France: Sociology and Service Learning

Airport Transfer

On-rGound Briefing & Orientation Walking Tour - The group will become oriented with their neighborhood, the public transportation systems, nearby pharmacies, markets, ATMs, etc. Additionally, an in-depth safety briefing will be provided for what to do in case of an emergency. 

Left Bank Walking Tour - See the Pont Neuf, Quartier Latin, Sorbonne, Pantheon, and Jardin de Luxembourg.

Welcome Dinner - The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a wide variety of menu options to cater all diets.

Activity: Journey to Paris & Europe’s Migrant Crisis Workshop & Food Care Package Preparation - The group will work with an NGO dedicated to humanitarian needs in Paris and specifically focused on helping refugees and the homeless. They lead groups through a pre-volunteer workshop that is complementary to the volunteer street aid activities that follow. They will begin with introductions about them and their team, with 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. This workshop includes an interactive discussion on the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe and the global implications. They then talk about solutions for these challenges and how residents and visitors can make a difference. They will elaborate a bit on their current operations with regards to their start in Paris, their partners, and explain their current and future operation 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

After the 30-minute workshop, they break volunteers into smaller groups to create sandwiches & care items as part of the distribution activity directly following the workshop. Participants break into groups of around 4/5 and join different preparation stations. One group will be assigned to make sandwiches and divide food items, another group will be assigned to fill small travel size containers with hygiene products and assembly sacs for distribution. The third group will fill out short inspirational messages (in English or French) such as “welcome to France,'' (Bienvenue en France) “hang in there,” (bon courage), “we are with you,” (nous sommes avec toi), or “stay strong,” (reste fort) etc. These notes are also placed in the care packages along with food items and hygiene products. Members of each group can also rotate during the session to different stations. The entire preparation takes 30 minutes or less.

HOMELESS CARE PACKAGE DELIVERY

There is then a 5-10 minute cleanup period before the participants are placed into groups of 3-5. Each group is assigned a location for the care packages to be distributed to individuals we serve in the streets of Paris. Distribution routes are all centrally based, (within a 2-3 km radius, traveling on foot from the park). Some of the popular routes include: Châtelet, Gare de Lyon, Bastille, Place de Republique, St. Michele or Gare de Nord, for example. The NGO provides route leaders that take out each group on the assigned route. They can accommodate any activity participants who are unable to walk long distances with a closer route within 1 km from the park. After the planned activity and distributions are completed, the route leaders kindly ask the group to take a moment to complete their online survey (on their cell phones via a link). Route leaders can help ensure all participants make it back safely to any specified ending destination.

Free afternoon

River Seine Cruise - The best way to get a panoramic view of this spectacular city.

Eiffel Tower in the evening - An object of discord, desire and fascination, the Eiffel Tower never fails to impress since 1889.

Versailles - Get access to the full Palace with timed entry + audio guide to see the estate of Trianon, the temporary exhibitions, the Gardens of the Palace, and the Park.

Montmartre Walking Tour - This is the “artists neighborhood”. Retrace the footsteps of artistic legends such as Dali, Degas, and Hemingway, among several others. The Moulin Rouge and Sacre Coeur Cathedral are especially famous attractions that have been attracting visitors for decades.

Activity with Serve the City: Journey to Paris & Europe’s Migrant Crisis Workshop & Food Care Package Preparation

Free Afternoon

Louvre Museum - Home to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Louvre is considered the world's greatest art museum, with an unparalleled collection of items covering the full spectrum of art through the ages.

Covered Passages Walking Tour - Frozen in time since the 1800s, these glass-roofed & paved arcades were originally created for the nobles to enjoy a stroll and a little shopping away from the dirt and the rabble of the streets. Enter the world of the Palais Royal. After learning about the palace’s scandalous & glamourous history, you’ll be taken through the gardens and the covered arcades that Philippe d'Orléans created to satisfy the nobles Parisians libertine way of life. From there the Palais Royal’s gardens will be a treat for the eyes with colourful flower beds, arcaded walkways, and rows of linden trees. A walk past Napoleon’s former stock exchange building will bring you to a historic candy shop with ties to Marie Antoinette. You can still buy her favorite chocolates today! Glimpse into a cozy cacophony of old stamps and postcards, bistros, ethnic eateries, and plenty of historic charm.

Activity with Serve the City: Journey to Paris & Europe’s Migrant Crisis Workshop & Food Care Package Preparation

Free Afternoon

Day-Trip to Mont Saint Michel with Group Lunch included - Perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to powerful tides between Normandy and Brittany stand the 'Wonder of the West', a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the archangel St Michael, and the village that grew up in the shadow of its great walls. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, the abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force, having had to adapt to the problems posed by this unique natural site.

Visit Mont Saint Michel Abbey - (with audio guide included) - The Abbey of the Mont-Saint-Michel became a renowned center of learning, attracting some of the greatest minds and manuscript illuminators in Europe. Vast numbers of pilgrims visited, despite endless cross-Channel conflict; in fact, the ramparts at the base of the island were built to keep the English forces out. It is nowadays classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Return to Paris

Airport Transfer

Depart Paris, France for Home