About twenty people gathered this Thursday, December 2 at the sports hall of Montarnaud: members of Mutual Aid Groups (GEM), facilitators, educators of departmental badminton and tennis committees, presidents of local clubs. On the initiative of this day, Théo Tessier, federal technical advisor to the departmental adapted sport committee of Hérault. An exemplary partnership between municipality, clubs, Hérault sport and college.
“Our goal is to introduce about twenty sports to people with mental and / or psychic disabilities with the possibility of taking a multisport license for the month or the year., explains Théo. We are in contact with structures, associations, GEMs and also with sports clubs. “
Break the isolation of people
For this day, 4 members of GEM Rabelais and one member of GEM Lesseps from Montpellier have chosen to come and practice badminton in the morning, tennis in the afternoon.
“Not everyone knows about GEMs in France and it would be good if there were more partnerships, if people were talking about GEMs!”, underlines Pierre-Yves Longhi, administrator in Lesseps which has around forty members and who himself created an association of boules lyonnaises. “We meet several times a week and we see what people want to do.”
Kathy Drap, coordinator at GEM Rabelais, develops: “the 1st mission of GEMs is to break the isolation of people suffering from mental disorders, to create encounters with other people, to promote links through activity supports such as sport or cultural activities. supports are good. A GEM is an association of adherent users, one comes there freely “.
Many activities are offered, cultural, sporting, also stays or cooking workshops. “The relaunch of activities after the confinement periods was complicated, agree Theo and Kathy. But the desire and the momentum are there! “
For the elected officials present, Jean-Pierre Pugens and Monique Teyssier, “We have to talk about these groups to get out of isolation and to value the difference! We are happy to see the emulation, the conviviality of this moment. And as a municipality, if we can make places available, we done with great pleasure “.
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