Take part in the network's dynamics and contribute to amplifying concrete actions in favor of AMU students.
Students are the beating heart of Aix-Marseille Université. That's why we're working to give each and every one of them
the means to fulfill their potential within our University, so that success rhymes with fulfillment.
Through our campuses, which meet international standards, priority is given to the quality of student life, combined with training that is recognized and adapted to developments in the professional world. Enabling our young people to fulfill their potential and integrate into society through education, culture and knowledge is a fundamental mission of our university. And we are convinced that this future is being written with-and for-our region.
Together, we are training the talents of tomorrow, enlightened citizens who are aware of the world around them. By combining our strengths, we will continue to drive a virtuous dynamic of innovation, economic development and social impact in our region.
Fighting student poverty
Solidarity grocery store
The Aix-Marseille Interasso Federation (FAMI) was created in 2012, following the merger of the universities of Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. Its main objectives are to defend the rights of local students and represent them through the mechanism of student democracy, but also to help improve student living conditions and empower young people.
Little by little, the FAMI, with the help of its many member student associations, has succeeded in building an increasingly proactive network, proposing projects linked to youth-related themes. Among the social innovation topics on which the federation is active are housing, career guidance, professional integration, access to healthcare and culture, and above all, student insecurity.
It was following a survey on this last point, which gathered no less than 1400 responses from students at Aix-Marseille Université, that the federation was alerted to the fact that more and more young people were faced with a situation of precariousness of varying degrees. The survey revealed that 94% of the young people questioned were facing financial difficulties, 55% of them low or moderate, the other 45% significant or very significant. Another alarm bell that went off in the wake of this study was that salaried employment represents a source of financing for 37% of respondents, and is a definite obstacle to the smooth running of their academic studies.
With the aim of covering the entire region and opening a grocery store in each area with a high concentration of students, in particular to meet the needs of students in extreme difficulty, Aix-Marseille Université and FAMI have gradually made it possible to set up AGORAé on the various campuses:
- 2019 in Aix-en-Provence,
- Luminy in February 2021,
- Saint-Jérôme at the end of 2022.
Thanks to these student social and solidarity grocery stores, run by students for their peers, beneficiaries can find food and basic necessities at between 10% and 20% of market prices. This space also offers fun and collective activities, preventive actions and information accessible to all students, beneficiaries or not. The AGORAé centers are run by members of the FAMI network, as well as by civic service volunteers.
In concrete terms, in addition to offering food and basic necessities, the AGORAé team is committed to setting up a wide range of activities for local students, such as :
- A participatory library, where students can borrow books and share their literary passions with others;
- Cooking workshops, thanks to the fully-equipped kitchen already on the premises, as well as music workshops and language courses, activities that are difficult for many students to afford;
- Relaxation and wellness sessions, such as massage and meditation, supervised by professionals in the field.
By making a donation, the Alumni network can support the new solidarity grocery store project run by Aix-Marseille Université and its student associations, which will see the light of day by the end of 2023 on the Aix campus. The Fédération Aix-Marseille Interasso (FAMI) and two other student associations, REESAH (FDSP) and ASC (ALLSH), will be pooling their efforts and distributions to enable the daily opening of a new solidarity grocery store to be set up in the CUBE on the Schuman site, as part of the future Maisons de l'étudiant. Aix-Marseille Université will also be creating 4 positions for the grocery stores, to help students coordinate activities and ensure continuity, particularly during university vacations.
Student center
Given the level of precariousness among students, and the mental health issues they face in their entirety (financial, social, psychological, digital precariousness, etc.), it is important to create open, welcoming places where students can immediately find all the services available to them, and where they can feel at home on campus.
The "Maisons de l'Etudiant" are designed to host two types of facilities:
- services linked to student life: social assistance, health and disability services, sports and culture, support for associations.
- third-party venues
for cultural activities and events (stages for concerts, dance shows, theater, etc.), as well as preventive health and wellness activities, exhibitions, games, etc.
Places to rest, socialize, eat, work alone or in a group, such as hostels.
Finally, self-help facilities, such as solidarity grocery stores, repair workshops and recycling centers, are an integral part of Maisons de l'Etudiant projects.
Two Maisons de l'Etudiant are scheduled for construction on two Marseilles campuses particularly exposed to poverty, St Jérôme 2024 and Saint Charles 2027.
By making a donation, the Alumni network can support the new project:
20,000 euros would enable the creation of a kitchen on one of the Maisons de l'Etudiant (need for 3 houses),
300 euros would enable the purchase of a microwave oven (need for 4 per house, 12 units), and
1000 euros a table soccer (need for 6 units).
Ressourcerie
The level of precariousness among students as a whole (financial, social, digital precariousness, etc.) has led to the idea of resource centers in the heart of campuses and student residences. The resource centers could thus be associated with the solidarity grocery stores planned on each AMU campus, and become places for combating precariousness.
The aim of the "ressourceries" in the "cœurs de campus" (Aix-Schuman, Marseille-Luminy) and in the "Maisons de l'Étudiant" (projects underway in Marseille St Charles and St Jérôme) is first and foremost to offer students in the greatest need recycled computers, small household appliances, small furniture, crockery, household linen, clothing, etc., at low cost (or even free of charge).
In addition to a storage area where equipment is made available, the "ressourceries" will eventually include a "workshop" where computers in particular can be recovered, repaired and put back into circulation. Repair and distribution will be entrusted to precarious students who will be given work contracts by the university.
600 students a year who don't have a computer are given one by the university
Supported by the ALUMNI network:
- Donation of refurbished laptops
- 500€: Linear shelving for equipment storage (2 units)
- 500€ : Repair tools (3 units)
Health center
The two branches of the university health center are located on the Marseille Saint-Charles and Aix-en-Provence campuses, with a team of caring professionals comprising 4 nurses, 4 doctors, 2 psychologists, 2 medical secretaries and 1 nutritionist:
- delivery of a wide range of nursing care (tests, vaccinations, dressings, etc.), consultations in general medicine, gynecology (dermatology coming soon), mental health with a psychologist and/or psychiatrist, nutrition, sophrology and hypnosis sessions;
- full third-party payment, no advance payment for students, geographical proximity, simplified appointment booking via the university's ENT, possibility of obtaining a preferred doctor.
The entire AMU community can benefit, including the potential of AMU's 80,000 students.
The health center has entered into a partnership with a medical analysis laboratory. The Alumni network's involvement in the University Health Center scheme could make it possible to set up local biological sampling for our students:
- 3500€ to finance a chair for blood sampling
Sophrology and hypnosis sessions are offered to students suffering from anxiety, stress related to exams or student life, malaise or various addictions. For these sessions to be of optimum benefit, our students need to be comfortable enough to let go:
- with €3,000, finance a heated electric table for sophrology, hypnosis and relaxation sessions.
Support for inclusion schemes
The Snoezelen room concept was developed in the Netherlands. The term "Snoezelen" comes from two Dutch words: "snuffelen" meaning "to discover or explore" and "doezelen" referring to a state of relaxation.
The Snoezelen room is designed to create a calm, relaxed atmosphere, appealing to all five senses: hearing, smell, sight, taste and touch. This space is fitted out with specific therapeutic materials that both stimulate and relax the person. Indeed, university is a rather difficult place to get to grips with, not only because of the sensory stimuli, notably noise and brightness, but also because of the social interactions and changes in classes and timetables. This requires over-adaptation and over-compensation which, in the long term, can lead to symptoms of anxiety and depression. Flora JOUËT, a psychology student at AMU, has launched a call for projects to convert an unused room into a Snoezelen space. This enables her and other students to continue attending classes. We can assume that setting up a Snoezelen room at the university could lead to greater academic success for students.
The Snoezelen Room is open to all students registered with Mission Handicap, and can be booked through the student handicapped relay (deve-etudiants-relais-handicap@univ-amu.fr). It is particularly suited to students with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders or chronic pain.
The Alumni network's involvement in the Snoezelen Room scheme could enable students with disabilities to benefit from a relaxation area to help them deal with anxiety-provoking situations. We currently have just one room in Aix-en-Provence. Support from the Alumni network would enable us to offer students in Marseille with disabilities access to this type of space on each of our campuses:
- with €6,000, finance the installation of a Snoezelen room on the Marseille Centre campus in 2024
- with €6,000, finance the installation of a Snoezelen room on the Marseille Timone campus in 2024
- with €6,000, to finance the construction of a Snoezelen room on the Marseille Luminy campus in 2024
- with €6,000, finance the construction of a Snoezelen room on the Marseille Etoile campus in 2024
The Ascenseur social - AS - program is unique in France. The aim of this program, supported by the Faculty of Science, is to help young people from inner-city areas to project themselves into management careers, and to succeed in their first year as well as or better than other students.
Students start the AS curriculum with a methodological pre-entry course. In addition to their training, they receive 180 hours of support from their secondary school teachers. The involvement of teachers is based on an institutional structure between the Aix-Marseille rectorate and AMU governance. Students also receive training in motivation and staying in school, as well as in French.
The program was set up in response to the fact that the success rate in 1st year undergraduate studies for young people from Marseille's inner-city areas was twice as low as the average. In the AS program, these students have the same success rate as other students.
AMU intends to extend this program to four faculties.
The Alumni network's involvement in the AS program could enable:
-with 15,000 euros to finance training on motivation and staying in school
-with 70,000 euros to finance support for one faculty
-with 140,000 euros to finance support for two faculties
-with 210,000 euros to finance support for three faculties
-with 280,000 euros to finance support for four faculties
Given the scale of the phenomenon of sexist and sexual violence, discrimination and harassment in contemporary society, it seemed necessary for the university, which is strongly committed to this issue, to create the Service pour le Respect et l'Egalité (Service for Respect and Equality).
An internal, independent, professionalized mechanism, unique in France, which makes Aix Marseille Université a pioneer in this field.
The Respect and Equality Service :
- is a one-stop shop for situations of sexist and sexual violence, all forms of discrimination and harassment.
is a place for listening, prevention, reporting and treatment. - is open to all university staff and students.
- offers support in a spirit of benevolence and confidentiality.
- is staffed by a multidisciplinary team (legal, psychological and social).
The service works in close collaboration with the university's internal structures and external partners, notably the Défenseur des Droits, La Maison Départementale de lutte contre les discriminations and anti-LGBTIphobia associations.
Help with professional integration
The Service universitaire d'insertion et d'orientation (SUIO) team supports students in building their study plans in line with their interests and motivations, by offering individualized interviews and events dedicated to career guidance and reorientation (forums, Masters fairs, modules and workshops).
Guidance counsellors and psychologists from the French Ministry of Education provide personalized support and answer questions about building a study and career plan.
Aix-Marseille Université's (AMU) DREAM-U project aims to help students succeed by developing their autonomy. This ambition means taking into account the wide diversity of students currently enrolled at the university, a challenge that is particularly acute for AMU, which has almost 26,000 students enrolled in general Bachelor's degrees, with success rates below the national average for Bachelor's 1 degrees.
The SUIO is also present at the Salon des Masters. This event is an opportunity for all students to discover the full range of the university's masters programs, through meetings with lecturer-researchers in charge of specific courses and conferences. All fields are covered: arts, humanities, languages, human and social sciences, law and political science, economics and management, health, science and technology, teaching.
Every year, the SUIO organizes the Aix-Marseille Université Forum Stage Emploi. The aim of this event is to facilitate students' contact with the professional world by helping them in their search for internships, jobs or work-study contracts.
Career advisors and coordinators offer personalized support and answer questions on how to build a professional project: CVs and cover letters, but also the realities of the job market, how to identify companies to approach, how to prepare for job interviews...
In early 2023, Aix-Marseille Université set up a Career Center in partnership with Jobteaser. This is a career platform offering job posting and employer branding solutions.
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