Introductions

I ensure within the MRERS the setting up of professional training, of the state diploma of technical community organizers of people's education, of initial training at the level of the Île de France department.
(See presentation of the MRERS in the introduction of Madame Yvette MOULIN).

My role in the Afrique/MRERS project is to facilitate the transposition of the practice of mutual-exchange of knowledge networks by local actors according to their specific contexts. It is also an opportunity for us to enrich our experiences with those of the people of the South at the time of their stay in France in our networks (about 600 in France).

--- Presentation of the Afrique/MRERS project ---

Objectives

The move toward cities and in particular toward their periphery creates breaks with the cultural and social context.

Community organizers work locally to allow the populations to reappropriate positively their knowledge, their experiences, to exchange, to enrich each other mutually. The educational and social action has been developed for 15 years in Europe with Mrs. Claire HÉBER-SUFFRIN (Networks of Mutual Exchanges of Knowledge) and in Latin America with M. Paulo FREIRE (Mutual Universities), appears to them useful to reinforce and to develop their own experience in a district, a hospital, etc.

The proposed actions aim

to make visible actions already achieved.
to capitalize the acquired experiences.
to answer the requests of community organizers of organizations or groups of the "Networks of Knowledge exchanges" who are removed by the distance, and to allow them to have access to educational training of community organizers proposed by the M.R.É.R.S., to all community organizers, in the form of 10-day training sessions making it possible to consider:
- the identification of knowledge acquired, the expression of learning needs,
- the learning, the construction of knowledge,
- the transmission of knowledge, the educational methods of the mutual training,
- the mediation, the setting in relation, the organization of exchanges,
- the assessment of learning.
to create the conditions for the organization of "regional cross-network" exchange systems among experiences, community organizers,
- for exchanges between those who organize actions,
- for the comparison of difficulties met,
- for the collective construction of adapted tools.

Specific interest of the action

The M.R.É.R.S. has been solicited by people acting in their district.

One of principles of action of the R.É.R.S., "the identification of knowledge", has as a specificity to build on what is already experienced locally by everyone, to help to become aware of the value of actions already achieved, and with the progression of this positive appropriation, to become collectively more aware and more organized, that is to say more citizens.

Another principle of the R.É.R.S., "reciprocity", makes it possible to establish a parity in knowledge, in actions led among the actors of the different countries. Militants of the R.É.R.S. in Europe, in a district of Sartrouville (France) or of Brussels (Belgium), in a high school of Morangis (France) or a professional high school of Chelles (France) expect a lot from the contribution of those that have different experiences, in a district of Abidjan (Ivory Coast) or a college of M'Bour (Senegal).

It is very reason the first action doesn't consist in "bringing" a word or "knowledge", but first to "receive", to "listen" by facilitating expression. Reciprocally training is proposed in which an important part is made up of "impregnation" by taking the time to live several weeks in a local network of mutual exchanges of knowledge.