These students traded (for a while) shots of tequila and garish wanderings in the streets of Strasbourg for a drill and boards, even if it is the season for integration weekends. The famous “Wei”, which mark the entry of high school graduates into their new school and student life. Decried, these festive weekends that sometimes turn tragic and dreaded by parents, are reinventing themselves. class trips, business game, etc. has Esscaa major business and management school, we have chosen to make this back-to-school a time “to build a collective while acting for the world of tomorrow, being united”.
The school and its associative partner Splash Projects have been organizing since August 29 “solidarity integration days” on the six campuses in France. In Strasbourg, this project is taking shape at the medical-educational institute (IME) of Ganzau, a site that receives young people and young adults with intellectual disabilities. “We are working on permanent bicycle shelters for people with disabilities,” explains Florent, 18. It’s great for them, for us, and it allows us to work in groups, to get to know each other, to build relationships. To have already done a project in common, all together, it’s good to get closer and attack the year. »
“A project that unites”
So it’s really the end of the holidays. For the past two days, the 22 new students from Essca Strasbourg have been organizing themselves and dividing up the tasks to meet the deadlines… in a good mood. “The idea is to make an intelligent integration of our first years, to bring them together around a project that federates, underlines Marie Courtois, director of the student experience at Essca. This project is beyond them, they are doing something for other people. “They challenge each other, as a team, with a deadline, plan, leave room for others, meet other young people with disabilities who they wouldn’t necessarily have met on their way”, says the director again.
On the side of the IME, we also welcome this collaboration. “The interest for us is to open our establishments to any initiative that allows the meeting, the linking, between our young people and the ordinary environment, assures Nathalie Gantzer, director of the IME site Ganzau for Arsea . It is enriching for our young people to receive on our site people from outside who come to bring skills and who come, above all, to meet us. These students, they would never have met them in their life course and we find ourselves on a common objective which moreover, in the end, gives us the equipment that we need and that our young people will benefit from in the years to come. »
“I was super excited because I had already, in the past, accompanied the children of a EMI. It’s a charity project, which allows you to interact with all kinds of people, even those who are in difficulty, and frankly, it’s going really well. It is very enriching personally. Bonds have already been created, we already know each other well, ”rejoices Margaux. The young woman, drill in hand, notes however that “leaders have emerged”. “But we know that we are in a business school, so we necessarily need management and organization,” she comments again. “We’re learning a lot, but that’s not going to stop us from having a ‘more classic’ party tonight,” smiles Florent finally. And tomorrow, the second years are preparing something for us, but we don’t know what to expect yet. We’ll see ! »