Pyrénées-Atlantiques: To combat isolation and loneliness, the Department is funding 15 citizen-led projects

Following a public consultation and a call for expressions of interest, the Departmental Council presented prizes to 15 winners on Thursday, June 5, in Bayonne. They will receive investment credits ranging from €2,800 to €56,000.

"Isolation and loneliness are extremely important issues that require the utmost attention," says Jean-Jacques Lasserre. This is how the President of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departmental Council opened the awards ceremony on June 5th for the winners of the call for citizen projects to combat isolation and loneliness, launched by the community, held at the SDSEI (Departmental Service for Solidarity and Integration) in Bayonne, in front of around sixty people.

"This problem affects all French people, whether in rural or urban areas," added the departmental elected official in charge of the project, Joseba Erremundeguy. "We have made it a priority of our mandate, and it is therefore with emotion that we present the results of the calls for expressions of interest. This award ceremony is the culmination of a very long process and a process that is unprecedented in France," he continued. "Throughout the process, citizens and isolated people were given priority to speak."

By spring 2024, some forty consultations had been held across the department, giving more than 250 people the opportunity to express their views on the topic. Subsequently, "ideas workshops" were organized, allowing these citizens to put forward several projects that could alleviate the problems of isolation and loneliness.

Eight project ideas were submitted to a public vote in September, and were selected, ranging from shared intergenerational gardens to participatory kitchens, community cafés, and skill-sharing workshops. Calls for expressions of interest were subsequently launched by the Departmental Council to identify organizations likely to implement these projects.

Of the 35 applications submitted, 15 were selected by a jury composed of three citizens and three elected officials, based on specific criteria, such as the diversity of the target audiences or the territory covered by the project. Ultimately, the winning structures received investment credits ranging from €2,800 to €56,000, for a total amount of €300,000.

During this ceremony, the 15 winners explained their projects and expressed their enthusiasm. "By allowing us to bring our mobile kitchen project to life, this funding will allow us to conduct workshops closer to isolated people," said the spokesperson for the Phoenix Mutual Aid Group (GEM), based in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. "Our project also aims to create a link between generations, to bring older people together with younger people, so that they can share experiences from both sides," emphasized the head of GEM Phoenix.

With the money raised, the Vivre service à domicile association in Pontiacq-Viellepinte will organize cultural workshops, craft activities, and board games to bring together people experiencing loneliness.

At the end of his speech, the President of the Department nevertheless wished to point out that this award ceremony is only the beginning of a long process: "Things are really only just beginning. It is now that the projects will be able to change things."