French : First Concepts
We are happy to announce that in April we launched our new program, French: First Concepts. This program is created to support literacy and alphabetisation, addressing an important need within our community. The program was created in response to the challenges faced by many of our beneficiaries who are learning French. For a lot of students, this is the first experience with a language that uses the Latin alphabet. This can pose unique obstacles, particularly when it comes to reading and writing.
French: First Concepts aims to provide support in building those skills. The program offers weekly classes for students who feel they would benefit from additional support in reading and writing. This first pilot will run until mid-July. Following this, we hope to relaunch the program in September, adapting it as needed based on the needs of our community.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of our volunteer teachers who, every week, make these classes possible and support our students. We would also like to thank the sandwich club that provides our students with food during the classes. We would also like to give special recognition to Chara, whose vision and efforts brought this program to life and who has supported it wholeheartedly from the very beginning.
READ MOREVolunteer Spotlight – Fabiana
Our volunteers are a diverse bunch. They come to us from the four corners of the globe, different ethnicities, ages, genders, religions, but the one thing they all share is a desire to help. They are the beating heart of Serve the City. They are dedicated individuals, role models to young people and future leaders. But who are they really? In our volunteer spotlight we introduce you to one of our volunteers and find out some unusual and interesting facts about them.
Let me introduce you to Fabiana.
Where were you born?
I was born in Exeter, United Kingdom, to a British mother and a Venezuelan/Italian father.
What language(s) do you speak?
English is my native language, but I also speak French, Spanish and a little Italian!
What does STCP mean to you?
To me, STCP is about connection. I have met so many wonderful, interesting people – both volunteers and beneficiaries, and have learnt so much from each of them. Having the opportunity to exchange with people from around the world has been so enriching, and being able to help them, even in small ways, has been very fulfilling.
When you’re not volunteering, how do you spend your time?
I love spending time with my friends, many of whom I have met through STCP, visiting museums, reading, eating good vegetarian food and dancing salsa and bachata.
What is your favorite hobby?
It depends on my mood – if I am feeling energized and active, I like to spend time dancing or working out, and if I need time to relax, I like wandering around the city until I find a park or café to sit in and read a good book.
What is your favorite meal?
It’s too difficult to choose! I love trying food from all over the world, but I have a soft spot for Italian cuisine since this is what my dad cooks best. His zuppa di lenticchie is so wholesome and comforting, and his mozzarella fritta is one of my childhood favourites.
With which person living or deceased would you like to eat that meal?
It’s probably cheating since it’s a lot of people, but I would love to have dinner with everyone in my family, to bring them all together. My family members are scattered all over the world, which means I don’t get to see them often, so I would love to see them all for a lovely (though crazy and loud) meal!
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Doing work that actually makes a difference, being surrounded by the people I love and having space for things that feed my soul: good food, books, art, time in nature.
Which living person do you most admire?
I would say my mum, who is kind, strong, and loving. She is the best person in my life, and I feel very lucky to know her and be her daughter.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be able to speak more languages and to speak them with confidence. Something I struggle with is being nervous to try out new languages for fear of making mistakes, so having an extra confidence boost would be perfect!
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I think my greatest achievements are the relationships I have built with the people in my life. I make a real effort to surround myself with wonderful people who can help me when I need support, and I can support them too.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Maybe an old tree – something that grows slowly, weathers a lot and ends up being shelter for others.
READ MORELes Gars de la Ville: Spring Recap!
Les Gars de la Ville (LGV) and the STCP sport family had an eventful and exciting Spring. From joining a new futsal league, to participating in a solidarity football tournament, to incredible Champions League watch parties with new and old friends, April and the start of May were a blast!
For the spring, LGV had two new interns joining the team, Flora and Julien! They meshed immediately with the team, participating in many activities, helping with organization, coaching and supporting the team and even subbing into matches to play when needed! It was a pleasure to have them for this period, and we will be happy to reunite with them at matches or watch parties whenever they come back through town.
One of our highlights of last year was participating in the Solifoot tournament. We were happy to be one of the 12 solidarity teams participating again! The Solifoot Tournament – organized by the FSGT Ligue -invites solidarity football teams from the Paris region to compete in matches and football-related mini-games, with the top teams winning fun prizes. It was a great chance to meet other solidarity teams and share a common love for football. The first few matches were tough, with a win, two defeats, and a draw. But after coming together during lunch, discussing as a team, regaining some strength and having some laughs, we came back out in incredible form, winning three straight matches and performing exceptionally in the mini-games. Everyone was happy with how we turned things around, and our joy was multiplied when we found out that LGV had finished second in the rankings, winning a team visit to triumph! The rest of the afternoon was a blur of photos and celebration with the trophy and medals.
This spring, LGV also joined a solidarity futsal league for the first time. This has been a great opportunity for the team to get even more playing time together, make new friends with players from other teams and especially have a great time. Led by coach Hamza, we have been playing regularly on Tuesdays. This allows players who might not be able to make it to our weekend matches to stay connected to the team. The team has at least three matches left and still has everything to play for!
The spring was also full of friendly matches and training sessions with other teams and amongst ourselves. We had training sessions with Equipe Sans Frontières and another team, along with some friendly matches at the American Church and Le Five. This offered our players an opportunity to meet and play with other teams and our coaches to see new training methods, which could help us improve. All in all, this helped form new connections between our teams and was a great time for players and coaches alike!
Perhaps the most memorable part of the spring for the team was the Champions League watch parties. The first one, for Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich, was held at the famous Belushi’s with huge screens on almost every wall, perfect for watching a match. We had a great group present, a mix of players, volunteers and coaches from our team as well as fellow solidarity teams – a perfect mix. In the first seconds of the match, Madrid scored, causing a roar from their supporters in our team, and then minutes later, Munich answered with a goal of their own, causing another roar. What followed was one of the best matches of the year, ending 4-3 for Munich, but more importantly, it created a memorable night for all our players.
Seeing how fun this watch party was, we organized another for the next round, opposing PSG and Munich, this time held at Impact Cafe with plenty of soda and pizza to go around. When everyone arrived, a paper was passed around for each person to write down their score predictions: 2-1, 3-0, 2-2… What followed, nobody could have predicted. Nine goals, 5-4 victory for PSG and possibly one of the greatest football matches of all time. It seemed as if every other minute there was a roar of joy when PSG scored, then a groan of frustration (with some whoops of celebration from our Munich supporter) when Munich scored. In the end, this was another amazing night of football and bonding for all the players, coaches and volunteers present!
After the craziness of the 2nd watch party, we didn’t hesitate to organize a party for the rematch, and also to say goodbye to Julien, whose internship was coming to an end. We also welcomed back our old friend and coach, Logan, for the party. This match was a pleasure for the fans of amazing defensive football, and it still had some big moments of excitement. In the end, the Paris supporters were relieved to go through to the final. It was a great way to spend time together as a team and allowed our players and coaches to give Julien a warm farewell.
This spring was full of fun moments for LGV, and the summer promises to keep that up with more matches, training, cultural activities, and watch parties for the Champions League final and World Cup. Join us as we support these inspiring young men week in, week out.
Feel free to contact us directly if interested:
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Community Dinner with the American Church of Paris
As part of STCP’s cultural exchange and refugee integration initiatives in France, STCP launched a partnership with the American Church of Paris to organize community dinners where refugees can cook traditional food from their countries, play national music, and teach traditional dances to participants.
On Saturday, May 2nd, STCP and ACP held the first community dinner in the ACP hall. Shakeil Khan, Jumagol Ahmadzai, Din Mohammad, and Samiullah cooked Kabuli Pilaf, rice, potatoes, salads, and yogurt sauce for the participants.
At the beginning of the event, I thanked ACP for hosting and funding the dinner, and then introduced the cooking team and the dishes prepared for the evening.
After dinner, Jumagol taught participants how to dance the Attan, the national dance of Afghanistan. Later, Afghan, Egyptian, and Hindi-Punjabi songs were played, and participants danced and enjoyed the evening together.
We believe that creating opportunities for refugees to share their talents, traditions, and culture through food, music, and dance promotes social inclusion, strengthens intercultural understanding, celebrates diversity, and supports refugees’ integration into French society.
The event created a welcoming space where people from different cultural backgrounds could meet, learn from one another, and build community connections.
STCP will celebrate World Refugee Day at ACP on Saturday, June 20th, in collaboration with ACP. STCP’s Sudanese volunteers will prepare Sudanese vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, perform traditional Sudanese dances, and play Sudanese music alongside other cultural activities.
Anyone interested in collaborating on such events is welcome to contact STCP. If you would like to attend the event, please check the ServeNow app and sign up there.
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