Toys by the thousands, or almost. With the 1,800 toys listed in the Jeux rejoue store in Lorient, there is enough to make Santa Claus pale. In Géraldine Wendling's hands, board games, construction games, introductory games, but also puzzles, small cars, soft toys, dolls and many others. Their particularity is that they are all second-hand. Here, reuse is king.
“At some point, you have to know how to let go”
At the mother of four children, aged 17 to 25, the cupboards were full of games. “At some point, you have to know how to let go of it and rethink your way of consuming. They immediately supported me in this project. Unlike my generation, they are made aware of the environmental cause from school.”
Each year, in the Lorient area, 340 tonnes of toys and games are thrown away and therefore buried. “I wanted to take the toys out of the trash. With the Tag56 incubator, through which I grew my project, we calculated that with eight full-time people, we can collect 42 tonnes to revalue 21, or 12% of what is thrown into the land. agglom. A drop of water, but that’s enough.”
I am the mother of three children with disabilities, so the association touches me. The disabled are the forgotten ones in our society
Revalorization through inclusion
Around fifteen volunteers make up the association. Their role: to check the good condition, quality and functioning of the toys. But there are also, and above all, trainees with disabilities, from Sauvegarde 56 and two IME (medical-educational institute) in the Lorient region. “The association serves as an evaluation support,” explains Géraldine, “the objective is to see if the trainees can consider a return to employment.”
Christelle Dubal, on internship in January, is now one of the volunteers. “I save the games to a file, see their value on the Internet and set a price based on condition. This activity allows me to get away from my daily life. I am the mother of three children with disabilities, so the association touches me. The disabled are the forgotten ones in our society.”
Toys accessible to all
In the hangar on Boulevard Cosmao-Dumanoir, transformed into a store, toys are sold between €1 and €15. Something to suit all budgets “I wanted it to be THE second-hand games store in Lorient. Jeux rejoue is going to have its first Christmas and I am touched. We want there to be gifts under the tree, without breaking the bank.” The toys, all CE standardized, are donations from individuals who drop them off directly at the store. Collections are also set up in schools, colleges and businesses. For the former administrative secretary, who sought “to give meaning to her professional career and rediscover the desire”, the mission seems accomplished.
Practical
Jeux rejoue, 86, boulevard Cosmao-Dumanoir in Lorient. Eco-fun Christmas market, this Friday, November 22, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Collections in the Leroy Merlin store in Quéven until November 28 and at the Cité de la voile until December 8. Open Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., until December 24. Open all year round, Wednesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
