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The French Art of Solidarity


Returning from summer vacation in France is a national rite. People slowly trickle back into cities after returning from vacation, stores and businesses jump back to life, and things start humming again after the lazy days of summer.

A French ritual during this back-to-school period is something called the forum or foire des associations, that is, a fair where all local organizations in any kind of activity can present themselves to interested parties.  Basically, it's usually a street lined with different tents and you can browse the different activities presented.

I attended one of these in my neighborhood, and the range of some of these activities included sports, drumming, a writing workshop, volunteering to visit sick people in the hospital, and produce clubs. I was particularly impressed with the amount of associations dedicated to helping people, that is, where they were soliciting volunteers to accompany people who needed help in some way: sick people, the homeless, the unemployed.

The French definition of an association is the following: A group of volunteers gathering to support a common project or activity, without making a profit.[1] This doesn't mean that associations can't make money, but the end goal is not for profit but to spread a common goal or value. And whatever money is made must be used to help support the association itself.
The title of association is basically a legal recognition, allowing the group to do things like open a bank account, request government subsidizations, etc.[2]

Since associations have a governmental recognition, the French state can collect and publish data on them. According to the French National Education Ministry, more than 73,000 new associations were created in 2017, making a total of 1.3 million in the country. It is estimated that in 2017 there were about 13 million volunteers working in this kind of association.[3] The total population of France is close to 67 million, so this means that close to 20 percent of the population was involved in this kind of activity in 2017. This is quite an impressive figure.

Brochures I picked up at my local forum des associations

Back to my anecdote about my local activity fair: this was a nice reminder of how strongly the value of solidarity is ingrained in France. It was also a moment where, like a flash, I was reminded of something I like and admire in France and the French mentality.

To put this into context, you have to understand the national tension we've been experiencing since the start of the Yellow Vests Movement last November. Since November there were regular Saturday protests all over the country, which often ended in violence and police intervention. The continuation of the protests for months seemed to heighten tensions, as protesters would get injured and sometimes wrongly harmed by police forces, and police forces felt more and more attacked, stressed, and undermined. The Yellow Vests Movement was not necessarily organized with a clear leader, but its origins were in fighting for solidarity for the population, especially those hit hard by rising fuel prices and the general cost of living.

So as much as the Yellow Vests Movement was also about solidarity, the quiet forum des associations in my neighborhood was a much gentler reminder about the strength of this value in France and how dedicated French people are to improving conditions for those around them, whether those conditions involve simply following a leisure activity, or more focused, targeted help for those in need.

When you live abroad, you must accept both the strengths and the weaknesses of your host country. I think solidarity is one of France's greatest strengths, and that is a truly wonderful thing.


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