GaSole (Gadz’Art Solidarity) is theassociation support of Arts et Métiers students Arts et Métiers Grande Ecole Program. Present on all campuses, the students carry out local missionsland, but also international..
ReadtestimonialsfromPierre, president of GaSole Aix-en-Provence, Gaëtan, communications manager of GaSole Angers , and Renaud, president of GaSole Châlons-en-Champagne.
> What actions have you taken since the start of the school year?
Renaud: As in the second half of last year, we wanted to stay active despite the pandemic. That's why we continued, when possible, our weekly action, which we have been carrying out fortwo years now at Fof Châlons-en-Champagne.in Châlons-en-Champagne.We teach young immigrants the basics of French and mathematics. We also had the opportunity to participate in a food drive for the Châlons-en-Champagne Food Bank on November 27 and 28, mobilizing about a hundred first- and second-year students.
Gaëtan : Every year, the federating project takes place. In September, 150 first-year students participated in various missions within the city of Angers to lend a hand to local associations.
The students carried out activities for various partners, including national organizations such as Emmaus France and L'Outil en Main France; and more local associations such as la Ressourcerie Philodome.
Alongside these partnerships, student-led initiatives have also been set up, such as cleaning the streets of Angers and making fabric masks for charity purposes.
In November and December, just over 60 students took part in the annual food drive organized by the Maine-et-Loire Food Bank and the Resto du Cœur charity. Cœur food drive in several department stores in Angers. Divided into groups of two to four people, they collected numerous food donations and filled dozens of shopping carts.
As Christmas approached, we took part in a toy collection for disadvantaged children organized by Secours Populaire Français. Information about the collection was relayed to students and a box was made available for them to deposit toys to be donated.
Pierre: Every month, we organize solidarity initiatives, most often in partnership with local actors. We seek to diversify our actions to help people in need, particularly young people in our immediate vicinity.
In September, we lent a hand with all the 2019 and 2020 graduating classes in launching the Red Cross national fundraising campaign. We raised €8,500 in one day.
In October, we organized a blood drive for students in collaboration with the Maison du don. We plan to repeat the initiative in January. This is an opportunity for many people to take the plunge and donate blood for the first time.
In November, we participated in a Red Cross food drive, authorized by prefectural decree. The Red Cross Youth Division invited us to organize a flea market with them. Students donated games, books, and clothing for the event.
We also promoted hair donations for the association Fake Hair Don't Care which offers wigs made from natural hair to people with cancer. Many students have donated their hair.
Since December, we have been providing FAMI with logistical assistance to offer students food support. Approximately 70 baskets per week are currently being offered to those who request them. This operation will continue throughout the curfew.
As part of the "Cordées de la réussite" program, we have mobilized university students to mentor high school students who are struggling academically.
> How have you managed to adapt to the health situation?
Pierre: It's true that COVID-19 has prevented many projects from going ahead. We have therefore dedicated this term of office to strengthening our ties with other local associations that share the same values as us (Red Cross, FAMI, Donation Center).
These strong ties also enable us to support their projects and thus promote our activities.
Gaëtan: It was very difficult to adapt and maintain solidarity initiatives despite the health situation. We managed to organize the unifying project, but it was scaled back; we had to do it over one day instead of a whole weekend. We also had to increase the number of partner associations in order to divide the first-year students into small groups across several locations and different missions.
On the other hand, due to the health situation and then the lockdown, we were unable to organize as many activities as we would have liked, particularly during the holiday season.
Renaud: COVID-19 forced us to scale back our activities. It has been difficult to do anything duringlockdown, and we had to postpone our projects. However, we seized every opportunity that came our way.. For example, we went to theChildren's Home in Châlons-en-Champagne outside of lockdown periods and participated in the Food Bank collection to replace the usual volunteers who were in lockdown, all while paying particular attention to protective measures.
> Can you give us three keywords to describe the association and its objectives?
Gaëtan: What our association stands for is solidarity, sharing, and mutual aid.
Pierre : Fraternity, kindness, and closeness.
We are as committed to fighting insecurity as we are to promoting access to education.
Renaud: Solidarity, humanitarian aid, action.
The goal of GaSole is to act effectively for the benefit of those in need with the resources at our disposal. Solidarity is a value that is dear to the Gadzarique , and it is important to us that this strong solidarity within our community also drives civic engagement in humanitarian actions and, throughoutour our lives.
> What are your outlook for 2021?
Renaud: With the easing of lockdown and curfew measures, we are now able to carry out an important project (which was supposed to take place in early October) in collaboration with the Association des Elèves Gadzarts de Châlons-en-Champagne and the Châlons-en-Champagne Town Hall: "Le Moment Solidaire" (The Moment of Solidarity).
We hope for everyone that the situation hasimprove. CThese difficult times have only fueled our motivation to take action in various solidarity events.
Pierre: We plan to organize with 10th grade studentsyear to distribute basic necessities and clothing to homeless people.
By the end of winter, the association will be handed over to the first-year students. We will ensure that the handover goes as smoothly as possible, with the aim of preservingand continue to strengthen the ties we have been able to establish.
We have "abandoned" social media. This is an area for improvement that we will suggest to them: updating the website, the Facebook page, and creating an Instagram account.
Gaëtan: Por 2021, the new GaSole wants to continue the actions carried out by the students of the previous, such as outreach programs, the sale of shuffleboard sets or Arts et Métiers "goodies," Arts et Métiers visits to nursing homes , but also to explore new ideas such as a community grocery store, a raffle, clean walks... Internationally, the partnership with the ADS Solidarité association in Senegal will be renewed, and we are considering launching a second international project, perhaps in Asia or Latin America. With Covid-19, some initiatives will undoubtedly not be able to go ahead (garage sales, food sales), but we are a large and highly motivated team. We hope that 2021 will be a year of accomplishment for our various projects!
