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.