Bollore : 22 French company managers take action against early school leaving

PRESS RELEASE

22 French company managers take action against early school leaving

United Way L'Alliance launches its Défi Jeunesse youth program in some thirty high-priority schools

Nanterre, November 9, 2018 - Today, at the junior high school Collège Paul Eluard in Nanterre, the non-profit organization United Way L'Alliance (UWA) has officially launched its Défi Jeunesse program (Youth Challenge) in thirty high-priority schools.

As part of this launch, the 22 company managers already supporting United Way L'Alliance have called for greater mobilization to help achieve the target of preventing 15,000 youths from dropping out of school by 2020.

Défi Jeunesse is one of UWA's flagship programs, providing support to pupils throughout their junior and senior high school years. In support of the work conducted by the partner institution teams, and by working closely with them, this program helps pupils to improve their know-how and interpersonal skills, discover different occupations, meet dedicated professionals with a variety of profiles and career paths, develop extra-curricular talents, and benefit from group and individual tutoring.

On a day-to-day basis, Défi Jeunesse is an innovative program that:

• • brings together regional players including companies, volunteer employees, schools and their educational and pedagogical teams, non-profit organizations, and institutions to work towards a common goal;

• • incorporates actions focused on well-being in order to develop practical and social skills, while ensuring the consistency of the content offered;

• • assists pupils throughout their school years, preparing them for future employability whether they opt for general, technical or vocational career paths.

"Following the success of the pilot version trialed in 2 junior high schools last year, the Défi Jeunesse program is being rolled out in 26 new institutions during the 2018-2019 school year", stated UWA Chairman Patrick Pouyanné. "On behalf of the entire organization and our partners, I would like to thank everyone for their hard work and commitment to building on these innovative actions for our young people. I am proud of the enthusiasm generated by our organization's programs, which provide support to over 7,000 students in 30 high-priority schools, with the backing of 30 non-profit organizations and 22 companies."

About United Way L'Alliance:

United Way L'Alliance is a non-profit organization whose goal is to co-develop programs with private sector companies, public bodies, non-profit organizations and communities to jointly tackle priority issues. UWA acts with and in support of the French education system by offering long-term programs and systematically measuring their social impact.

About Collège Paul Eluard:

Located in Nanterre near La Défense, Collège Paul Eluard is a junior high school belonging to

France's high-priority education network (Réseau d'Education Prioritaire - REP). Thanks to the commitment of its principal, Aristide Adeikalam, and its teaching staff, a pilot version of the

Défi Jeunesse program was launched in 2017 with 88 sixth graders.

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Press contact:

Laurence Piccinin, CEO, United Way L'Alliance

E-mail:[e-mail]

Cell phone: + 33 6 71 40 55 09