Our activities

On the day of signing the social support contract, an exchange is set in motion: 
the association is committed to helping its new member as much as  it can (administration and legislation areas).
 In return, every member commits to attend the mandatory workshops.
Our core approach : Integration and Living together.

Instruction

tableau

We believe it is essential to master the French language in order to integrate as well as possible into the society. 
Literacy classes are run by FLE volunteers, assisted by trainees.

The workshops are held by two people four days a week. 

Members are informed of the courses intended for them when their level of French is evaluated. The evaluation takes place at the time of signing the support contract.

The association receives all types of people, whether or not they have attended school in their home country. The levels are therefore very heterogeneous, from illiterate to university students .

The courses are very lively and friendly. We make them attractive by encouraging members to refer to their journey, their current situation and anecdotes and that often leads to happy moments !

It’s about to understand and discover the french culture, but also to talk about all the differents cultures represented in the association. It is an opportunity to discuss the rights but also the duties of each person towards others and towards society. 

On thursday, two civic education courses are given by volunteers or by the director.

We talk about the administrative organization, the values of the Republic, marriage, education, secularism, behaviour at work, in transport, in the street, history, geography…. 

The objective is , as always , Integration and Living together.

These workshops are provided in French but are simultaneously translated into English and Arabic. Every person, regardless of one’s nationality or ethnicity, has the right to speak. Each course is conducted in a calm and respectful manner, with no judgement .

Legal assistance

The association is able to provide information and to accompany the members of the association thanks to its experience, its network and the partnerships built trhoughout the years.

In order to help the members of the association in their administrative procedures, the director ensures a permanence two afternoons a week.

The structure then ensures an administrative follow-up whether it is:

– The asylum application to the OFPRA (The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons) and/or the CNDA (the National Court for Right of Asylum). In partnership with two law firms (located in Nantes and Paris), we are therefore able to help our members in a way that is effective and appropriate.
– Also in the application for a residence permit at the Prefecture of Nantes, the Administrative Court or to the Nantes Administrative Court of Appeal.

Living together

cuisine

 The aim here is to become familiar with French products and learn how to cook simply.

Every Wednesday afternoon, a cooking workshop is held with a volunteer and an intern. 
The kitchen allows us to accommodate 10 people during these courses.

It is a time of exchange and conviviality where we learn a different cuisine with local products, very little known or even unknown by some people who have a totally different cuisine. We also celebrate the holidays of the year by explaining why they exist and why they are important in France: Galette des rois, Mardi gras…

We make this workshop educational by explaining what is food balance, hygiene, health and nutrition,cold chain and its usefulness on our health.
Men and women prepare together a  typical dish of the host country which will then be tasted with all those present at the time, as well as volunteers and interns from the association.

In addition, the association prepares and offers a hot meal (lunch), 3 days a week, at beneficiaries of the association for the sum of one euro.

This activity allows our members to manage the stress of everyday life and get to know themselves better. These sports activities are supervised by volunteers.

Every Friday two types of activities are offered: fitness and football in the dedicated rooms . 

These activities are mixed and are a moment of conviviality. The premises for these time windows are provided by the city of Nantes in the Noë Lambert sports complex.

A medical certificate is required to practice sport.

These activities are designed to encourage men and women to participate to sports activities. This creates cohesion within the association between the different nationalities. Those moments are essential to get to know each other, to live together despite a possible barrier of the language and to create a team spirit and increase solidarity.

 These activities allow our members to meet and discover each other, which often leads to great friendships. It is the promise of a possible life between different nationalities.

Solidarity

vestiaire

In order to facilitate access to essential products that meet our vital needs , we organize the sale of food packages .

Each Friday, every AMI member has an access to various food, health and beauty products, at a symbolic price .

This sale of food also allows our members to discover and choose food products that are still unknown to them. This promotes the integration process on the territory, in addition to the cooking classes .

These products are mainly from deliveries by Banque Alimentaire de Loire-Atlantique .

Raised in different ways, all of the objects are extremely useful to the association. Also, our partner Nikki, a second-hand shop , gives us its unsold items to supply the cloakroom . We also collect equipment (furniture, crockery, etc.) from individuals .
Twice a year , we organise a flea market to sell some of the objects. This allow us money in order to fund all the other activities . 

The cloakroom makes it possible to provide our beneficiaries with a reserve of all kinds of objects . 

Healthcare

care check

The association places a strong emphasis on health prevention through actions implemented since our creation.

An agreement has been signed with the C.H.U. of Nantes to formalize the partnership.

At the Nantes University Hospital Centre, the Permanence d’Accès aux Soins de Santé (Pass) is a medical and social care system designed to facilitate access to its services for people in need to the hospital system, as well as to institutional or associative networks for care, reception and social support.

A convention has been signed with Nantes hospital, to officialise the partnership. This makes it possible to refer applicants to the various health services.

>> Link to PASS service – Nantes hospital

The volunteer in charge of health ensures a permanence every tuesday in the association’s premises, with the aim of providing advice and guidance on the field of health.
In addition, she is in charge of the files for members applying for a residence permit for health reasons. 
We also have several partnerships with :
– the CLAT, tuberculosis is on rise among vulnerable populations.
– the association AIDeS, provide AIDS and sexually transmitted disease prevention meetings and also offer hepatitis C and HIV testing on site.
 – sometimes and on request, the podiatry’s school in Saint Sebastien 

Concerning workers, we make sure that everyone is vaccinated against tetanus. The CHU truck operates in the association to vaccinate, this work is carried out with our health volunteer.

Many information or prevention meetings are held within the structure such as: vaccination, sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis, AIDS and tuberculosis. These are carried out by professionals from the Prevention Coordination Department. 

A question box is available at the association’s reception desk so that everyone can ask questions anonymously. The interveners are ready to receive individual requests from people who request it.

>>  Link to Nantes hospital website
>> Link to screening / vaccinations department

Work

It is in the market gardening sector that the association concludes the majority of employment contracts intended for beneficiaries legally able to work.

The main activities are lily of the valley picking, apple thinning and harvesting. 

If we observe the attendance and motivation of the beneficiary at the workshops previously described on this page, we will do our best to accompany him/her to a job, when this is legally possible, and remain on our objective: integration through work. 
Accommodation, food, transport and support are guaranteed by the AMI, the only structure in the region to provide this service.

>> Please contact the association for any questions regarding employment. 

For people authorized to work all year round. 

All the logistics of employment contracts are handled by the association upstream and downstream. The AMI association checks the validity of all residence permits, works in collaboration with the prefecture and the foreign labour service of the Labour Inspectorate.

>> Please contact the association for any questions regarding employment. 

Help with CV and cover letter

Very quickly after registration, a curriculum vitae is requested from each beneficiary to remain within the objective of our association: integration through work. 

Three hours a week three volunteers come to accompany the beneficiaries, previously registered, to guide them in writing a CV and a cover letter.

This moment allows them to learn to value themselves, even if they do not always have long academic or professional training. It is also another way to perfect your writing and speaking skills. 

Graduates are encouraged to request the equivalence of their skills from the French organization EINIC. The recognition by the French State of university degrees is essential for integration.