Viens t’asseoir je t’écoute is the flagship project of RACONTE-MOI, a non-profit association made up of volunteers who offer a free, confidential and caring listening space in the public space to all passers-by who wish to participate. The project is apolitical and non-confessional.
Context
The starting point is a simple observation: our society is more connected every day (transport, information, social networks, etc.), yet the social fabric is increasingly fragile. The individual sphere is growing at the expense of the public and social sphere, people are exchanging less and less easily with their fellow citizens, and our lives are increasingly individual, independent of collective dynamics.
A number of issues arise from this: isolation, particularly among the elderly, the weakening of community life and social cohesion, and mental health issues rooted in this lack of collective support.
This project is part of a general approach that does not target one of these issues specifically, but by virtue of its flexibility and “broad spectrum”, it seeks to give fellow citizens the tools to solve these issues through listening. That’s what this project is all about: developing the concept of benevolent listening within society as a solution to the issues raised. In fact, this project attracts both the socially excluded and people intrigued by this format, to be able to exchange ideas with strangers.
On the one hand, Viens t’assis, je t’écoute volunteers have been trained in active and benevolent listening: learning to offer attention to others, developing patience and tolerance, suspending judgments, developing benevolence. On the other hand, they offer passers-by the chance to be listened to and thus have the opportunity to chat with someone (fighting isolation), meet people from backgrounds different from our own (pursuing the objective of social mixing and cohesion), break down the ego/other barrier (confronting living-together), reinforce our confidence in our fellow citizens and in their benevolence (developing social cohesion), obtain emotional support by the simple fact of being heard, and ask for professional help.
On this last point, volunteers are explicitly asked not to give advice to those they listen to. Volunteers are not mental health professionals, nor are they intended to be, since the aim is to be “open to all”. There are times, however, when people ask for or need professional help. At this point, the association’s volunteer hands over to the session coordinator, who takes the time with the person being listened to to find the local institution that can best meet his or her needs.
In such cases, Viens t’assis, je t’écoute can act as a reorientation platform, linking beneficiaries with aid structures.
Operational & technical details
The organization is very simple: a dozen volunteers per session, each seated on a chair, with an empty chair in front of them. To make things easier for passers-by, the chairs are placed in a line. The association’s sign, bearing its name (“Viens t’asseoir je t’écoute”) and the key points of the approach (free of charge, confidentiality, benevolence, etc.) is then put up.
A key element is location: volunteers need to be visible, and there needs to be plenty of foot traffic. Unless the aim is to target a specific population (e.g. a retirement home, a student library, etc.).
Chairs are spaced about 1m50 apart: enough privacy, and enough proximity to make the project visible from the outside. In addition to the 10 volunteers, there is a coordinator. This person will coordinate the three phases of a listening session:
> Briefing (approx. 30 min): introductory tour, review of the key points of the association’s Code of Ethics (sent to volunteers in advance), what to do in certain situations, sharing of experience, questions and answers.
> The listening session (2h30-3h00): the volunteers sit on the chairs, and the coordinator goes out to meet passers-by to answer their questions, invite them to participate, and keep an eye on the volunteers and provide support if needed.
> Debriefing: feedback on everyone’s experience (without sharing the content of the stories, which remain confidential), points for improvement.
Link to the Code of Ethics and the practical guide for volunteers: https: //www.jetecoute.org/instructions
For volunteer management, a WhatsApp group is used for volunteer announcements, and a group for coordinators. Registration is handled via the website. Important point: for each session, an equitable distribution between old and new volunteers is organized, to help motivated volunteers gain experience and skills, and thus enable the project to mature more rapidly. Motivated volunteers can then become coordinators to run their own listening sessions.
Deployment & Impact
To date, the association has carried out a total of 19 listening sessions, involving around 70 volunteers and over 600 people listened to. The project is of great interest to many people and is growing all the time.
Locally: demand from volunteers is very high. In less than 30 minutes, 48 places spread over 4 listening sessions were filled, from a pool of 140 volunteers. The association’s founders receive many requests for contact, sometimes from abroad, via their Instagram account. As a result, requests for replication in other European cities are pouring in and multiplying. For the moment, Paris, Brussels and Lausanne are being developed.
Feedback from participants and volunteers: very positive! Volunteers are delighted with this simple yet powerful experience. So were the participants, some of whom even came specifically to take part. Some participants have been put in touch with professional services to ensure they receive appropriate medical follow-up. Even if the impact is difficult to quantify, the listening sessions have had real and powerful consequences for the participants.
Given last year’s weather conditions, many sessions were cancelled, which is why we are requesting the Rue de la Monnaie space to alternate with the Bains des Paquis for the 2025 season, so that we can be sheltered during listening sessions. What’s more, offering these spaces in the center of town and in a high-traffic area makes sense and makes listening accessible to people strolling through the center on Saturday afternoons.
Ideally, sessions will alternate on Saturdays every 15 days at Passage de la Monnaie (subject to approval by the Canton), and here are the dates on which we’d like to continue at Bains des Paquis on Sundays between May and October.
