“InSite aims to make the heart of villages beat,” enthuses Élodie Tesson. “We observed that there were elected officials, residents, and associations acting daily in rural areas, in villages, but in complete anonymity and with very few resources. We also noticed that young people wanted to engage differently, not necessarily by going to the other side of the world to be useful.”
Thus, InSite developed a rural volunteering concept that allows young people to live for 6 months in villages of about 500 inhabitants in France to assist municipal teams, elected officials, and residents in developing projects focused on intergenerational social ties, culture and heritage, as well as environmental issues.
“For some of these young people, it’s their first experience of cohabitation, which develops skills in interpersonal relations and self-confidence, as well as public speaking,” recounts Élodie Tesson. “It’s an experience of engagement and democratic life since they see how their projects impact the community.”
For the municipalities, this provides an influx of "youth energy" to develop projects, implement ideas, revitalize areas, and engage residents by recreating dynamics, thanks to the catalytic effect of these young people, fostering convivial spaces in villages through participation in joint actions.
“For us, it shifts representations, prejudices, and clichés. It shows a different image of rural life—dynamic, innovative, joyful, and supportive,” explains Élodie Tesson.
Today, at the end of their volunteering, nearly 17% of young people settle or continue to live in the area where they carried out their action.
“This shows that the experience is successful, but also that rural areas are desirable. What changes everything is the fact of living there. You don’t just come to carry out an action or a project. By being a resident, you are also a neighbor, and that creates local solidarities that allow for a more personal experience, sometimes with people you wouldn’t have necessarily met,” concludes Élodie Tesson.
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