On November 12 and 13, over a 24-hour period, students from the Grande École Program at the Châlons-en-Champagne campus created a series of murals and decorations for the Unit for Difficult Patients (UMD) in Châlons-en-Champagne.
A project at the heart of our values
Every year, the Grand Défi brings together the new class around a collective mission. For the 2025 edition, Théophile ALISSE, Étienne TARGE, Oscar DALIBOT, and Henri SIMON, second-year students, coordinated the entire event.
For them, the Grand Défi is a real immersion in project management: relations with public services, logistics, budget... everything is managed by the students. For first-year students, it is an opportunity to forge strong bonds with their class and learn to work as a team, handle tools, prepare colors, and trace patterns.
Why the University of Châlons?
The location was chosen in collaboration with the Chalonnais public services and the Student Association. This facility, dedicated to mental health, provides an environment where every design choice can have a direct impact on the well-being of patients and their families.
"Working for the UMD gave even more meaning to the project. Each mural had an immediate purpose, while raising student awareness of mental health and strengthening our connection with the city," explains Henri.
A monumental mural and transformed spaces
This edition will be remembered for an exceptional outdoor mural measuring 42 meters long and 4.5 meters high, the largest ever created by students on campus. It showcases the Champagne region with Reims Cathedral, the Verzenay lighthouse, the Castellane tower, and the vineyards of the Marne, creating a strong visual landmark for patients and staff.
Other achievements completed the project: a structure featuring the EPSM logo, and interior murals depicting gardening, sports, and relaxation, tailored to each room. All were designed by the students and then adjusted with the organizers to meet the needs of the space.
Collective mobilization
This Grand Challenge brought together 134 first-year students, and nearly 120 second-year students were mobilized in shifts to supervise the teams.
Before the big day, an awareness session was organized with the UMD nurse and the head of the department to prepare the students for the specific context of the location.
On site, the UMD team gave the students a warm welcome with hot drinks, pastries, soup, and ongoing logistical support. This comfort allowed the students to work efficiently in a good atmosphere, enhanced by ideal weather. "On the first evening, we felt that everything was going to work out. Everyone was mobilized and involved," says Henri.
A meaningful challenge
Beyond the murals and installations, this edition of the Grand Défi 2025 will remain a profoundly human experience.
It showed how collaboration, creativity, and commitment can transform a sensitive place and contribute, on their own scale, to the essential issue of mental health.
A challenge taken up collectively, whose impact will continue long after the 24 hours of effort.
