Bayonne: Educational City label renewed for three years, 900,000 euros up for grabs

Awarded to Bayonne since 2022, the national label aims to support the fight against inequalities among young people aged 16 to 25, particularly in the northern districts of the city.

"This funding is one of the few that is not decreasing at the moment. And if it is renewed here, in Bayonne, it is because it works." The Bayonne sub-prefect, Mathieu Duhamel, thus summarized the interventions of those who preceded him, according to protocol, on Thursday, September 11, within the walls of the Charles Malégarie school: the Educational City is providing complete satisfaction.

The mayor of Bayonne, his deputy Christian Millet-Barbé, in his capacity as president of the Public Interest Group for Urban Social Development (GIP-DSU) and Bertrand Delcroix, secretary general of the Departmental Directorate of National Education, had, a few seconds earlier, praised a system which plays a major role in the city's policy within the priority district of Hauts de Sainte-Croix.

During the period 2022-2024, the Educational City label has thus made it possible to encourage the emergence of around fifty actions (reorganization of courses, organic breakfast at school, Summer Neighborhood program , Educational Success program, etc.), reaching nearly 5,000 young people and families. "The support of families is essential to achieving our objectives," recalls Jean-René Etchegaray, listing the three areas of work identified by the various partners: supporting fundamental knowledge for the success of all by making school more attractive; promoting educational continuity by linking school, extracurricular and extracurricular time; building a community with children by promoting mobility, supporting ambitious paths or promoting the discovery of careers.

"We must not forget that the label is aimed at young people across a broad spectrum, from 0 to 25 years old," the mayor continued. "With this renewal, we also want to highlight new priorities that take into account all of these audiences, with increased attention to early childhood, addressing mental health issues, and supporting 16-25 year-olds in terms of career guidance, combating dropout, and professional integration."

"The actions are not focused solely on the primary school," confirms Bertrand Delcroix. "Here, this agreement has notably helped to strengthen the link between Camus College and all the schools in its network."

It should be noted that the success of the first three-year plan was not assessed haphazardly, but rather in collaboration with the University of Bordeaux. This was a challenge for the partners involved (prefecture, city, and national education) under the operational coordination of the GIP-DSU. These partners must, more than ever in a context of budgetary constraints, justify the €300,000 annually allocated under the label.

A success also driven by the teaching staff, as highlighted by Jean-René Etchegaray, as well as a number of partners such as the Local Mission, "particularly in the field of social and professional integration," insists Christian Millet-Barbé.