Upon their arrival on the Metz campus, the 150 Arts et Métiers engineering students Arts et Métiers the new class have one goal: to renovate Villers-Bettnach Abbey in time for Heritage Days (September 16 and 17). This collective volunteer effort not only restores this historic site to its former glory, but also brings together these students, who will form a class that will last a lifetime.
An annual gathering that brings people together
This is a large-scale project that marks the start of the first year for the new class of general engineering students at the Metz campus. Every year since 2001, students from the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Metz, in partnership with the Friends of Saint-Hubert association, have been contributing to the renovation and preservation of the Cistercian Abbey of Villers-Bettnach.
(The primary goal is to participate in a heritage preservation mission, but also to forge ties with the local population, who encourage this student initiative. For example, earthmoving tools and other equipment are loaned free of charge by residents of nearby villages).
This mission, which began 17 years ago, aims to reveal, highlight, and preserve heritage while creating ties with the local population, who contribute to the project by lending their earthmoving tools and other equipment.
These students also discover the region's heritage, as Nicolas Blanc, a second-year student, explains : "This weekend is an opportunity to discover part of Lorraine's history and heritage, as most of us are not originally from the region."
This year's goal is to continue the work and ultimately create a walking trail connecting points of interest around the abbey and highlighting its cultural and historical heritage.
The cohesion of a class
Each year, incoming engineering students contribute to the project and are supervised by second-year students who have already been through the experience. Through this renovation work, the latter aim to pass on to the new intake the values of teamwork, solidarity, and the strength of inter-year collaboration.
Baptiste Gatien, a second-year student, recounts his experience: " It was a weekend marked by hard work and solidarity, which made me want to get involved in this class, which is now very dear to me. For me, the weekend at the ABI represents the foundation of my community life at Arts et Métiers, but also my desire to invest myself in helping others. "
