She is Constance Hubin . With her sunny and generous personality, the committed Parisian has been running the École Fair for three years now with her partner Anne, where foreign and very precarious profiles are trained in the language of Molière in the church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés . .
“ Never give up hope ”, she says in a soft and confident voice after having made an express visit to the premises, trying not to disturb the early afternoon class taking place at the same time.
The conversion that has it all
What she does is remarkable because it takes courage, time and above all a lot of motivation to continue every day to bring this association to life, which only exists on the principle of voluntary work . Before, Constance Hubin worked in the field of industry, more in cosmetics and pharmacy. A radically different world that does not prevent him from developing his social fiber alongside his job, chairing the association of a children's hospital, Maternal Charity.
A few years ago, she decided to launch the project of her life: to give of her person to those in need. The click? It all stems from a deep sensitivity to the cause of refugees : “ The war in Syria struck me. I wanted to host a refugee in my home and no one wanted to because I was a single mother. Finally a lady decides to place someone with me, it's so rare to have people who want to host migrants. It was my current partner, whom I did not know at the time. I had a young Syrian who came to live with us for six months, and after that I became interested in how he learned French, after that I became a teacher, after that we created the association, that's it! ”
“Everyone has the right to learn French”
Founded with its partner Anne in July 2019, the Fair School welcomes around a hundred students from all over the world.
The condition for being accepted: to be an asylum seeker or refugee , but also to know the alphabet and form the letters in writing. Another particularity to which the directors are attached, a 100% republican school which respects the principles and customs of France. Here, students are immersed in the French spirit, with mixed classes of all nationalities.
How it works ? Two physical classes that rotate from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with one hour of mentoring per week given by someone from outside the school. For optimal success, the school wants to be rather demanding with peak hours, no lateness or absence, but also exams every week. Phew! A total of twenty teachers alternate, from different backgrounds such as Cléa, a part-time kindergarten teacher, or a dentist and a retired lawyer. For some time now, there have been many more requests to teach: “ Afghanistan then Ukraine made people think a lot about the condition of refugees ,” explains Constance.
At the heart of the news
Three years ago, the structure had a majority of men. Today, it is fifty-fifty due to the many Ukrainian women landed this winter.
Within the school parade students with sometimes painful profiles like the case of this Ukrainian , barely 18 years old, arrived two weeks after her majority, her hometown is razed, she is a waitress and comes between her services to learn French . To this day, she does not know if her parents are still alive. But also, a sibling of three Afghan sisters quickly evacuated because one of them is an activist for the cause of women in her country. Much more than a place of learning, the Fair School supports and accompanies those who seek to rebuild themselves after a tragedy far from everything.
Join the adventure
Always looking for donations, the Fair School uses the money collected to develop and offer optimal learning conditions. To participate, it's here.
Do you have time to give? The association is constantly looking for volunteers to lead the lessons. It is enough to have a few hours a week free and to be able to move around Paris.
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