From left to right: Francois PERON, General Delegate La Mennais Foundation, Brother Yannick HOUSSAY, Provincial of the Brothers of France-England and Yves DELARRA, President of the Foundation La Mennais.
Many children and youth are excluded from education or suffer while in school. The figures are alarming in Brittany, France: more than 7,000 young Bretons aged 16 to 25 have been identified as dropping out of school and nearly 3,000 suicide attempts are recorded per year for the same age group.
Facing at educational challenges and especially situations of exclusion, La Mennais International Educational Network has been developing education and training activities for a long time. Given the scale of the resources needed to implement projects, the choice to create a foundation was made in 2019, under the aegis of the Caritas France Foundation.
The proposed initiatives require additional funding from individuals, groups, corporations and businesses. A foundation can carry out such collections through its statute.
«Today we are experiencing a decrease in human resources among the Brothers and yet we want to organize ourselves to develop new projects» assures Bro Yannick Houssay, Provincial of the Brothers of France and England.
Present for 200 years, following their founders Jean-Marie de la Mennais and Gabriel Deshayes, the Brothers, religious consecrated, supported throughout history by men and women, lay people have developed multiple educational achievements: creation of schools of all kinds: general education, vocational, agricultural, maritime, nursery classes to universities and higher education, publications, educational centers, proposals to accompany children and young people outside school time, courses for adults and so many initiatives…
Today, La Mennais Educational Family is present in 26 countries, working in 200 schools and educational centres that welcome 120,000 young people under the responsibility of 8,000 teachers and staff, including 750 Brothers.
500,000 euros. This is the desired objective of La Mennais France Foundation for the period 2020-2024 to support projects against harassment and against the exclusion of children and young people in France and abroad. “We want to help in the long term,” said Yves Delarra, President of the Foundation. “We need to find resources and raise funds. And we also try to “do the right thing and do it right,” particularly by paying close attention to direct monitoring and the actual allocation of funds.”
Actions already existing
Already concrete achievements exist to welcome, to give taste and confidence, to help to grow.
2,000 young people aged 7 to 20 – 90 classes – from primary to higher education – were welcomed at the Village des Sources, founded 4 years ago. The Village des Sources is a reception centre based in Landévennec, Finistère, for classes and groups on the theme «Self-confidence and relationship to others», in order to fight against harassment in all these forms.
At the Village des Sources d’Armorique in Landévennec. A place, a time to help grow
It is a unique place in the heart of nature that allows you to live two days with your class: young people and teachers, to prevent harassment, develop self-confidence, manage your emotions and work on relationships between young people and with adults.
Contact: Village des Sources d’Armorique, Landévennec, Finistère Pascale Floch E-mail: vdsa@association-estival.fr or 06.87.27.64.72 Facebook: https://fr-fr.facebook.com/villagedessourcesbretagne
Presentation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz0XylYXHTQ
32 solidarity projects are carried out each year with the Assific association in 14 countries. This aims to:
Help the poorest to access education and quality education + Provide school materials, books, furniture, computers + Give access: to water, food, energy… + Building: school, educational centre, reception area
Contact: ASSIFIC – Alain CAILLON mail: assific.ong@gmail.com or 06.64.00.29.66
Facebook: https://www.facebook.co/assific
Site: http://www.assific.com/index.php/projets
Restoring the desire to learn, the desire to be at school and to believe in oneself, is the challenge of the Escale in Nantes, a leisure center with a personalized welcome for young people in situations of school dropout or exclusion. This can be translated into various actions: helping the young person to give meaning to his schooling, welcoming and accompanying in an individualized and personalized way the dropout students, restoring, even awakening the self-esteem , re-motivate and enhance the young person by allowing him to identify and develop his skills: this is the method of the Escale de Nantes!
Contact: L’Escale, Nantes – Angélique MORTIER
E-mail: escale-nantes@association-estival.fr or 06.87.27.64.72
https://www.facebook.com/EscaleNantes/
Website https://escalenantes.wixsite.com/escale-nantes-2
A call for new projects
3 examples
What do many young people need in their schooling? What projects would Jean-Marie de la Mennais develop today? asked François Péron, General Delegate of the Foundation. Not everything is possible and we are working with the Foundation on relations between young people and with adults: teachers, educators… We want to accompany them throughout their lives, with a view to integral education, with a particular emphasis on well-being, relationships, trust, self-esteem and the ability to be full citizens.”
In France, La Mennais Foundation is preparing for the opening of a second “Village des Sources”, a site hosting thematic classes “Self-confidence” – 2 days for a class with its teachers- according to the operation of the Village des Sources based in Landévennec (29). The new site is planned in Derval (44) and the objective would be an opening in November 2020. Several classes are expected.
At the Angels Educational Centre – CENA – in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
In Haiti, in Port-au-Prince, the Foundation supports the CENA Educational Centre which welcomes a hundred children aged 6 to 14 who have never been in school. The educational team works to provide basic education, access to the canteen and a safe place to live. New equipment is needed and projects are under consideration.
In Africa, La Mennais Foundation is present in 10 countries. In Togo, for example, we are building the canteen of the Jean-Marie de la Mennais Secondary School in Ogaro and the cultural centre of the CARTO agricultural centre which welcomes couples for two years in residence to receive professional training.
Convictions and commitments
- Every child has the right to a healthy and serene education, we want them to be happy in their classroom.
- Every child has the right to learn, we want to offer everyone the most accessible schools possible.
- Every child has the right to have a good life at school, we offer a break for students who need to give meaning to their presence at school.
- Every child has the right to access school, we train educators around the world.
In practice
A call is launched towards companies, schools, associations, families, parents, former students, teachers, etc.
Become a partner!
To commit ourselves against the exclusion of young people is to prepare the society of tomorrow. There are opportunities for income tax cuts, real estate tax cuts and corporate tax cuts.
Three types of support are feasible:
Write a cheque to “Fondation La Mennais” and send the envelope to: Fondation La Mennais 1 boulevard Foch 56 800 Ploërmel
Or send a bank transfer to fondation@mennaisien.org to contact details
Or to give online:
https://don.fondationcaritasfrance.org/fondation-la-mennais
Contacts
François PERON, Delegate General, here in an interview with a journalist from Radio RCF Alpha, during the Press meeting on 6 October to present the Foundation’s projects.
François PERON, Délégué général Fondation La Mennais
François PERON, General Delegate Fondation La Mennais
Tel: 06.87.27.64.72 E-mail: fondation@mennaisien.org
President: Yves DELARRA Vice-President: Brother Yannick HOUSSAY
Watch the presentation of the Foundation’s projects https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmuqEDNAj4c
On the front page, in the press:
Rennes. En direct: les projets de la Fondation du réseau La Mennais – Les Infos du Pays Gallo
Les Infos du Pays Gallo·Il y a 1 jour
Bretagne. Une fondation contre le harcèlement et l’exclusion des jeunes
