As an Assistant
The most common way to share life with people with intellectual disabilities in our community is to become an assistant. A live-in assistant shares a home with people who have intellectual disabilities and others who do not. Together, they form a home which respects personal dignity, shapes honest relationships, and knows how to celebrate. Not all L’Arche assistant roles are live-in. Live-in or live-out, the role of the assistant is very complex, challenging and ultimately rewarding.
A house assistant supports people with intellectual disabilities to take part in community life – to cook, clean, and run a household, go to work, have a social life, and to see their friends and family. A workshop assistant supports people with intellectual disabilities in the work environment (mostly in the L’Arche workshops) and during afternoon leisure and therapy sessions.
In the beginning, all potential assistants are welcome to join the “Come & See” programme.
Come-and-see volunteers may discover that there is still more to learn and share. They can explore this in our 6-month programme (as live-in house assistants or live-out workshop assistants).
In the 6-month programme, volunteers start to participate in respectively house /workshop life more fully. House assistants learn more about how to support each core member, they participate in house team meetings, and they receive more responsibilities in the house. Workshop assistants learn more about supporting core members in the workshops and during leisure, sport, and therapy sessions. They participate in workshop team meetings and get involved in leading inclusive and participative activities.
All assistants committed for 6 months participate in our “Orientation Programme” which is a set of monthly formation/training sessions which will help them to go deeper into the spiritual and professional aspects of life in L’Arche. A document called a Memorandum of Understanding is given to them to explain all their responsibilities and the responsibilities of the community towards them.
After the initial 6-month commitment and an evaluation of their time in the community, they can extend their stay for another year. Again, The Memorandum of Understanding will state the topics covered in their monthly “Formation Programme” and other arrangements between them and the community. This time, the formations will help them to go much deeper into the three aspects of community life: mutual relationships, spirituality and professionalism, and will prepare them for facing the challenges in the community. Although all of the formations are meant to help the assistants to live better in L’Arche, most of the formations (such as the formation about coping with stress, non-violent conflict resolution, effective communication, behaviour management, and commitment and belonging) will likely be useful for them outside of L’Arche.
