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The Sentinels at the Firmin Bouisset school – Moissac

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On October 11th, our association intervened at the Firmin Bouisset school (La Mégère – Moissac) with children from 4 classes. First of all, we projected the slide show presenting the « Sentinels of Peace » and we were pleasantly surprised by the number and relevance of the remarks and questions asked by the children. Then the children were invited to set up the Sentinels using the game prepared for this purpose. These are wooden frames with a thin layer of sand on the bottom, on which the young children can erect the stones.

To prolong this action, we proposed to the children to draw messages of peace accompanied or not by a small text that we could exhibit with the works of the « Artists for Peace » during the inauguration of the peace garden of the town of Moissac.

« Living together » day in Moissac

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Sentinels of Peace at the Sarlac district on 29 June 2019. As a continuation of our intervention at the horticultural school, the municipality of Moissac invited us to participate in a day of action on the theme of « Living Together » in the Sarlac district. On this occasion, we organised an operation « Sentinels of Peace » with a presentation of the approach by the members of the association and those who wished to do so could raise the stones.

We welcomed on our stand the director of the cabinet of the Prefect of Tarn-et-Garonne to whom we were able to present our association and our project with the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A very nice buffet organised by the residents and an exhibition of personalities working or having worked for peace.

As a continuation of this day, Jacques Tribalat of the association « Moissac Métiers d’Art et Création » has given us the following short text:

Since I installed the totem pole and pebbles on the lawn of the Espace de la TOUR DES MOINES, teenagers or adults who frequent the square are attracted by a white-haired man trying to balance a few stones. The contact becomes instantaneous. Yesterday a man accompanied by his wife is laying three stones. He gets up and tells me: « I have seen my life ». Today they are two young people one after the other. They have got caught up in the game. They have raised 5 or 6 sentinels using all the stones available. Decorating with a net of small stones snaking between the sentries. But the most important thing is the symbolic, meditative character that is revealed by the action of placing these stones one on top of the other. So much so that I myself have blackened several pages (*) evoking all the symbols and links with peace. An immediate dialogue begins.

(*) Jacques Tribalat’s text can be accessed through   this link or in the « Your writings » page.

Working meeting at the horticultural college of Moissac

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On Thursday 6 June 2019, Alain Mila and Jean-Jacques Siry for the association « Sentinelles de la paix » took part in a working meeting at the horticultural college of Moissac in order to set up an educational action for the 2019-2020 school year as part of our project. On this occasion, we were able to exchange with two teachers from the Horticultural High School as well as with Jacques Tribalat and Anne Jardel, who are also the leaders of this project in Moissac.

We are first of all working with the municipality as part of the peace garden project following the town’s membership of the AFCDRP, but also working with the teachers of the high school on the theme of peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons. This project could involve teachers from several disciplines. As a follow-up to this meeting, a meeting with elected representatives from the Moissac municipality is planned.

Pleasant surprise on our arrival at the Lycée. As an extension of our action in May, a small permanent garden with three Sentinels of Peace has been installed.

The Sentinels at the horticultural college of Moissac

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On 21 May 2019, we organised and animated a Sentinels operation on the site of the horticultural college in the town of Moissac. Two groups of students participated. In parallel to this operation, exchanges with the teachers made it possible to discuss the possibility of an action linked to our project for the 2019-2020 school year.

The creation of a small permanent « Sentinel » garden could be envisaged, in the spirit of Japanese gardens associating mineral and vegetal elements, but also a work on the memory of the bombings with history and geography teachers. An exploratory meeting on this project is scheduled for June 6th in Moissac. Moreover, as the town of Moissac is considering joining the AFCDRP, the high school could also host seeds and seedlings from Hiroshima trees.

To be continued…

Graduation jury at the IUT Toulouse

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On Thursday 16 May 2019, we attended and participated in the jury for the defence of the tutored project of the students of the IUT of Toulouse. Although the participation in the photo competition was disappointing with a very low number of participants, the students nevertheless made fruitful contacts with two cinemas in Toulouse and one in the town of Blagnac with a view to organising film screenings followed by debates on the theme of the abolition of nuclear weapons.

In addition, contacts have been made with bookshops which could at the same time organise a presentation of works on this theme. In addition, a conference could be organised at the beginning of the academic year on the IUT campus. For these various operations we can expect the participation of the AFCDRP.

Photo competition by IUT students

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On April 5, 2019, students from the University Institute of Marketing Techniques in Toulouse launched a photo competition for Sentinels in connection with the project. It is requested to accompany the photos of sentinels with a short message or Haïku in memory of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The photos should be sent to the following address:

sentinellesconcours@gmail.com

You can win a menu with the Japanese restaurant Motchiya in Toulouse, partner of the competition. The competition will end on May 8th and the results will be published on our website.

Meeting at the municipality of Lafrançaise

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On Tuesday 5 March 2019, we met Mr Delbreil, mayor of the municipality of Lafrançaise in the Tarn et Garonne. Alain Mila first of all reminded him of the objectives of our association and the fact that an operation had already taken place in one of the member towns of the community of communes. Then we presented him the project in which he seemed interested and planned to discuss it soon with the Municipal Youth Council. We also discussed the question of the municipality’s possible membership of the AFCDRP. Mr. Delbreil also mentioned the possibilities of intervention at the level of the community of municipalities and in the Castelsarrasin school where he works as a history teacher.

The Sentinels in Lasséran (Gers – Occitania)

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On Tuesday 27th February 2019, we met Mr Soriano, mayor of the municipality of Lasséran, in the Gers, accompanied by 2 municipal councilors.

Mr Soriano first of all presented us the actions of the municipality of Lasséran, members of the AFCDRP, and in particular an operation that they organise every year on November 11th. We then presented the project and reported on the various meetings with Mr Michel Cibot and the representatives of the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. In the course of the exchanges, points of convergence emerged. A joint action could be envisaged in November 2019 and will be the subject of future meetings in order to refine the project to be implemented.

On the same day, we met members of the association which manages the associative bookstore of Sarrant in the Gers (indicated by Mr Soriano the same morning) to whom we presented our project and discussed a possible collaboration in the form of a presentation of works on the theme of peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons during an animation. To be continued ….

Collaboration with IUT Toulouse

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Since the end of 2018, we have been in contact with students from the IUT Techniques de Commercialisation (University Institute of Marketing Techniques) in Toulouse. Motivated by the approach, their work is part of their training course. They are currently working on finding partners who could help finance the project. Contacts are envisaged with bookshops, art cinemas, the Toulouse Japan association, … A next working meeting is planned for the end of March in Toulouse.