Rhône. Here we take action!: "We agreed, we disagreed... but we found solutions."
On the occasion of the "Here We Act" event, an academic COP bringing together high school students will take place on May 16 at La Sucrière. We attended a simulation organized in April at the Cuzin vocational high school in Caluire-et-Cuire. Report.
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Solutions for local action
The problem is global, and the solutions are local. Armed with this observation, and with its experience as a media outlet involved in city life, Le Progrès invites you to take a two-day break in Lyon. A step aside to understand, observe, and act. First, to fully consider the issues related to global warming and its consequences for our region. Then, to discuss with committed and inspiring figures. Finally, to discover meaningful local initiatives. This is the essence of the "Here we act!" event, which takes place Friday and Saturday at La Sucrière, in the Confluence district (Lyon 2nd).
Those who are at the forefront of this fight today have understood this well and tell us why they chose to participate in Ici On Agit!
They will represent Senegal at the Academic COP, which will bring together 120 high school students at "Here we act!". The 1st-year TBEA ( Architecture and Building Economics Assistant ) students from Cuzin High School are mobilized: their class will visit the fair, and nine of them will participate in the negotiations. With excitement and, inevitably, a little apprehension about rising to the occasion.
“Now I know and understand what the Sahel is.”
To train them, their French and history-geography teacher, Carine Fabre, organized a special Africa COP during class. "You're going to have to find common ground and an agreement to adopt a text in two hours," she tells them as an introduction. "For vocational high school students, it's a real challenge to participate in this kind of thing, because they're not used to speaking in public, and they sometimes lack the vocabulary or the knowledge," emphasizes her colleague Émilie Molin.
But these young high school students are thirsty for knowledge. "What interests me is enriching my culture, and participating in this COP forces me to do research on Senegal," Maëlys confides. "I didn't know what the Sahel was, for example. Now I know; I understand the climate degradation this region is experiencing."
The teenagers already got a glimpse of what awaits them during the Good Planet Day organized at the Beltram high school in Meyzieu at the end of February. "It was very nice," says Kristina. "We made new friends. I hope to find the same state of mind." Before continuing on the academic COP: "I realized that unlike us in France, many people in Senegal have no right to anything, neither unemployment, nor health, nor education. And I'm interested in defending the rights and interests of this country by putting myself in the shoes of a young Senegalese woman my age."
“Better defend the interests of this country”In anticipation of May 16, Maëlys, Kristina, and the others intended to further their research on other countries to highlight what they might have in common with Senegal, "and better defend the interests of this country." They even planned to contact the Senegalese consulate in Lyon "to obtain information from reliable sources because the internet is good, but consulting an official representative is great," says Maëlys.
“They feel concerned, so they are active.”
During the simulation, the discussions are lively, the debates intense and sometimes passionate. "Be careful not to interrupt each other; it's important for everyone to express their opinion," recommends Carine Fabre. "We agreed, we disagreed, but we found solutions," says a satisfied Abdeljabar. Stéphanie Marchand Brochier, academic delegate for high school and middle school life, acts as moderator. She informs them that "it is the UN Secretary-General who will be the master of the negotiation" - a role that will be held by elected members of the CAVL (Academic Council for High School Life) and young climate ambassadors (JAC) present at the negotiating table. "Oh, but there will be the UN, and everything?" says Furkan.
Ultimately, the entire class, from the driving forces to the rest, will have worked hard during these preparation sessions. "It's such a change from the very academic lessons we usually do that they're surprised," emphasizes Émilie Molin. "Even those who have trouble concentrating and who have no interest, I'm amazed to see how involved they are in the debate." And the teacher concludes: "It's the project effect, the unusual effect, and then, it's very concrete: it's the world we live in. They feel involved, so they're active."
Media: how to (better) talk about biodiversity
The Reporters of Hope association's Tour of the Regions will stop in Lyon on May 16. The program will feature a debate between journalists, scientists, and representatives from the French Office for Biodiversity.
The Eco Habitat network's interventions in unsanitary housing, the involvement of student first aiders in mental health, the technology that extracts heat from wastewater... These are all examples of solutions journalism. The kind championed by Reporters of Hope.
This association, recognized as being of general interest, promotes "broad-spectrum journalism, which analyzes and reports on problems, difficulties, dysfunctions, and responses when they exist." It is not a matter of pretending that everything is fine, but of favoring knowledge intended "to enlighten, to sharpen critical thinking, to help us solve problems, and thus allow us to project ourselves into the future," states the association's website. A way "to regain power over events in order to move forward, rather than encouraging us to withdraw into ourselves and become defeatist."
Undoubtedly necessary in a context of social and democratic anxiety. This state of mind naturally aligns with that of our event, "Here we act." A convergence that takes shape on the morning of Saturday, May 16, with a stage of the "Tour des Reporters d'Espoirs 2025-2027." The topic will be biodiversity, a subject rarely discussed according to the Media Observatory on Ecology. Around the table will be a biological scientist, journalists, and a communications officer from the French Office for Biodiversity. They will discuss their constraints, their objectives, and their tips for ensuring the dissemination of quality information.
Everything you need to know about the environmental impact of the event
No unnecessary waste, no more flyers and plastic water bottles ending up on the ground in the streets. Sobriety will be the order of the day for the "Ici on agit" event organized by the EBRA Group and which will take place on May 16 and 17 at La Sucrière in Lyon. A location that was not chosen at random: "From the start, we started looking for a central location in Lyon and, above all, accessible by soft mobility: bicycle, bus, and tram," explains Margaux Meireles, project director at EBRA Events. As for greenery, the plants to make the place more pleasant and oxygenated come from the "Société protégée des plantes" (Society for the Protection of Plants). This original structure allows you to drop off your plants if you can no longer take care of them. The association is located in the Lyon metropolitan area. All suppliers also come from the area, within 150 km of the venue. As for catering, Nomade Kitchen is in the kitchen. Its food trucks will offer local and seasonal dishes.
Recycled furniture made by people with disabilities
Finally, for furniture, you might be lucky enough to rest on poufs made from recycled materials, specifically old signage from other EBRA group events. This valuable work was carried out by the employees of the ESAT de la Courbaise, a sheltered medical-social work establishment for people with disabilities. "The ESAT employees, mainly women, did a very good job. Some will also be hostesses at the event. We hope to renew this partnership," emphasizes Margaux Meireles. If people with disabilities would like to come to "Ici on agit," they can check a box when registering "so that we can help them come with the help of associations." A clean-up is also being organized in the Confluence district to cheerfully collect waste from public roads.
Le Progrès
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