Depart Home for Paris, France
Arrive in Paris, France
Airport Transfer
Check-In, Relax & Refresh
Orientation Walking Tour - The group will become oriented with their neighborhood, the public transportation systems, nearby pharmacies, markets, ATMs, etc.
Seine Boat Cruise - Accompanied by a guide, you will go back in time on the most beautiful historical axis of Paris: the Seine. You will discover all its secrets through numerous anecdotes.
OPTIONAL - Eiffel Tower - This worldwide iconic landmark was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "La dame de fer", it was constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair.
Welcome Dinner - The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a wide variety of menu options to cater all diets.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Paris Noir - We start in the Latin Quarter, home of the most prestigious schools in France. We first focus on a hidden French Colonial History and the rise of « la Négritude », a Pan-African literary and political movement. Then we head to Saint-Germain to talk about the contributions of African American Expats (from Richard Wright to James Baldwin) to Post-WWII France.
Lunch Break
Louvre Museum - This is the world's most-visited museum, and a historic landmark in Paris. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Volunteer Activity: Journey to Paris & Europe’s Migrant Crisis - The group will work with an NGO dedicated to humanitarian needs in Paris and specifically focused on helping refugees and the homeless. First a pre-volunteer workshop that is complementary to the volunteer street aid activities that follow. This include a general overview about the problems and challenges that Paris is facing with the homeless and refugees, including those affected by the war in Ukraine. They will explain their current operations and future goals. There will be a Q&A session with workshop participants, along with a guest speaker, either a refugee or a guest speaker with close ties to asylum seekers. A street aid distribution activity will follow this workshop activity.
HOMELESS FOOD ITEM PREPARATION AND DELIVERY - Participants break into groups of around 4/5 and join different preparation stations. The package contains food and welcome message. Each group is assigned a location and a route leader for the care packages to be distributed to individuals we serve in the streets of Paris
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Galerie de l’Homme - The Galerie de l’Homme visit circuit is themed around understanding who we are as humans, understanding our place among living beings through what we used to be, and imagining what we will become
The Salpêtrière Hospital - Converted into a prison in 1680, more than 8000 ‘insane women’ were incarcerated in poor conditions until the French Revolution (the Petites loges are still visible) when Philippe Pinel, a qualified medical officer expert in psychiatry implemented radical changes in the diagnosis of mental diseases. Then Jean-Martin Charcot established a new medical discipline, the neurology, and created the famous “Ecole de la Salpêtrière”.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Council of Europe - Founded in 1949 by the Treaty of London and based in Strasbourg, France, the Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organisation. It has 47 member states, 28 of which are members of the European Union. All Council of Europe member states have signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty designed to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Lunch Break
Visit La Maison Des Journalistes - TBD - “Maison des journalistes” is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting journalists who have been forced to flee their countries because of persecution relating to their line of work. A physical refuge located in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, the Maison des journalists offers these courageous journalists a temporary home and the help they need to rebuild their lives.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Full Day Excursion Versailles Palace - The Palace of Versailles is a magnificent example of French Baroque architecture, is the most famous royal chateau in France.
Farewell Dinner and Program Closing at La Résidence - Since 2018, the Résidence du Refugee Food* has welcomed and trained refugee cooks who have obtained asylum in France.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Free Day in Paris
Suggestions:
Père-Lachaise Cemetery -Walk through the most prestigious and most visited necropolis in Paris
Musée d’Orsay - It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography.
Musee du quai Branly Jacques Chirac
Immigration History Museum - This national Museum unfolds a chronological, thematic and sensitive narrative in 11 key dates - from 1685 to the present day - which show that the history of immigration is an indivisible component of French history, based on scientific data, events and life stories.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Airport Transfer
Depart Paris, France for Home