Finding a community in France

If you don’t have people close to you in France, it’s completely normal for you to feel lonely sometimes. This feeling of isolation intensifies when you are or have been faced with domestic abuse.

Recreating social links can help you on your journey towards psychological recovery, in addition to a medical or therapeutic follow-up.

Below are different ways to meet people who share your interests, values or culture.

It can be daunting, but you can start by chatting online to get to know these people.

Many groups are created on dedicated sites or applications, for example:

• Facebook groups. If you do not have a profile, you must first create one and then search in the Groups section to find groups such as:
  • people who share your interests
  • people from your home country if you are homesick
  • groups of parents who support each other if you have children.
• The friends’ meetup app Meetup, which allows you to create groups of activities. Once you have created your profile, you can ask to join a group that already exists or create your own.

Tips for your safety

Online meetups are very common these days and are a good way to make new friends.

However, it is important to take some basic safety precautions, especially if you are organising a face-to-face meeting:

• Only do so if you feel safe.
• Tell someone where you are going.
• Meet in a public place.
• Go to the meeting place with your own transport.
• If you are in the slightest doubt, leave.

Taking part in sporting, cultural or religious activities can you help meet people.

To find activities near you, you can start by contacting your local town hall or “mairie” to ask them if activities are on offer to adults:

• You can find their contact details in this directory by specifying the name of the town or city where you live.
• The “mairie” can also provide you with contacts from public bodies which organise activities in your town or city.
• These activities are generally offered at affordable prices and scaled according to your income. Financial aid is sometimes offered by the “mairies”, so don't hesitate to ask them.

If you are interested in a specific activity, you can also search online by typing in the name of the activity in French and the name of your town or city.

Another way to find a network in your city is to get involved by volunteering for an organisation offering free services called an “association”.

You can search for a volunteer role online, for example on “France Bénévolat” or the government website “Je veux aider”. They offer assignments in many areas.

You can also contact an “association” near you to find out if they are looking for volunteers.