Cultural Volunteer Program

Overview:

Our volunteers are essential to the smooth running of our many, varied cultural events. Generally, volunteers help us set up and clean up for these events, welcome people and take names at the door, serve wine, and help prepare and serve the cheese/crudité/dips/bread. Bilingual/native francophone volunteers also have the opportunity to lead the conversation tables during our monthly conversation clubs and at our international conversation clubs. For every event, we ask that volunteers arrive at least half an hour early to help with the preparations and to be ready to welcome the guests when they arrive.

Commitment:

In order to successfully host the large number of cultural events presented at l’Alliance Française, we need committed and dependable volunteers. Therefore we have laid out some guidelines regarding participation in our Cultural Events Volunteer Program. First, to maintain the status of “bénévole assidu,” a volunteer must be involved in an average of 1 event per month over 6 months. Second, if a volunteer is not involved in any events for one year, it will be taken as an indication that he or she is no longer interested and wishes to be removed from the volunteer list. Volunteers must give at least 48 hours notice if they will be unable to attend an event to which they had previously committed. No-shows risk being removed from the volunteer list immediately and permanently.

Benefits:

Volunteering at l’Alliance Française brings a number of benefits. In addition to immersing yourself in a francophone atmosphere and being able attend a good portion of each event you sign up for, “bénévoles assidus,” may also receive:

• Free admission to conversation clubs at l’Alliance
• One-year individual membership after 12 hours (4 events) of service. This membership may be renewed yearly as long as the volunteer maintains his or her status as a “bénévole assidu.”
• Free admission to 2 Ciné Clubs per trimester.
• 18 hours (~6 events) over 2 months = 1 place at a lecture, concert, or play, OR
• 24 hours (~8 events)  over 2 months = 1 place at a wine tasting,

Work-Study program:

Volunteers for our cultural events may also take advantage of our work-study program whereby you may earn free French classes in exchange for the events you work. To earn your first session of free classes, you must work 45 hours (~15 events) in a 6 months period. These hours cannot also be put towards free admission to cultural events, so it is important to indicate whether you would like to participate in the work-study program. Also, the number of volunteer opportunities available per trimester being limited, we may need to impose a limit on the number of people taking part in the work-study program.

Volunteers may participate in both the Library and Cultural Events Volunteer Programs, but may only participate in one work-study program at a given time.

To become a volunteer for our cultural events please send a brief letter introducing yourself and describing your interest in volunteering at l'Alliance Française along with the following form to alliance@francedc.org.

Please note that l’Alliance Française de Washington selects new volunteers based on its needs and that submitting application materials does not guarantee the applicant a place as a volunteer.

Cultural Events Volunteer Profile.doc

L’Alliance Française de Washington says « Merci » to all its Volunteers! Without them, nothing would be possible at the Alliance Française. Thanks to all of them for their time, their work and their talent!

Volunteers

L'Alliance Française de Washington says "Merci!" to all of our volunteers. Without them nothing would be possible at l’Alliance Française. Thanks to all of them for their time, their work, and their talent.

• Isabelle Babington
• Ana Chiacu
• Kristen Hickman
• Kristin Long
• Roman Majtan
• Carlo Passeri
• Alisha Reaves
• Hélène Rodriguez-Sherman
• Patrick Skelley
• Mariah Strauch-Nelson
• Maggie Tunning
• Kim Chadda
• Julie Masal
• Pierre Cartier
• Lexi Buscageli
• Jane Petersen
• Sandra Gillis
• Alison Rosenblum
• Silvana Pighi
• Yacoub Elayyadi
• Oznur Keceli
• Kate Niswander
• Brian Mac Ian
• Amy Davidson
• Julia Kennedy
• Sherry Chiason
• Melanie Clatanoff
• Catherine Cooling
• Anna Foucher
• Anastasia Kalona
• Amelia Beatty
• Marie L’Hostis
• Nicole Ciobanu
• Mira Bakarat
• Ben Smith
• Mary-Claire Hood
• Diego Andres Gomez
• Karen Levine

Library Volunteer Program

Volunteers may be eligible to receive a free class in exchange for a certain number of hours worked per session. To become a volunteer contact Nadia:

Tel: 202-234-7911 ext. 14 Fax: 202-234-0125 bibli.alliance@francedc.org 

• Sonda Allen
• Timothy Dowdy
• Emilie Kaszas-Broussard
• Kristen Hickman
• Marie L'hostis
• Rinako Oka
• Ben Smith
• Elisabeth Smith
• Juliette Tilghman
• Julia Xu