Social and Solidarity Economy Week at School (Semaine de l'ESS à l'école), France
SOCIAL
The Social and Solidarity Economy Week at School aims to educate students about the social and solidarity economy by organising and implementing actions that promote fair, sustainable and socially responsible practices. Members of nursery schools, secondary schools and students promote the Social and Solidarity Economy Week at School in the framework of “My Social and Solidarity Enterprise at School” (“Mon ESS à l’École”). This annual initiative is carried out throughout France with the support of the Ministries of National Education as well as Economy, Finance and Industry, and is led by the organisations ESPER (L’Économie Sociale Partenaire de la République) and OCCE (Coopérons dès l’École).
The objective of the Social and Solidarity Economy Week at School is to introduce students of all ages to collective entrepreneurship and social economy professions. The week’s activities aim to raise students’ awareness of the importance of cooperation and solidarity. The week also fosters collaborative action and thinking by showing methods and dynamics that are different from competition.
During the annual Social and Solidarity Economy Week at School, nurseries and secondary schools can get involved by organising sustainable initiatives (e.g. food collections, solidarity concerts etc.) and workshops on the social and solidarity economy (e.g. debates, cooperative games, visit from social economy representatives). Students can also promote the initiative by completing a project related to the social and solidarity economy throughout the academic year as part of the “My Social and Solidarity Enterprise at School” (“Mon ESS à l’École”) (e.g. selling products, making a video etc.). These activities allow students to develop civic and cooperative values, encouraging collective goals aligned with the French educational curriculum.
Since 2017, over 26 000 students and educational teams have participated in this activity. In 2019, nearly 10 000 students from 300 classes took part in the event, with 18% from primary schools, 25% from secondary schools, and 57% from high schools. The 2022-23 impact report on “My Social and Solidarity Enterprise at School” states that the programme involved 200 educational team members and 2 530 students in 100 projects covering responsible consumption, environmental issues and tackling exclusion and discrimination. The report highlights that the project helped 98% of students recognise at least one of the social and solidarity economy principles. Following participation in the programme, 49% of students expressed an interest in pursuing internships, careers, or professional opportunities within the social and solidarity economy. Furthermore, 98% of teachers involved in the initiative reported successfully incorporating social economy principles into their teaching methods.
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