Gamedella, a cultural non-profit and youth centre in the south of Belgium, is looking for a European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteer to join its team from 01 February 2027 to 31 January 2028. You will support after-school activities, free time at the youth centre, weekly workshops and holiday camps for children and teenagers, live in a shared volunteer house in Rochefort and work in nearby Jemelle, in Belgium. At Youth Works Hub, we reviewed the full call: applications are first come, first served, with no deadline, and the project is open to volunteers aged 18-30.
Who Is Gamedella?
Gamedella is the hosting organisation. First and foremost, it is a cultural non-profit organisation, so it organises and leads many public events to which you will be asked to take part. It has two main aims.
🧩 As an organisation recognised as a homework club: to support the intellectual development, social emancipation, cultural access and citizenship learning and participation of children from 4 to 15 years old.
🏛️ As a youth centre recognised by the French community of Belgium: to support the development of an active, critical, supportive and responsible citizenship among young people from 12 to 26 years old, by putting them in a situation of responsibility and learning and encouraging them to take part in the social, political, cultural and economic aspects of life in society.
🏖️ Gamedella is also recognised as a holiday centre, which means it organises activities for kids during the summer and possibly other school holidays.
What Does Gamedella Organise?
Gamedella fulfils its aims through weekly activities, holiday programmes and occasional projects.
📅 Weekly activities: after-school support for children under 12 years old, who receive help with their homework from local volunteers and also come for fun activities
🛋️ Free time at the youth centre for young people over 11 years old, where they hang out together
🎭 Theatre, music, media and cooking workshops for young people over 11, once a week
🤲 Projects that provide a service to the community on Fridays
☀️ During school holidays: summer camps (residential or not) and thematic, creative, athletic and cultural weeks
🚌 Excursions and free time at the youth centre during holidays
🔓 Occasionally: open doors and residential activities in partnership with other organisations
The weekly activities usually happen more or less 4 times during the summer.
Who Is Compagnons Bâtisseurs Belgium (CBB)?
CBB is the support organisation of this project. It is a non-profit, apolitical youth organisation recognised and financially supported by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. CBB proposes different activities based on volunteering and non-formal education: local and international workcamps, short and long term volunteering services (including ESC), leisure time activities for and with disabled people, camp leaders trainings and more. It has been active within the different European programmes of volunteering and non-formal education since 1997 and hosts ESC volunteers each year.
What Does the Support Organisation Do for You?
CBB's role as support organisation covers the whole project. If you want to understand this role in detail, read our guide on what a supporting organisation does in ESC volunteering.
🤝 Promote the project and the links between local and international associations
🎯 Support the selection and preparation of European volunteers before arrival
🗂️ Manage administrative matters such as budget allowances, creation of a bank account, enrolment at the municipality and insurance contracts
✍️ Write the activity agreement
🧠 Provide pedagogical support for the volunteer and the hosting organisation, by ensuring participation in the National Agency seminars and organising evaluation meetings with the volunteer and the hosting organisation to reflect on learning outcomes
🧰 Handle practical arrangements, including accommodation, health insurance, French lessons and online language tools
🌐 Create networking activities with all ESC volunteers of the hosting organisations CBB supports
Your Tasks During the School Period
During the school period you will help the Gamedella staff before, during and after each activity.
After-school support
Children come to academic support to receive help with their homework and to work on difficulties they may meet at school. The group of around 18 children is often divided into two rooms: one devoted to homework and the other to playful and educational activities. The second room is where volunteers will have the most to do.
🔎 Before: find ideas for activities, prepare the places to welcome the children and gather the necessary equipment
🎈 During: lead the activities together with the staff and take more individual time with one child
🧹 After: tidy the rooms
Free time at the youth centre
Young people and adolescents meet at the youth centre to spend time together freely. With the help of a staff member, you will welcome the young people who come after school. The centre is open to everyone: they meet each other, play games and discuss. It also works a bit like an info point, where young people feel confident enough with the staff to ask for advice. Staff can then direct them to the best actors in the field according to their needs (CIDJ, SI, mental health centre, family planning and others). You will support the work of the staff during these periods.
🛠️ Before: tidy and prepare the rooms used for the free time
🎱 During: be available if young people want a drink or need a companion for a billiard tournament or a chat, and offer an activity to young people who are bored
🪣 After: tidy up the place
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🌍 All opportunities in Belgium →
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Mini CRACS (10-12 years old)
Mini CRACS are activities linked to school support. Every Friday, the children are offered a citizen action. It can be any action that leads to a reflection on citizenship in a broad way: collecting waste in the nearby Gamedella park, taking part in the BeWapp river cleaning action, or joining actions such as Ile de Paix, 11-11-11 and Arc-en-Ciel.
📝 Before: find ideas for activities and take part in meetings with partners
👀 During: take part and supervise the children alongside the staff
📋 After: take part in the evaluation of the activity
Little citizens of the earth
This group is for children from 6 years old. It takes place every Wednesday and follows the same logic as the Mini CRACS.
Weekly workshops
These are different discovery activities offered to children, such as musical awareness, culture, nature and eco-citizenship. In this context you are free to propose your own ideas for activities, or even to co-lead them according to your interests and hobbies.
💭 Before: propose ideas and prepare the activities and the necessary materials
🙌 During: co-facilitate the workshops
🧽 After: tidy up the premises
Your Tasks Outside the School Period
During school holidays, mostly July and August, Gamedella offers thematic weeks and residential courses. In 2025-26, activities on the topics of performing arts, cooking and graffiti, among others, were organised. You will also support the team during these activities.
Before the holiday activities
1️⃣ Preparation of the material necessary for the activities
2️⃣ Taking part in the preparation process for the camp in collaboration with other members of the team
3️⃣ Preparing activities for the public
During the holiday activities
🙋 Be present to welcome children and parents
🕰️ Be present during daycare times
🏕️ Accompany or assist the youth leaders, depending on your skills
👧 Supervise the moments of the day for children and teenagers
🗣️ Take part in daily meetings
After the holiday activities
🧺 Participate in tidying up the free time area, equipment and similar spaces
📊 Participate in the evaluation of the project
Where You Will Live: The Volunteer House in Rochefort
The volunteers live in a fully-equipped house in the centre of Rochefort that you will share with other ESC volunteers. Bedrooms are private. Get ready for community life: sharing common spaces and maybe meals, a common fridge and common house rules, all in a rural environment.
There are two volunteer houses in Rochefort, very close to each other. You will be accommodated in the 4-bedroom house, and you are more than welcome to visit the volunteers living in the other house, which currently hosts 3 volunteers.
Where You Will Work: Jemelle
Jemelle is a small village next to Rochefort. Your workplace is near the main train station in the area. It is around 3 km from your house to your workplace, and you will need to either take the bus or go by bike.
Living in Belgium
Belgium is squeezed between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. The north is flat, with a 65 km beach along the North Sea, while in the south you will not find mountains but the hilly forests of the Belgian Ardenne. There are 4 well-contrasted seasons, with a cold winter and a sunny summer, but be ready for a grey sky at least half of the year. Belgian people are usually warm, and many cultural and free events happen during the year.
This project takes place in the south of the country, where people speak French. Be ready to learn and speak French, especially because the project involves kids.
🍟 Specialities: fries, beers and festivals
📐 Area: 30,518 sq km
👥 Population: 11,420,163
🏙️ Capital: Brussels (population 1,191,604)
🗺️ Regions: Flanders (North), Wallonia (South) and Brussels-Capital
💬 Communities: Flemish, French and German speaking
🗨️ Languages: Dutch (±59%), French (±37%) and German (±1%)
💶 Currency: Euro
Working Hours
⏰ During school periods: Monday to Friday from 3 P.M. to 6 or 7 P.M., depending on the day. On Wednesday you work the entire day.
🌞 During school holidays: Monday to Friday from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.
📆 Weekends: you are usually free on Saturday and Sunday, but working in a youth centre also requires flexibility. Special events or projects (between 8 and 10) may be organised during weekends or evenings.
🧼 Working hours may differ during cleaning weeks.
Pocket Money, Food, Accommodation and Transport
Participation in the European Solidarity Corps is free of charge, except for an exceptional contribution to travel costs. You receive free board and lodging during the whole activity. In addition, you receive pocket money for personal expenses throughout the duration of the activity, including holidays. If you want to know how pocket money works, read our guide on how much pocket money you get on ESC, and see whether ESC volunteering is fully funded.
💰 Allowance: every month you are paid an allowance that includes food and pocket money
🎟️ Leisure time budget: it covers activities that let you meet Belgians and discover Belgium, such as train tickets, museum entrances, a theatre pass and gym registration
🚆 Trips for activities: from time to time you will need to travel to join some activities, and these trips are covered by Gamedella
🚲 Getting to work: the distance between your house and Gamedella is more or less 3.5 km, and depending on the situation you will be offered a bus pass or a bicycle
Insurance
You are covered throughout the activity period by the obligatory European Solidarity Corps insurance plan (Henner) set up by the European Commission. This coverage is only complementary to the mandatory coverage of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which you must obtain prior to departure.
In certain cases, when national rules deprive participants of coverage under EHIC for the duration of the placement, Henner provides full coverage. You must provide proof that obtaining the EHIC in your case was not possible, and you should contact your National Agency for advice on your specific circumstances. Read the insurance-related information carefully, and see our guide on insurance for ESC volunteers.
Training and Support During the Project
🎒 Before departure: a pre-departure training in your home country
🛬 After arrival: the Belgian National Agency (BIJ) organises an arrival training and a mid-term training
🗓️ Weekends with CBB: your support organisation invites you to 2 to 3 weekends to reflect on your project and your learnings
📚 Training at Gamedella: you are invited to take part in trainings at the same level as the rest of the team, and you receive an introductory session on the behaviours to adopt when working with young people
🧭 Tutor: you are accompanied by your tutor during your volunteer period
To know what to expect in the first weeks, read our guide on your first steps as an ESC volunteer.
Who Can Apply? Volunteer Profile
🧑 Aged 18-30 years old
👦 Willingness to work with children and teenagers
🇫🇷 The main language, especially with the target groups, is French, so a basic or intermediate level of French is welcome
📖 If you do not speak French, you are asked to commit to start learning the language even before your arrival, as it will impact your relationships with the young people
🔥 Motivation and a will to learn new things and contribute with your own ideas
🤸 Initiative and flexibility
What Past Volunteers Say
Gamedella has hosted ESC volunteers before, and two volunteers from 2025 describe their year.
Matvej came to Belgium in February 2025, aged 22, as the first volunteer at Gamedella. He remembers arriving in Rochefort with its forest and hilly landscape, the children who smile so sincerely every time they see you, the colleagues who greet you with warmth and kindness, and the other volunteers who bring their passion and stories from all over the world. The year opened a new perspective on life and gave him friends from everywhere in the world. Through Gamedella's local initiatives in collaboration with the city, he connected with the local Walloon population, and he was able to master French in a supportive and welcoming environment.
Gaia says her motivation was to live a life different from the one she lived before: to learn other languages, explore different cultures, meet people from different environments and try new things. She calls the project the best choice she made in her life. On her second day in Belgium, a seminar let her meet many people and learn about other cultures. During the project she learned to listen and understand herself, to be flexible, to switch to another language, to behave around children and to put boundaries and communicate. A typical day meant going to work, staying with the children, helping with homework and spending time after school, then spending time with the other volunteers at home. At weekends the volunteers divided the household tasks of the house.
How to Apply
📝 Step 1: answer the questionnaire on the project page and attach your CV at the end of the form. You can fill the form in English or French.
🪪 Step 2: create a profile on the European Solidarity Corps portal ("JOIN THE CORPS"), under the new programme of the European Commission. Our guide on how to register on the ESC portal walks you through it.
🎨 Step 3 (optional): if you feel creative, send additional material related to your application by email.
Creating a profile on the ESC portal AND filling in the form is compulsory for CBB to take your application into consideration. Pre-selected volunteers will be contacted for a Zoom interview.
PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM WITHOUT THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE! Do not be afraid to make mistakes: CBB prefers personal answers to perfect ones.
For help with your answers, read our guides on how to write a motivation letter for ESC projects and the top ESC application mistakes to avoid.
Find more projects like this in our ESC volunteering listings on Youth Works Hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a volunteer do at Gamedella?
You support the Gamedella staff in after-school help for children, free time at the youth centre, Friday citizen actions, weekly discovery workshops and holiday camps. You help before, during and after each activity, and you can propose your own ideas for workshops.
How long does the ESC project last?
The activity runs from 01 February 2027 to 31 January 2028. For other durations, see our guide on how long an ESC project is.
What is the age limit for this project?
Volunteers must be aged 18-30 years old.
Do I need to speak French?
No, but a basic or intermediate level of French is welcome, because French is the main language with the young people. If you do not speak French, you are asked to commit to start learning it even before arrival. CBB also handles French lessons and online language tools as part of the practical arrangements.
Where will I live and work?
You live in a fully-equipped shared house in the centre of Rochefort, in a private bedroom, with other ESC volunteers. You work in Jemelle, a small village next to Rochefort, near the main train station, about 3 km from the house.
Does it cost anything to take part?
No. Participation in the European Solidarity Corps is free of charge, except for an exceptional contribution to travel costs. You receive free board and lodging, a monthly allowance that includes food and pocket money, and a leisure time budget.
What are the working hours?
During school periods you work Monday to Friday from 3 P.M. to 6 or 7 P.M., and the whole day on Wednesday. During school holidays you work Monday to Friday from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Weekends are usually free, but special events may take place in the evenings or at weekends.
Which insurance covers me?
You are covered by the obligatory European Solidarity Corps insurance plan (Henner), which complements the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) you must obtain before departure.
How do I apply?
Answer the questionnaire on the project page with your CV attached, and create a profile on the European Solidarity Corps portal. Both are compulsory. Pre-selected volunteers are contacted for a Zoom interview.
Is there an application deadline?
No. The call says "No deadline, first come first served", so apply as soon as possible.
Project Snapshot
📌 Type: ESC Volunteering (long-term)
📍 Location: Rochefort (volunteer house) and Jemelle (workplace), Belgium
🗓️ Activity Dates: 01 February 2027 - 31 January 2028
🌍 Countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Türkiye, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, Palestine, Russia, Serbia, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine
🎂 Age: 18-30
Deadline
⏳ As soon as possible!
Links
🔗 Application form (REGISTER tab, CV attached): https://compagnonsbatisseurs.world/activities/long-term/esc-volunteering/gamedella/
🪪 ESC portal profile ("JOIN THE CORPS"): https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en
📧 Optional additional material: esc@compagnonsbatisseurs.be
🏠 Gamedella website: https://www.gamedella.com/
🌐 CBB website: https://compagnonsbatisseurs.world/
📘 CBB on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compagnonsbatisseurs.asbl/
📸 CBB on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cb.belgium/
🛡️ Henner (ESC insurance information): https://www.henner.com/en/accueil-english/
