The “Copain du Monde”, young Secours populaire volunteers, organized a Christmas party in Rennes for homeless children and their families. They were able, to the rhythm of a concert and around a snack, to experience a time of respite and happiness and leave with their arms full of gifts.
This Sunday, December 22, the wind is brisk in Rennes and the cold is biting. The drizzle, since early morning, has been falling insistently. But nothing could dampen the morale and alter the smiles of the seven “Copain du Monde” teenagers who met at 10:30 a.m. at the BAM – the Modeling Building, a cultural and supportive place of life, located in the Cleunay district. These young Secours populaire volunteers have been working for weeks to organize a Christmas party for the homeless children of Rennes and their families, who live in extremely precarious conditions in two gymnasiums and nine schools in the city. “ We want to bring them a moment of relaxation and pleasure and that they can spend this moment with their parents. », simply sums up Gabrielle, 14 years old. With the Secours populaire volunteers accompanying them, they unload the pallets from the truck containing the drinks, food, decorative materials as well as the games, toys and books that these young people have collected from the city's schools and colleges. They then split into two teams. Zaïna, Sam and Amarillo set about decorating the large performance hall which, in a few hours, takes on a festive look. From the tall tree adorned with baubles to the garlands of light zigzagging along the walls, from the small round tables covered in red to the long buffet on which drinks and candy bowls are lined up, everything evokes the magic of Christmas. Gabrielle, Cataleya, Amélie and Nina set up, in another room, the self-service of toys so that each of the invited children can leave with their arms full of presents that they have chosen themselves.
« Today we celebrate Christmas! »
Gabrielle knows the contents of the boxes of toys and books that the four young girls unpack by heart: she spent the previous weekend sorting them with a friend. “ There were so many that we thought we would never get there but we machined well and we succeeded! », she laughs. There is no leader within the children's team – everyone participates to their extent and knows what they have to do. The work is carried out calmly and in a good mood and the team of volunteer leaders from Secours populaire is there to support it, hand in hand, and not to supervise it. To encourage him above all. The “Copain du Monde” children of Rennes are not counting their efforts for this Green Santa campaign. The day before, around ten of them were present to welcome the hundreds of children from families invited to a magic show. The next day, everyone will be mobilized to organize a large clearance sale of toys at free prices in the social center of the Maurepas district, the poorest in Brittany. But for now, they are putting the finishing touches to the preparations for “Boumbam”, this family boom at BAM in which they are throwing their strength and their hopes. The last candies are poured into the cups, the last balls hung on the tree when the first families arrive. It’s 1:30 p.m. A room has been specially decorated to welcome them over a coffee, before they head to the performance hall. The number of “Copain du Monde” children as well as adults who have come to lend a helping hand has now doubled: in all, there are nearly 25 green hats, aged 10 to 70, who are busy like elves.
The first music we hear is that of tongues. The vast majority of the families invited are migrant families, coming from all over the world – from Georgia, Ivory Coast or Syria; from Brazil or Sudan; from Angola, Algeria and even Azerbaijan. Angela, a 10-year-old Albanian girl, is accompanied by her parents, her brother and her sister. She got ready for the occasion, wearing her hair carefully; a radiant smile lights up his face; she clutches her small handbag with a golden shoulder strap. “ Today we celebrate Christmas! », she announces solemnly. In his pocket is slipped the invitation that the “Copain du Monde” gave to his family, during their visits to gymnasiums and schools. The second music is that which comes from the speakers. Dylann, volunteer DJ, slowly but surely raises the mood. The party has only just begun, it is 2:30 p.m. and the room is full – around 125 people are gathered, a good half of whom are already dancing on the floor. Perparim, originally from Macedonia, films on the phone his wife Enchelada dancing the madison, with their very young Amelia in her arms. In his other hand, he holds his child's still steaming sugar pancake. Gabrielle, whose hope was “ to see smiles on faces ”, can be reassured. In a corner of the room, at the makeup stand, she paints a beautiful butterfly on the face of Iman, 5 years old, who has traveled a long way from Darfur, as well as a red heart on her hand. In the opposite corner, children flock to the game of angling to try to draw a stuffed toy from the large bin – none will leave empty-handed.
« My head is in the stars, I am making my dreams come true. »
It’s 3:30 p.m. and it’s the highlight of the show. Dylann, when he is not a DJ, is a singer and performs his own songs under the alias “The Rose Hero”. “ What I want to do is music for the whole family, for parents and children to vibrate together », confides the volunteer musician before grabbing his guitar. His friend Lucas takes over behind the computer and, for thirty minutes, the hero Rose leads the whole room. Tamina, a 19-year-old Georgian, who came with her mother, jumps to the rhythm of the beats, waving a glow stick in the darkness of the room which she makes dance like a firefly. “ I have my head in the stars, I make my dreams come true » sings Dylann. Her dream, Tamina will glide radiantly after the concert, is to be able to follow “ studies in France, a CAP in cooking. And to find a place to live, for me and my parents ».
Green Santa, with whom the children posed for a souvenir photo, now brings them, in small groups, to the self-service area. Iman, the little Sudanese girl with a strong heart, leaves, laughing, with two illustrated books, a puzzle and a stuffed unicorn as big as her. “ Today I liked everything better. But what I liked the most was dancing and looking at the stars “, she says, pointing to the wall where a projector causes a cloud of multicolored stars to dance. At 5 p.m., all the children have received a gift but the families linger; there are pleasures that we want to make last. All were touched by the warm atmosphere and the attention given to them, which offer a respite from a daily life punctuated by difficulties, deprivation, exclusion and uncertainty. “ We danced together, we partied together », says Sam, 13 years old, one of the “Copain du Monde” in charge of the party. It was important for these children. When I go to see them, in the gyms where they live, they have nothing to do and often look sad. Today they are happy “. The last ladle of the eight liters of batter crackles on the crepe maker but the stage is still full of dancing children. Before the families leave, Rayan, a 9-year-old Ivorian, offers candy to everyone, which he takes from a cup. His face, made up as Spiderman, lights up when you pick one up.
It's almost 7 p.m. Gabrielle, accompanied by her parents, walks through the doors of the Félix Masson gymnasium. In the box that she carries at arm's length, there are the gifts that the children were not able to take, when they were too bulky for the metro journey that the families had to make. When she appears, the little ones come running: they were waiting for her. The four immense walls of the gymnasium are occupied by tents or, sometimes, mattresses on the floor. Young people play basketball in the center. A little girl rides a scooter. People chat in small groups around makeshift tables. Life is stronger than anything – “ we get used to everything », smiles with melancholy Stéphanie, Rayan’s mother. The latter, still in superhero makeup, brandishes the book and the large car that he took from Gabrielle's cash register. Childhood is stronger than anything. Her little brother Franck, exhausted from his day of celebration, falls asleep in Stéphanie's lap. The mother's tender smile is topped with a chef's hat. Tonight she did “ for everyone who wants it ”, chicken soup and rice. “ In our situation, we have to share and help each other. Eating well is a pleasure, and it is not because we are going through the worst difficulties that we have to give up the joys of life. » While Franck dozes in her arms, Stéphanie recalls the long journey, lasting six months, that she made “ through the desert » from the Ivory Coast to come to France, alone with her two children. She looks at them both for a long time. “ Christmas is a time of joy and sharing. I saw my children happy, fulfilled, bright. They experienced something exceptional today. »
