Are you a senior, have time ahead of you and love to spare? So why not welcome a disadvantaged child on vacation to your home to help him discover hobbies that he cannot experience in his daily life. You can thus become his vacation family and live a common enriching experience at all levels while making the happiness of this child. Here's what you need to know and do if you decide to take the plunge.
In France, there are many associations looking for volunteer families to take in underprivileged children to take them on vacation. In general, these children are not orphans and often only have their father or mother themselves, often in great financial difficulty. If you are a senior in good shape or a senior couple, you can volunteer, but be aware that we do not welcome a child on a whim. You have to think carefully before committing , because having a child with you is a big responsibility from any point of view. You must contact an association looking for people wishing to welcome children for the holidays with them. You will learn, get to know each other and work as a team, because a child is not told overnight that he is going to leave with strangers for a long period of time.
The family of the child, the members of the association work together to prepare the child to go to a family vacation. For your part, you will also be prepared to receive this child at your home. If you have a quiet house with a garden, the structure will be ideal, but you will also have the choice of being able to bring it with you by:
Whatever reception arrangements you plan for this child, they will be studied and approved beforehand by the association, which will have gone through it for a long time with you. The housing condition lies solely in the fact that the child must have a separate room if possible, but not essential. On the other hand, it is requested to avoid too much promiscuity between girl and boy.
As you are senior, you may be considered by a child as a grandparent at heart , but to get there, it is necessary to forge links. When submitting your application, you will be required to specify the age of the child you wish to receive. Know that you will never be offered to babysit a child with serious behavioral problems. The truth will never be hidden from you. On the other hand, during meetings, the child will be present and will even have a say if he wishes, because he must understand where he is going and with whom, to be consenting.
A disadvantaged child is not synonymous with a child in difficulty. He can have a loving family, but does not have the material means to give him a vacation every year. It may happen that a child has never left before and that he has never left his father or his mother. Parents must therefore be reassured both by the association and by yourself. It is therefore important to meet and get to know each other.
So that the child can get used to you and that you have a good time together, it is advisable to bet a stay that is neither too short nor too long. Two weeks are ideal so that the separation between the child and his parents is not too heavy and so that you also have time to get to know each other and enjoy beautiful hobbies with the child. If all goes well, you can then invite the same child again without having to use the association.
First, you must submit an application to an association. You will then go through all the steps that we have just explained. Once you reach the end of this process in agreement with the association, the family and the child, know that all the costs related to the child's stay are the responsibility of the association except the costs of transportation. These associations do not receive any compensation and everything is only volunteer work . To be welcoming you must obtain the administrative approval requested by an association from the Departmental Directorate of Social Cohesion depending on the Ministry of National Education and Youth.
It's up to you now, if you are ready, as a senior, to offer a great vacation to a disadvantaged child . Remember that you are committed and responsible. This approach should therefore not be done without reflection and if you do not feel ready to assume a responsibility which, all in all, remains quite heavy. In the other direction, you will make a child happy and help him discover beautiful things while forging a sincere friendship between you.
