About thirty children gathered on Wednesday, April 8th at the Sauclières stadium to learn about rugby and break down barriers.
On the field in Sauclières, under the supervision of Alex Aguinalin, a trainer at ASBH, the oval ball circulates among the shouts, laughter, and hands of about thirty children who are discovering rugby. Some have disabilities, others come from disadvantaged backgrounds, but all have been brought together by Espace Renaissance. “Through sports, they realize that a disabled child is first and foremost a child, with the same joys, the same desires,” explained Isabelle Pereira, a Biterroise and one of the leaders of the association. “It breaks the taboo of disability and prevents bullying.”
These “Inclusive Renaissance” Wednesdays are organized throughout the department, with other sports. “This is our first partnership with ASBH, but we have worked with fishing clubs, petanque, and football clubs,” added Isabelle Pereira.
And these are not the only activities that this Montpellier-based association, specializing in childhood and active throughout the Mediterranean, organizes in Béziers. “At the end of this year, for our Solidarity Christmas, we distributed stuffed animals, books, and toys to 6,650 children from disadvantaged neighborhoods. Last December, at the Polygone in Béziers, there were 300. We also have an agreement with the agglomeration to hire 2 to 3 young people on civic service who help with homework in neighborhood houses.” This is in addition to the Parents’ Houses in Montpellier and Béziers.
The ambitious and costly projects for the 700 members of Espace Renaissance are financed by solidarity galas, public subsidies, and contributions from entrepreneurs and big names such as Lions Clubs International, Ikea, Castorama, Carrefour, and Axa Bank. An impressive network that belongs to the entrepreneur Joël Fernandez, president and founder of the association. “He worked for a long time at the French Rugby Federation and is very involved in the sports association fabric,” said Isabelle Pereira. The commitment to Espace Renaissance began in 2013 after a meeting with actress Carole Bouquet, honorary president of Enfance et Partage.
For Béziers, the next meeting with sports clubs is already planned: “It will be in September, with ASBH, and maybe, we hope, with the Angel volleyball players.”
A Parents’ House in Béziers.
The first stone was laid at the end of 2022, and it is finally ready. The Renaissance House, intended for parents with a child or relative hospitalized in Béziers, will open its doors at the end of the month, near the hospital. “There are eight rooms with private bathrooms and a shared kitchen that can accommodate parents for a few days or months, for only twenty euros per room per night,” detailed Isabelle Pereira. Espace Renaissance already manages a similar structure in Juvignac, near the hospital in Montpellier.
