Civic Service

Civic Service is a voluntary commitment, where participants (civic servants) receive a monthly financial compensation, aimed at serving the general public interest. It is open to all young people aged 16 to 25, regardless of qualifications, and extends to individuals up to the age of 30 for those with disabilities. Civic Service can be carried out within associations, local authorities (such as town halls and regional governments), or public institutions (such as museums and schools), for a period of 6 to 12 months, either in France or abroad. Participants are required to dedicate at least 24 hours per week to their service. The missions are focused on 10 key sectors: solidarity, health, education for all, culture and leisure, sport, environment, citizenship, international development and humanitarian action, emergency crisis intervention, and European citizenship.

Objectives:

Civic Service is based on eight core principles: general interest, citizenship, diversity, accessibility, complementarity, initiative, careful supervision, and respect for the law. Its aim is to provide young people with the opportunity to serve the public interest and contribute to social cohesion by strengthening the role and actions of local public stakeholders.

Duration of the Initiative:

Civic Service, established in 2010, remains active today. Each mission is limited to a duration of 12 months for each civic servant.

Positive Impact:

Main quantitative indicators:

• 535,000 volunteers since 2010, with a consistent year-on-year increase since 2015, reaching 150,000 in 2023.
• Over 7,000 available opportunities and 11,000 different host organizations currently.
• 53% of former volunteers choose to continue their commitment after completing their civic service.

Main qualitative outputs:

• Youth engagement in the general interest and citizenship.
• Youth empowerment and capacity-building (training to upgrade practical and theoretical skills, access to the labor market…).
• Contribution to social ties and national cohesion.
• Complementarity, assistance, and labor force are provided to public interest and non-profit local organizations.

Preparation Phase:

1- Offering young people the opportunity to serve the general interest and engage in social cohesion and citizenship.

2- Finding strategic partners (130 in 2023) and host organizations (9,500 in 2023): local, decentralized, and public institutions in key sectors such as the environment, public service, culture, and national heritage.

3- The Civic Service Agency was established in 2010 to implement the initiative

• 1 President (nominated by the President of the French Republic)
• 1 General Director (nominated by the Minister of Sports, Youth, and Community Life)
• 1 Cabinet
• 1 General Secretariat (comprising a legal department and a communications and partnership department)
• 1 Board of Directors (11 members from various public agencies linked to the Ministry)
• 1 Strategic Committee (11 members of the Board of Directors, 46 members from partner host organizations, 4 parliamentarians, 2 qualified experts, 12 members from the College of Volunteers)
• 1 Erasmus+ National Committee (Erasmus+ Youth & Sports program)
• 1 Erasmus+ Permanent Committee (Erasmus+ national agencies)
• A network of regional and decentralized delegates of the agency (around 100)

4- The creation of Civic Service results from a mix between the national legacy of the military service under the 5th Republic, and the desire to improve social cohesion in the mid-2000s. Indeed, the National Service (16-month military or civil service) was created in 1965, and replaced in 1997 by a Defense and Citizenship Day when the professionalization of the French military was completed. The idea behind the modern Civic Service emerged after the 2005 riots in the Paris suburbs, to improve social cohesion in the national territory. The current form of the Civic Service was among the propositions offered by President Nicolas Sarkozy in his program during the 2007 presidential elections. After his election, the initiative was supported by former Minister of Youth and Education Luc Ferry in a Special Report. This led the then-High Commissioner for Active Solidarity and Youth Martin Hirsch to conduct parliamentary consultations on the project in 2008, which would be finally implemented two years later with a legal act approved almost unanimously by the members of the Parliament. Overall, Civic Service was created over a 5-year timeline from the conception of the program to its legal and effective implementation.

5- Civic Service quickly proved to be successful, even without a major media campaign, by building on pre-existing forms of volunteering and public initiatives that it unified under a single program and status. Today, the program is supported by an online platform (https://www.service-civique.gouv.fr/) that functions as a search engine, listing all available opportunities. Additionally, the program gains visibility through regular activity on its social media accounts: X (17k subscribers), Instagram (25k), Facebook (316k), LinkedIn (22k), and YouTube (5k). Promotional campaigns dedicated to Civic Service are also regularly broadcast on national television and radio.

6- An initial investment of €40 million, along with the creation of a dedicated agency, supported the launch of the initiative in 2010. In 2011, an additional €98 million was allocated for the creation of 15,000 opportunities, with a further 25,000 offers added the following year. After his election in 2012, President François Hollande set the target of reaching 100,000 offers by 2017 and increased the dedicated budget in 2015 to expand to 350,000 opportunities within three years. By 2024, a €518.8 million budget was allocated to the development of Civic Service, which required a total workforce of 117.8 FTEs in 2023. In 2024, Civic Servants received a monthly compensation of €619.83.

7- The agency advises applicants to visit its dedicated website to learn more about the criteria, status, and various details related to Civic Service. Afterward, applicants can use the online platform to explore available opportunities across a wide range of fields, utilizing filters, keywords, etc. Once the candidate selects an offer to apply for, they must complete the specific online form, which includes a series of questions and a cover letter to better understand the applicant’s personality (the procedure does not require a résumé or diploma). This first phase of the application will be processed within one month. If the application is not rejected, the candidate will be invited for a motivation interview. Once officially selected, the candidate will sign their Civic Service contract, which outlines all the details of their mission. They will also be assigned a mentor who will guide them throughout their mission. At any stage of the application process, the candidate can receive assistance from dedicated services and organizations such as La Mission Locale and Le Réseau Info Jeunes.

8- Civic Service is open to all young people aged 16 to 25, regardless of qualifications, with an extension to 30 for young people with disabilities. Applicants must align with the republican values common to all Civic Service missions. The service can be carried out over a period of 6 to 12 months, either in France or abroad, with a minimum of 24 hours of duty per week.

Implementation Phase:

1. In the case of Civic Service and if we consider “program registration” as the first step of the implementation phase of the initiative, it emerges from a top-down political approach in compliance with the national legal processes, and has to translate into the creation of a relatively autonomous and dedicated public agency with a precise status and its own budget and resources.   
2. The organizational structure and governance of the entity in charge of the initiative is autonomous in the management and the pursuit of the assigned objectives. Its composition is diversified in order to ensure balance and transparency. Its performance is monitored through quantitative and qualitative public reports to ensure accountability. In accordance with its specific legal status, accountability is also ensured through the dependance of the agency upon the budgetary decision proposed by the government and approved by the Parliament. 
3. Through its different internal departments, the agency is able to provide documentation in the form of annual reports, online articles, newsletter, performance reviews and press kits. In the case of the Civic Service, all those resources are public and available online directly on the agency’s website.
4. In the case of Civic Service and if we consider “program registration” as the first step of the implementation phase of the initiative, it emerges from a top-down political approach in compliance with the national legal processes, and has to translate into the creation of a relatively autonomous and dedicated public agency with a precise status and its own budget and resources.   
5. The organizational structure and governance of the entity in charge of the initiative is autonomous in the management and the pursuit of the assigned objectives. Its composition is diversified in order to ensure balance and transparency. Its performance is monitored through quantitative and qualitative public reports to ensure accountability. In accordance with its specific legal status, accountability is also ensured through the dependance of the agency upon the budgetary decision proposed by the government and approved by the Parliament. 
6. Through its different internal departments, the agency is able to provide documentation in the form of annual reports, online articles, newsletter, performance reviews and press kits. In the case of the Civic Service, all those resources are public and available online directly on the agency’s website.

Post-Initiative Phase:

The aforementioned quantitative indicators and qualitative outputs facilitate the evaluation of the initiative. As shown above, the overall results of the initiative in the case of Civic Service are very positive and likely to keep on following this successful trajectory.