EDHEC and France Volontaires sign a partnership agreement
On 19 March 2025, EDHEC Business School and France Volontaires signed a partnership agreement in Paris. The agreement seeks to foster students’ engagement with EDHEC’s Global Impact Projects (GIPs) and to make it easier for them to take part in “VIES” international exchange and solidarity volunteer schemes. Signed by Emmanuel Métais, Dean of EDHEC Business School, and Yann Delaunay, Executive Director of France Volontaires, the agreement will run for a period of three years. It is the first agreement signed between France Volontaires and a business school.
In 2024, EDHEC launched a new initiative enabling EDHEC Master in Management and BBA students to gain their necessary international experience by engaging in projects of a social, charitable or environmental nature. These Global Impact Projects, supported by the School’s UNESCO Chair, offer students the chance to work on the ground with an NGO or a not-for-profit association for six months. This experience helps transform their vision of the world and reinforces their emotional intelligence, sense of co-operation and resilience. Although students can submit their own projects, the School already offers numerous assignments aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its existing network of NGOs and not-for-profits (Acted, Agape, All Hands and Hearts, Fundación Pies Descalzos, SPJIMR, etc.).
Expanding student international volunteer projects
As the operating arm of France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in charge of developing and promoting international volunteering, France Volontaires will help the School strengthen its GIP approach and target new regions for projects around the world. The organisation will notably assist the School by identifying reliable partnership structures and providing support for students, particularly through preparation sessions organised prior to departure, on-site welcomes and help with finding secure accommodation solutions. “The partnership with France Volontaires represents both institutional recognition and a strategic lever to reinforce the Global Impact Projects developed by EDHEC”, explains Emmanuel Métais. “The School has made engagement in favour of the common good a central component of its educational mission and this initiative is a tangible illustration of EDHEC’s desire to train students capable of driving and accompanying major global transitions”.
The agreement between EDHEC and France Volontaires also pursues other objectives, including those of raising students’ awareness of “VIES” international exchange and solidarity volunteer schemes and encouraging them to take part in the projects run by the School. The goal is notably to broaden students’ access to civic service or international social volunteering opportunities during their gap year or at the end of their programme.
