Bondy: sport at work from an early age with “Sport in the city”

The sun is shining on the new synthetic lawn at the “But en or” center inaugurated this Saturday in the northern districts of Bondy. It is 10 am and the young people of the neighborhood are already hitting the ball. Enthusiasm can be seen on the faces. This new infrastructure will host the association “Sport dans la ville” which, already present in five cities in Ile-de-France *, is launching in Bondy.

The synthetic soccer field will be freely accessible day and night. On the other hand, the association will provide sports activities for 6-20 year olds supervised by a team of educators on Wednesdays and Saturdays. “Sport dans la ville” will also offer entertainment around tennis, dance and basketball.

Since 1998, the association has made sport a vector of integration in neighborhoods particularly affected by unemployment. “Attendance and behavior are values ​​that are found in sport and in business,” said Philippe Oddou, the co-founder of the association.

From 14 years old, young people can benefit from the “Job in the city” scheme. Free support ranging from the development of a professional project to the integration of professional training. “A long-term educational support project to promote the integration of young people”, summarizes Mr. Oddou.

Originally from Drancy, where the association is already established, Marvin, 15, benefits from this system. After a visit to a company where he was able to interact with computer scientists, he wanted to get started. “Members of the association helped me write my CV and write my cover letter,” explains the young man who managed to get a week-long discovery internship in a company specializing in IT.

Marvin could have a sponsor the next school year. Because “Sport dans la ville” has forged links with big companies like Décathlon, Lacoste or Cartier. Each young participant in the “Job in the city” scheme can be sponsored by an employee of a partner company. These companies are likely to open their doors and offer internships, work-study contracts or even permanent contracts for the most deserving.