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Adult Stay: Science Solidarity Leave

Find everything about OSI’s adult science solidarity leave here! Further Details

Adult Stay: Science Solidarity Leave

Find everything about OSI’s adult science solidarity leave here! Further Details

Home > Introduction > Adult Stay: Science Solidarity Leave

The non-profit association Objectif Sciences International offers high-level scientific expeditions accessible to all ages, and especially to adults at all stages of life, and from all levels of initial knowledge. These science Science La science est désormais l’affaire de tous. Découvrez la science d’une manière ludique et active. Nous vous proposons d’en découvrir plus sur nos expéditions à la voile, découverte du plancton. trips, organized for the pleasure of all, welcome women and men in a framework committed to Sustainable Development, with a team of motivated researchers, technicians, and scientific educators going out of their way to allow you to live great scientific adventures.

Become part of a large-scale project for the protection of the environment! Here, we give you the chance to go further than with usual humanitarian work! The missions that we offer you come directly from the concerns of local populations for the preservation of their environmental heritage. The needs and objectives are defined with the help of the locals to ensure the achievement of our missions on site. But it does not stop there, because we also offer excursions focusing on more technical themes such as electronics, IT, robotics...

On this page you can read different scenarios and examples of the excursions. These are just a few examples, and of course you can relate even if these few cases are not totally relevant to you. Contact us to find out more!

What exactly are OSI’s International Solidarity Solidarity Go on a solidarity vacation? Help to broaden our current understanding of the oceans?
It’s all possible with our nature courses whales and dolphins.
Scientific Trips for Adults?

When you take a science Science La science est désormais l’affaire de tous. Découvrez la science d’une manière ludique et active. Nous vous proposons d’en découvrir plus sur nos expéditions à la voile, découverte du plancton. solidarity Solidarity Go on a solidarity vacation? Help to broaden our current understanding of the oceans?
It’s all possible with our nature courses whales and dolphins.
leave with OSI: You are not only valuable because you come to the field but also because you become part of a team!
The non-governmental association ’Objectif Sciences International’ offers its Solidarity Science Science La science est désormais l’affaire de tous. Découvrez la science d’une manière ludique et active. Nous vous proposons d’en découvrir plus sur nos expéditions à la voile, découverte du plancton. Leave with a specific purpose: to allow passionate and well intentioned people to make a useful contribution towards Sustainable Development, and therefore towards the service of future generations and our planet. It only works so well because your active presence adds to a complex and well established project.

Observe and get close to animals of the Boreal Forest without disturbing them in order to study them? Contribute to the protection of coral reefs or the Snow Leopard? These are real actions to save the planet! The programs offered by Objectif Sciences International make a real contribution to improving the future of our planet.

More than 17 years of experience

Since 1992 the Objectif Sciences International association has been involved in making science accessible to all. It started by opening its doors to children during their school holidays, to allow them to carry out real scientific research Scientific Research Participate in scientific research research programs. Help advance research on oceans to help us understand them better. Do this on our nature courses on dolphins and whales. , at the Association’s Center for Scientific Stays in Auvergne, France. Since then, the NGO has grown a lot, participatory science projects have multiplied, and new Scientific Stay Centers have been created in Quebec, the United States, Africa, Japan, and on the Huahiné Island in French Polynesia to name a few. From now on, the association offers participatory research projects all over the world, at any time of the year, for children, adolescents, families and adults.

It is a training in Research through Research…

Gradually, from year to year, the association has implemented a unique and revolutionary educational system. All scientific projects are based on real scientific researches, and therefore on real unknowns.

For example, in the excursions «In the Land of whales», the volunteers study the coral reefs of Huahiné Island , in French Polynesia, in order to allow the reintroduction and the conservation of the flying fish on the island ... The participants therefore collaborate in improving the knowledge of the ecology and biology of this fish, and as a result the protection of an entire endangered ecosystem. The results of the work they carry out during their missions are added to the research carried out by partner organizations such as the IRD, the CNRS or the IFREMER.

The results of each research is collected and reused by the next groups of participants. Each participant adds his own building rock to the project. This is how the projects gradually progress and enable valuable discoveries in a ranch of different domains.
Why not hope to be able to fly on ecological planes in a few years, or to save animal species from extinction?

The methodology, equipment and objectives of the scientific research Scientific Research Participate in scientific research research programs. Help advance research on oceans to help us understand them better. Do this on our nature courses on dolphins and whales. carried out during Solidarity Science Holidays are recorded in a White Book. It is a sort of checklist of everything there is to do, why and with what. It is regularly updated by the project managers in collaboration with the scientific partners of these projects. It is a true bible for novice science researchers.

These White Books were written and put in place with the approval of the Association’s Scientific and Pedagogical Council, which contributes at all possible levels. This council brings together several professional partners of the association to establish its rules and working methods, but also its priorities. It determines, in agreement with other members of the association the different orientations of Objectif Sciences International, the research to be carried out, the places where to conduct it, the specific equipment to be used...

It is at the service of science and knowledge…

Without going as far as making everyone a scientist or a professional researcher, the goal of Objectif Sciences International is to allow people from all socio-professionalbackgrounds to discover and practice science. Thus, in addition to raising awareness on science and nature, it hopes to open the eyes of as many people as possible to the ecological and technological challenges that remain to be met.

Through programs like «In the heart of the Boreal Forest», where participants study the different animal species that inhabit the forest, the association collects a maximum of scientific data to support the various programs involved in the protection of natural ecosystems and their inhabitants, with the aim of creating a protected natural park. It’s the same for example with « On the footprints of the Snow leopard » and our many other projects.

In order to best spread scientific education to the general public, Objectif Sciences International association also offers Scientific Excursion to children Discovery Week-ends to families Classes for Scientific Discovery for the schools symposiumsfor scientific professionals.

Objectif Sciences International has developed a unique and revolutionary educational system. Research training through research allows anyone to discover science in a fun and effective way: it is a method that has since proven itself!

It is an unmatched coaching with outstanding teams...

  • Students, teachers, and scientists: our supervisors come from different backgrounds with varied technical, scientific and educational specialties. Before coming to supervise our expeditions, they are trained by the association in the working methods set up by the Association’s Science & Pedagogy Department. On each of our missions, they are present in numbers to help the participants of the Science Solidarity Excursions with their research in the field and in their daily life.,.
  • The structure of the Scientific Stay Centers allows professionals (educators and management team), student researchers (Master 2, Engineering students, PhD students), researchers (MCF, HDR, IR) and creative autodidacts to meet and get to work together.
  • The association has a Resource Center made up of 4 departments complementing each other to support the various Scientific Stay Centers in their needs in terms of innovation, control, communication and funding.
  • The close link that we have with local partners and our relationship with the participants in our activities allows us to have constant feedback on the association’s projects, objectives and subjects. This structure allows continuous growth and improvement as well as the assurance of working for a better dissemination of scientific culture and knowledge.

These are real travels! Valuable!

Objectif Sciences International’s Solidarity Science Excursions will allow you to spend a smart AND worthwhile holiday.
Are you tempted by a little trip? Let yourself be carried away...
Who hasn’t dreamt of finding themselves cut off from their surroundings for a moment?! Hearing nothing except the sound of birds, waves crashing on rocks ... Feeling the warm sun or the sea mist on your skin ... These are moments of peace, of fullness that we all aspire to at one time or another.
With Objectif Sciences International, you have the opportunity not only to make this dream come true, but also to give it an extra value...

Just imagine…
You wake up in the morning as the sun rises over a Marine Paradise, located in the north of Bergeronnes (Qc). More than a resort, it is an ideal viewing post for the passage of marine mammals Marine Mammals Observe marine mammals in the Iroise Sea in Brittany. Watch them develop in their natural habitat. You can do this on ourplakton discovery sailing expeditions. . Imagine having your coffee while watching the morning passage of the beluga whales. Below, the sea kayaks are being prepared while on the rocks, further down, the divers are putting on their diving suits. And yes, the St Laurent is as usual… 4 ° C.

Just feel...
As the sun sets for the Quebec group in the north of Tadoussac, which is still identifying the marine mammals Marine Mammals Observe marine mammals in the Iroise Sea in Brittany. Watch them develop in their natural habitat. You can do this on ourplakton discovery sailing expeditions. photographed throughout their day, a harsh day awaits you. In Kyrgyzstan, the sun is barely starting to warm you up. You are just starting to identify horses which will be your companions for the day. You may feel the slight tension that comes with the desire to discover clues of the Snow Leopard’s presence. Because at nearly 4000m altitude, the adventures are multiple...

Discover…
New smells, new sounds, a thousand-year-old culture. You come into contact with the Onsen, the ancestral hot springs with a thousand virtues. Geologist, anthropologist, hydrogeologist ... you discover the wealth of these environments which have always known how to be at the heart of habits. You are in Japan.

Dream…
Gardening the seabed instead of plundering it, observing and respecting aquatic fauna. You are by the Lagoon’s shore and are dreaming that finally new habits will be taken. You check your pressure regulator, prepare your camera equipment and set off to study the underwater environment along transects of your choice. It is difficult to resist the attraction of lukewarm and turquoise water when in Polynesia.

Explore…
You are 20m above the ground, your lunch basket arrives at the end of a rope and you are filled with your environment’s aromas. You are exploring the Auvergne canopy as many teams around the world have done ... Biodiversity, forest management, challenges for future generations ... you are in the heart of a preserved and rich Natural Park in order to conduct your experiments while staying in an authentic and still wild context.

These are extraordinary experiences...

From the mountains of Asia to the boreal forests, from warm seas to ancestral springs, it is under a new light that Objectif Sciences International will allow you to rediscover our Planet. Many scientific themes are found in different places around the world. It will be up to you to choose your destination, your environment. Whatever the location and your mission, the team atObjectif Sciences International will support and guide you. The Resource Center, a real exchange platform, will then help you define your project and follow you throughout your adventure.
Research projects progress over the years, what you think you know today may have evolved by the time you get there. Therefore, follow with curiosity what is being done on the projects and imagine your future collaboration. That said, the season, climate, and context are important so not all missions will take place at the same time in the same places. This will have to be taken into account. Call us to discuss this! |

Itmakes altruism rhyme with vacation…

Serve with happiness and fun on the field. Make a contribution towards a more beautiful planet!!!
Displaying selflessness, is applying one’s knowledge for the benefit of others. And in order to help, one must understand. This is why we offer these Science Solidarity Excursions to help you discover, learn and understand our planet. The amount of knowledge you will have gained during your vacation will allow you to be able to help others better understand the environmental challenges of the 21st century.
It is also interesting to note that various studies carried out, amongst others by the FIFG, showed that people have gone through all the classic holiday stays in the mountains, at the seaside… Today, they are asking for more and we have what could fully satisfy them.

You are going on a real humanitarian adventure: On one hand you are helping the association in its research projects, and on the other hand, your action for sustainable development helps local actors. All the work that you carry out will have an impact, either as a contribution to ongoing research in the countries in question, or by bringing direct improvements to the daily life of animals, plants or humans on the site where you will be spending your Solidarity Science Excursion.

In addition to the overall mission, you will also pursue various other objectives to promote scientific culture in the country/countries you are visiting.

These activities are also part of Sustainable Development with in particular the preservation and protection of natural environments since our association is located near magical places on the planet that it wishes to preserve at all costs!

It’s an opportunity to contribute to a real cause

In the framework of our scientific research Scientific Research Get involved in science research programs. Help build up our knowledge of our oceans. Help us to understand them better. Do this on our plankton discovery sailing expedition. , we offer Solidarity Science Excursions where you contribute to the implementation of various projects for the preservation of animal or plant species, the preservation of entire ecosystems (aquatic or terrestrial), in which you are involved in the installation of an ecological power supply ...

The Solidarity Science Leave allows you to discover our planet with a new perspective through enriching new experiences. You will emerge from it transformed and grow.

Being a part of a Solidarity Science Excursion is also about building up and earning recognition (from relatives, friends, colleagues, but also from people encountered and why not in the scientific world?!). In addition, as a former participant, you become a resource person for future volunteers at the Solidarity Science Leave in which you participated. You get the real feeling of making an essential contribution to the world around us.

During your leave, you will visit countries and regions of breathtaking beauty. You will contemplate and maybe even, approach very rare animals, like the Snow Leopards in Central Asia ... or you will study the song of whales, in the estuary of the Saint-Laurent, in Quebec...

Not only will you be proud of your action, but this experience will also bring you a lot especially, on a purely personal level.

These are different vacations…

These are holidays where you will feel that you are serving a purpose. Objectif Sciences International gives you a real chance to move the world forward, to make a tangible contribution to saving the planet: We offer various missions within the framework of Science Solidarity Holidays, which represent the opportunity for everyone to be part of humanitarian work without being a professional in this field.

Often, charities ask you to donate money for causes that are barely explained to you, and you may not even have the assurance that your money is getting to the intended beneficiary, or that it will make a real impact. With OSI’s Solidarity Science Holidays, you are not only the actor but also the finance provider of your solidarity project.

Become a field scientist and / or a laboratory assistant

During your stay, you will alternate field expeditions and analyzes of your laboratory analyses of your samples. You will be in the field, in close contact with the local population, whose expectations and development projects you will share. You will thus be able to have a better understanding of the problems of the research carried out by our association.

Hosting volunteers on Research Programs (PERCEPTION, PEKUAKAMI ...), will allow them to either assist a permanent staff member, or support a research activity of a Scientific Stay Center on a current concrete project in.

It’s being able to get involved in 17 research programs and at least 23 scientific disciplines

The missions which will be entrusted to you will be adapted to your profile, your ambitions, and your physical condition. In addition, they will as often as possible be correlated with one of our 17 research programs and will address at least one of the 23 scientific disciplines that our association wishes to promote. Whether it is the characterization of the acidity level of a mountain river in Kyrgyzstan or the monitoring of spring’s snowfallon the shores of Lac Saint Jean in Quebec, or the maintenance of observation plots Plots The plots of medium size, no larger than 20m², and they are installed by the participants in different places in the forest and the field belonging to the organisation in order to compare the flora and fauna between these different areas (forest edge, clearings, undergrowth, dead tree trunk, field...) as well as their changes from one year to another. in partnership with the Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park, everything is done to fully involve you in the project!

It is anchoring your project in a dynamic of sustainable development!

The Scientific Stay Centers, located in biodiversity reserves at the heart of local populations, host several Research programs. These research programs are run by teams which define projects with the real objective of promoting better living conditions and interaction between people and the planet. Numerous working groups ensure the sustainability of these strong intentions.

It means joining a permanent, stable team with international mobility!

The projects offered in the Science Solidarity Excursions are set up and supported by a permanent multidisciplinary team aiming to guarantee the continuity of the missions. You can be sure that your work is part of a sustainable research project, and will serve both as a basis for future volunteers, and as concrete additions to the databases used by professionals in Scientific Research Scientific Research Get involved in science research programs. Help build up our knowledge of our oceans. Help us to understand them better. Do this on our plankton discovery sailing expedition. . The project initiative team is represented all over the world, and can help you find THE mission you need.

Define a project that meets both real needs and your own aspirations.

The team in charge of Solidarity Science Excursion projects is used to setting up various projects adapted to executives and interlocutors. They will meet your specific needs in order to make these missions as productive and educational as possible. The proposed projects all stem from proven issues, all more or less urgent, often turning out to be major challenges of current scientific research Scientific Research Get involved in science research programs. Help build up our knowledge of our oceans. Help us to understand them better. Do this on our plankton discovery sailing expedition. .

It’s a collaboration with Laboratories, communities, schools!

Our projects, together with outreach and science education missions, bring together many actors around our study issues. Your actions then gain increased visibility, a quick and real impact on future generations and proven expertise. The trust granted by local authorities allows for a quick integration into local populations and enriches stays in various ways.

From Research to knowledge dissemination, as well as expertise ... many are the challenges to be met within OSI’sScience Solidarity Excursion projects.

It’s an adventure that isexperienced on the field

Do you want to face the world, in its reality, and do something meaningful?!

Whoever you are, you have the opportunity to go out on the field.

And besides, you may have been dreaming about it for many years already?

It’s for everyone

Solidarity leave is generally rather offered to working adults. We at OSI offer our Solidarity Science Excursions to everyone. Because whatever your situation, all your experiences and skills can make an essential contribution to the future of our beautiful planet.

  • For graduate students of Master in Biology
    In college, you may never have seen anything other than animals in jars. And that could be a little demoralizing. How will you react when faced with the biggest mammal on the planet? Would you be tempted to come and record the songs of whales in the Saint. Laurent Estuary in Quebec? And how gratifying would it feel to know that your records and analyses can serve as a scientific basis for researchers in Quebec who study marine mammals.
  • For stay-at-home mothers
    Do you feel like going on an adventure, but not for too long? Opt for a 2 or 3 week Science Solidarity Leave, in the most remote places on the planet, always tailored to your physical condition. You will discover priceless natural treasures and participate in the development or creation of a Scientific Stays center.

  • For employees
    Doyou want to test the reality of your motivations in the field before making further commitment? Embark on one of the expedition stays planned in the annual calendar of Objectif Sciences International activities. Take part in an ongoing project and then decide knowingly whether to return or not!
  • For executive secretaries
    Have you always dreamed of getting involved in the long term protection of endangered wildlife. Why not set off for 6 months on the trail of the Snow Leopard? In close collaboration with international researchers on the ground AND with the reserve’s guards, you will track the leopard in order to establish a meticulous monitoring of its lifestyle. But in order to track the leopard, you will have to show patience and courage because this animal is difficult to approach. You will also be able to take part in awareness-raising missions targeting local or international populations.
  • For Senior IT Managers
    Your employer allows sabbatical leave, and you wish to append 2 years with us studying coral bleaching in French Polynesia. In this archipelago, the weather can be harsh but diving and underwater observations will cheer you up. In a paradisiacal setting, you will have the opportunity to understand why this small: the coral, dies prematurely, you will seek solutions to stem this phenomenon.

These are projects implemented with numerous supports and partners

Our Partners

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