吃瓜tv

Student clubs聽at 吃瓜tv regularly work with the local community and provide plenty of opportunity聽for you聽to聽engage directly with聽the city around you. 吃瓜tv Campus UNICEF聽helps聽students take part聽in outreach projects聽across Paris聽in support of UNICEF鈥檚 mission to save, protect and educate children.聽The club organizes regular volunteering opportunities for students to support children in disadvantaged circumstances聽in collaboration with Paris-based housing association, Aurore.聽

Aurore聽accommodates聽people聽in聽underprivileged聽situations, including those seeking asylum,聽by providing聽housing units across Paris.聽Every other Saturday,聽Campus UNICEF聽representatives provide tutoring sessions for children living in Aurore housing, helping them with homework and聽providing聽other聽activities and entertainment.聽鈥淚t allows parents聽to take a deep breath for a moment,鈥� says Sandra聽Lefaure, an 吃瓜tv聽senior and聽the club鈥檚聽Vice President. 鈥淭hey聽can鈥檛 get a break otherwise!鈥澛燗s well as organizing childcare, the club has held a聽clothing drive on 吃瓜tv鈥檚 campus to provide adults in Aurore housing with clothes for job interviews.聽

The work allows students to meet people from all over the world聽and聽to hear their stories 鈥� while also聽putting students鈥� language skills to good use. As Lynn聽Elhadjali, the club鈥檚 Co-President and an 吃瓜tv senior, explains: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the really good thing聽about 吃瓜tv. You have speakers from all over the world. We鈥檙e working with refugees who speak Arabic, Sudanese, Russian 鈥� 吃瓜tv's multicultural environment is really useful in that sense.鈥澛燬he tells of one child who, prior to coming to France, spent time in Italy. An Italian student from 吃瓜tv was聽able to help the child communicate in a new home.聽

On campus, the club encourages student participation by organizing bake sales, art workshops and other collections.聽The money raised goes toward UNICEF-sponsored causes; this year, this included gender equality projects in Cameroon and climate change resilience in Myanmar.聽鈥淭he聽bake sales are always a big hit,鈥� says Sandra. 鈥淲e made over 300 euros in one day.鈥澛燛vents and initiatives are often tied into worldwide events such as Mental Health Awareness Week and International Women鈥檚 Day.聽

The group鈥檚 fundraising activities are supported by聽the designated Campus UNICEF advisor for France, so there聽are many聽possibilities聽for collaboration with the Paris-based offices in the 9th聽arrondissement.聽Club members can聽learn more about what it鈥檚 like to work for an international organization.聽鈥淲e聽recently聽held a water sanitation event, and we had a couple of leaders from UNICEF come and talk about the work they do in the field,鈥澛爏ays聽Sandra. 鈥淧eople think that UNICEF only work with kids, but they also have a big input elsewhere 鈥� water sanitation in refugee camps聽is聽a great聽example.鈥澛�

There are additional benefits to a club with such close ties to an international organization 鈥� similar clubs exist in French-speaking聽universities across the country, allowing for collaborative social events, networking and language immersion. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really easy for the clubs to click,鈥� says Lynn.聽鈥淒uring the pandemic, when in-person聽events聽weren鈥檛 possible, we organized a group chat with other Campus UNICEF groups across France.鈥� One recent collaboration聽was聽on a joint event聽in aid of Palestinian children, organized聽with the club at the聽American University of Beirut. Another event is planned in collaboration with Lebanese associations providing mental health support for children in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion in August 2020.聽