After giving the floor to her team, it's Sophie Michelet's turn, head of the Chemins d'Enfances program. Between field experience and coordination, she continues to put all her energy into serving children. Spoiler: she never forgets the field.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your career?
«I'm Sophie, 29 years old, and I'm about to turn 30! I have a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's in educational sciences, with a specialization in social intervention. Since secondary school, what really attracted me was social work.»
After working as a summer camp organizer from the age of 18, and as an educational assistant in secondary schools, she went on to specialize in working with people in very precarious situations, in particular Roma children living in shantytowns, a subject on which she wrote two research dissertations.
«I first sought to understand inequalities, then to take concrete action on the ground.»
Why associations and social work with children?
«I grew up in a very socially mixed environment. Very quickly, I realized that there were strong inequalities, and that when they aren't addressed early in childhood, they become almost impossible to circumvent.»
Do you remember your first pitch?
«Yes, very good. It was a slum. I was impatient... and a bit stressed at the same time. I wondered how I was going to be received, if I was going to succeed in creating a bond with the families and the children.»
Despite the apprehensions, the desire to share and create quickly took over.
What has the field taught you?
«Humanly, enormously. The resilience of the families and children is impressive.»
Professionally too:
«The field has taught me to adapt constantly, to question myself, always keeping the well-being of the children at the heart of my interventions.»
What do you remember most about those years?
«The stars in the children's eyes when they arrive at the workshop. For two hours, they find their place as children and play like everyone else.»
And let's not forget the unexpected:
«You plan a workshop for ten children, but there are thirty. Or you have to maintain an intervention despite a storm. In the field, you're always adapting.»
What is your role in France today?
«I coordinate the Chemins d'Enfances program, an educational program for migrant children who have lived on the streets before being sheltered. My main missions are to manage project managers, develop partnerships, support fund-raising, and manage operations and teaching.»
How does your experience influence your work today?
«I know the physical and emotional commitment that the field demands, so I manage the program with that always in mind. And I also know precisely the needs of the families, the opportunities and the limitations of the field, which allows me to propose coherent and feasible actions.»
What do you enjoy most about working with teams?
«Enable people to develop professionally, in a healthy working environment, conducive to initiative and creativity.»
And on the team side :
«Best team ever! Varied, complementary profiles, highly committed to families.»
How do you stay in touch with the field?
«I'm in constant contact with the teams, I hold regular meetings, and I'm often out in the field. I know exactly what's going on: projects, difficulties, successes.»
How do you see the program developing in France?
«It's a program that has developed without spreading itself too thin. We've got a system that works, we're banking on quality and continuous improvement, without losing sight of our objectives with families.»
What are you most proud of today?
«To have succeeded in forging a path between the field and the offices while keeping field actions at the heart of my daily routine.»
Thank you Sophie for this great testimonial!
Officially at headquarters, unofficially still ready to disembark in the workshop at any moment 😉
