Sport as a means of helping people enter the workforce

In Saint-Martin, the Superstars Boxing Association is the first sports club to be awarded the ‘Les Clubs sportifs engagés’ label, enabling it to run integration initiatives through sport in partnership with France Travail and its partners in the Employment Network.
As part of this initiative, an initial comprehensive reintegration programme will be launched for eight young people from the priority neighbourhoods (QPVs) of Sandy Ground and Quartier d’Orléans. This twelve-day programme will be supported by a mentor, enabling these young people to develop self-confidence, commitment, the ability to push themselves and team spirit. It will be followed by a work placement. A mobility project is also being prepared with the Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse (OFQJ) to enable them to undertake part of this programme in Canada.

Boxing to rebuild confidence

During the signing ceremony on Sunday at the Sandy Ground sports ground, several young people acknowledged the impact of sport on their career paths. Many of them have been supported by the club, and boxing has enabled them to regain their self-confidence, strengthen their mental resilience… and approach their future with a different outlook. A young person who knows how to follow the rules of the game in their sport can easily transfer these skills to the world of work.
For France Travail, this initiative is part of a strategy for regional innovation. “Sport and work go hand in hand,” emphasises the management, which highlights the transferability of skills acquired through sport to the professional world. Discipline, respect for rules, commitment: these are all assets developed in the ring and applicable in the workplace.
The partnership with Ladom complements this initiative by opening up opportunities for mobility. The eight young people selected are set to travel to Canada for an experience that combines sport and work, including placements in companies. “We’re here together to support our users,” says Nesly Dolne, branch manager, highlighting the importance of teamwork.
This initiative is part of a broader drive to bring jobseekers and businesses closer together, in a region where opportunities exist but where connecting the two remains a challenge. “Sports clubs are places where people meet, just like the job market,” notes the management of France Travail.
At the same time, other initiatives are underway, particularly for women supported by the Maison des femmes. “One of the major difficulties faced by women who are victims of violence is financial dependence,” explains its director, Sibel Aydin. Thanks to personalised support combining job placement and coaching, some are beginning to rebuild their lives. “I felt lost, without any bearings. Now, I want to retrain in artificial intelligence,” says one of them.
Through this partnership, France Travail and its partners aim to demonstrate that in Saint-Martin, social innovation can also be achieved through sport, to put people who are far from the job market back on the path to integration in a sustainable way.