands dirty and joining activities beyond communication, including agroecology, market gardening, eco-construction, low-tech and energy systems, cooking, maintenance and shared community responsibilities. The InfoPack describes the project as a place where volunteers can move between agroecology, energy systems, eco-construction and social connection according to their interests and the needs of the community.
We are looking for someone who is open-minded, adaptable and comfortable with collective living. Community life involves shared meals, responsibilities, changing rhythms, different personalities and the need for good communication. A willingness to contribute to a respectful, supportive and collaborative atmosphere is therefore essential.
You should be comfortable living in a rural environment, participating in practical and sometimes physical outdoor activities, and experiencing a lifestyle that may be simpler and more collective than what you are used to.
A good level of English is important for communication within the international team. Knowledge of French is welcome but not essential, and the experience can also be an opportunity to practise it.
Above all, we are looking for someone who sees communication not simply as “making posts”, but as a way of telling meaningful stories, sharing knowledge, connecting people and making the ecological and social work of the community visible.
If you enjoy creating, communicating and bringing people closer together — while also wanting to experience regenerative living with your own hands — this position could be for you. 🌱
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🔑 Key Information
Activity dates
A total of 12 week(s) during the period 25/08/2026 to 18/12/2026
Activity location
11 montée des acacias, Neyron, France
Activity type
Individual volunteering
Looking for participants from
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine
Activity topics
Citizenship and democratic participation
Environment and natural protection
Education and training
Nutrition and subsistence agriculture
Deadline for applications
No application deadline
Project code
2026-1-FR02-ESC51-VTJ-000401771
🔗 Official Project Page
https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/opportunity/53724_en
