Molière’s language opens the door to independence

The organisation, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year – seven of which have been spent operating in the region – specialises in helping people acquire basic skills, upskilling vulnerable groups and providing support towards employment. Jielle Formation had therefore brought together FORE IDN, AKTO, the CCISM, France Travail and the RSMA at its premises in the Quartier d’Orléans. These organisations, each in their own way, help to support young and older people towards employment, but also, at an earlier stage, towards a better command of the French language.
In a multilingual region, the issue of illiteracy requires a tailored approach. The organisation therefore relies on consultant-trainers who are themselves multilingual to gradually support participants in learning French. Over the past seven years, hundreds of people have been trained and, for many, guided towards employment. For beyond the acquisition of basic skills, the aim is also to enable everyone to develop a genuine career plan. Learning takes various forms: films, theatre, music, sport and tailored workshops designed to appeal to all audiences, both young people and adults. Educational outings are also organised to help them get to know the island and its history better.
Many participants had little or no schooling in their country of origin and are now working locally without a sufficient command of French. In some cases, it is the companies themselves that request support for their employees.
The day also featured a workshop for social workers, aimed at helping them better understand situations of illiteracy, but above all at learning how to identify them and support those affected.
Since last year, the reading programme introduced in nursery schools has also made it possible to begin this learning process from a very young age, whilst valuing the child’s mother tongue. Gradually, the child is thus guided towards the French language.
The RSMA, now based in Saint-Martin, has also observed the difficulties faced by young people during entrance exams. They are therefore offered a refresher course with a teacher from the French Ministry of Education. For the head of the RSMA centre in Saint-Martin, the stakes are high: the ultimate goal remains integration into the labour market, which in particular requires the ability to understand instructions, undertake training or even pass a driving test.
At the end of the day, seven people received their Diploma in French Language Studies (DELF), recognising the progress they have made in mastering the French language.