From our special correspondent in Aix-en-Provence,
A little behind the railing, all dressed in a red t-shirt, they are a small group of teenagers passing each other with a rugby ball while waiting for it to start. Then everyone comes closer and opens their eyes wide when, finally, the players of the XV of France appear on the lawn of the Georges Carcassonne stadium in Aix-en-Provence, this Thursday, for training open to the public. No luck, at this scorching late afternoon, the low sun facing them does not help to see the Blues reciting their scales. Not too serious, they will be able to admire some of them up close at the end of the session. Charles Ollivon, Damian Penaud, Thomas Ramos, Jean-Baptiste Gros and Bastien Chalureau come up to them to sign autographs and take photos.
“I’m a little disappointed because there’s no Antoine Dupont,” breathes Célia. The captain, absent due to his broken face, is the only one these eleven children (nine girls and two boys) all knew before coming. We are not dealing with big rugby fans here, but the main thing for them is elsewhere. They are students at the School of XV, an Aix association which fights against school dropouts with the help of rugby. It was born in 2014 under the leadership of Denis Philipon, president of the Voyage Privé group and the local Provence Rugby club. He, who was successful in business without having had his college diploma, wanted to help children in difficulty at school, with the support of his passion for sport.
The next day, we found a few faces seen during training in the association’s premises, to the west of the city. It benefits from the infrastructures of Voyage Privé and the rugby club, whose first team plays in Pro D2. It’s 1 p.m., teenagers are eating, at the same table as their educators. This is “social time”, one of the three pillars of the program, with “school time” and “rugby time”. “A very important moment of discussion, around social issues (the attacks of November 13, the war in Ukraine or school bullying, for example) that they do not discuss at home,” explains Guillaume Gambaro, the manager of development.
“We are asking for a very strong commitment from families”
These shared meals even serve for some to learn to eat with cutlery and to cut their meat. The 60 children registered (from CM2 to 3rd) come from the neighboring district of Jas de Bouffan, the largest in Aix-en-Provence but also the most popular. Many poor families worry about the future of their children but have neither the means nor the cultural background to help them. This is where the School of XV finds its usefulness.
The association got in touch with the two local colleges, Jas de Bouffan and Château Double. The latter identify the students most in difficulty and encourage families to visit the premises. Teenagers who are most motivated by the idea and who have the support of their parents can then register, for the symbolic sum of 25 euros per year (knowing that each costs around 5,000 euros per year). “We are asking for a very strong commitment from families,” insists Guillaume Gambaro. It’s not just an hour of tutoring and an hour of rugby from time to time. It’s a real investment, the children come 12 hours a week, in addition to their college classes. »
But why rugby?
Half of this time takes place on Wednesdays from noon to 6 p.m., with lunch on site, one hour of homework help, one of academic support and two of rugby. The other half is distributed among the other days of the week, according to schedules. Young people also come every first week of the holidays. To supervise them, two specialized educators, a school educator, two sports instructors and a “driver-educator” (to bring the children from their school) are there full time. Employees of Voyages Privés and Provence Rugby also come during their working hours to help with homework.
In this operation, rugby therefore holds a central place. Why this sport, beyond the passion of the founder? “First of all, it’s a team sport, where we learn to play with others, to share,” replies Pauline, one of the educators and herself a player at SMUC in Marseille. And it remains a dangerous sport, if you don’t respect the rules, you can quickly put yourself in danger. So there is a framework to respect. You can’t move forward on the pitch without your friend who is behind you, who protects you. » At each session, a different captain is designated. It is up to him to ensure the cohesion of the group and – more prosaically – that the locker room is kept clean.
This kind of therapy through rugby was not natural for these teenagers, the majority of whom knew nothing about this sport before arriving. It was even a good reason to hesitate to come. But doubts are generally quickly resolved. “It’s our role to explain to them, and little by little they see what it brings them,” assures Pauline. Some people still don’t like the sport itself, but that doesn’t matter, they still understand and that’s the most important thing. » “We work as a group, we develop our bond,” Célia told us during the Blues training. Finally, we understand that doing things alone is more difficult. »
“It’s a sport that changes,” notes Talia, a 4th grade student, sitting at a desk. We always say it’s football for the guys, gym for the girls. In college, it’s critical, but we don’t care. We play boys and girls together, there is no difference, I like it. » Next to her, Sabrina, 14, didn’t even know it existed. It’s now the first thing she cites when asked what she likes about this school. The second ? “Homework,” she replies. I needed help. I feel like things are getting better, especially in spelling, it really wasn’t that and now I’m improving. I feel good when I come here. »
“Better self-esteem”
This is the key to this association, offering these children a reassuring environment, a place in a group, to ultimately “feel good about themselves and have better self-esteem”, summarizes Guillaume Gambaro. There are beautiful days, like when five teenagers went to South Africa in July as part of an exchange with the World Champion Tendai Mtawarira Foundation, or that others are invited to the Bocks match against Tonga at the Vélodrome this Sunday. There are also some harder ones, and personal stories from children that are sometimes “complicated to absorb”, as Pauline says. In any case, the cocktail seems to work. “Before, I was shy, I couldn’t talk to people I didn’t know,” admits Talia. Now things are better, at school things are going better too. I still have difficulties, but less than before. »
Positive feedback comes from colleges, assures the development manager, particularly in terms of behavior. The squatters at the back of the class make less noise, the fearful raise their hands. As for the reports, some are improving a little, others remain well below average but at least they are not collapsing. “They were at an average of 8, they still are but without us they would be at 2 or would have stopped,” Guillaume Gambaro wants to believe. Sometimes, older people stop by to tell how their BTS or their apprenticeship is going, and share with the younger ones. Welcome help to awaken vocations and break away from the classic pattern of working-class neighborhoods: boys in construction, girls in health and social care.
The model of the XV school is starting to be talked about. Recently, the Break Poverty Foundation, a humanitarian organization which intends to fight against poverty by attacking its causes, spoke of it as a “reference”. The concept has also been taken up by the European Union, which has been providing a substantial subsidy since this year. This will allow the Aix-en-Provence branch to continue to produce new ones. After the opening of a subsidiary in Marseille in 2016 then in Saint-Etienne last year, three new ones are under discussion, including one in the Paris region. Rugby has not yet finished helping to recruit children: the number of school dropouts is estimated at 100,000 each year in France.