About us

1. WHO ARE WE ?

Ceméa (Centres d’Entraînements aux Méthodes d’Éducation Active) are a popular education movement, an “education nouvelle” movement and a training organisation which promotes, through their educational actions, a society in which the values of democracy, fraternity, solidarity and respect for human rights are paramount

Ceméa have been involved since 1937 in actions with and for young people, in the educational and social fields: leisure, animation, cultural support, media, social and professional integration, mental health, Europe and international.

Their vocation is to train citizens in critical thinking so that they can be the bearers of the social changes they need.

The CEMEA are based on volunteering activities composed of field practitioners (teachers, specialised educators, youth workers, doctors, development agents, etc.) and their main means of action is training for all publics (young people, youth workers, educators and teachers, families, association and school leaders, elected officials).

Through the organisation and experience of educational actions, CEMÉAs participate in the development and transformation of cultural practices of groups and institutions.

Ceméa are organised in a national, European and international network, they support a globalisation and a social and solidary European construction, based on the meeting between people, on balanced relations between countries and alternative to a liberal economic development.

As a national network, the CEMEA are represented in each French region by the territorial associations (27 in total). These associations participate in the implementation of courses and training at the level of their territory, with various publics, according to the needs and their field of competence. All the territorial associations form the national CEMÉA network, coordinated by the National Association based in Paris.

2. OUR ACTIONS

Ceméa develop 4 fields of action:

• Trainings
• Spaces for citizen debate (festivals, educational cafés, etc.)
• Publications, innovations through research and experimentation for the production of educational tools and resources.
• Public policy support/ Advocacy

These actions are developed in several sectors of activity:

→Educational policies: education for citizenship (e.g. training of student delegates, training of teachers at the request of schools, fight against illiteracy through writing workshops), the link between formal and non-formal education (e.g. diagnosis of local educational contracts, training of coordinators)

→ Holiday/leisure policies: from practice (e.g. training of holiday and leisure centre leaders and directors) to work on overall policies (e.g. support for the right to holidays for all, and for a quality of life in holiday centres for all children)

→ Social policies and professional activities: continuing education (e.g. support for the elderly for staff in retirement homes, support for schooling for after-school activities), initial training (BPJEPS support for schooling), welcoming young people to festivals, reflection on adolescence and drug addiction.

→ From local to international: territorial animation (animation of project groups), fight against all exclusions (support to youth mobility in project accompaniment), international solidarity actions (training of international animators, participation in mobility programmes for adults, professional trainees)

→ Cultural policies and practices: Actions to raise awareness of photography, reading, theatrical creation, welcoming the public to festivals, training in artistic and cultural practices, training in setting up cultural projects, activities and events.

→ Media, critical education and citizen engagement: Direct actions with audiences (festival management, responsible use of digital, technical support with web-radio and film creations).Training in critical media education.