SOS Tardigrades is a support group set up by teachers for students. Indeed, being in difficulty in recent months because of the health crisis, students are showing resilience. The collective SOS Tardigrades is therefore mobilizing to provide support both psychologically and academically. Thus, the 100 volunteers act to offer students quality and personalized help. The aim is to combat school drop-out but also against isolation. Among these volunteers, graduate students, professors and professionals, all mobilized in this action of solidarity.
As a result, a large number of actors are mobilizing for student distress. This is also the case for some restaurateurs or even large supermarket and hypermarket brands. All in solidarity to overcome this health crisis for young people, being in a precarious situation.
SOS Tardigrades, volunteer teachers mobilize
SOS Tardigrades is an initiative to help students in distress due to the health crisis. Indeed, the crisis has created many changes in the lives of French people, especially students. Almost all students have been forced to attend their courses by videoconferencing for the past year. The various confinements have led to a very present isolation especially among students living in university residences or studios. Given the situation, the students lost their odd jobs allowing them to live decently. Thus, school dropout caused by distance courses, isolation due to lack of student life create real problems on the mental health of students.
SOS Tardigrades was created with the aim of countering this vicious circle where more than 31% of students are trapped, according to a study by the Observatory of Student Life. Despite all the resources mobilized by the Government, this is not enough to help all students. SOS Tardigrades mobilizes graduate students, associate or even retired professors, and professionals to help students. This applies as much on the academic level, with a support school support but also on the psychological level. Students are accompanied regularly and keep a link with the volunteers. The collective is only growing, they were initially about thirty and are now a hundred. Volunteers are required to meet a growing demand from students.
The process is simple for both volunteers and students. For volunteers, simply fill out a form showing his availability and profile and then the students contact the volunteers directly. Students, on the other hand, simply have to fill out a form and then contact the volunteers most relevant to their needs, from a complete list of all the volunteer profiles.
Everyone on their own scale can help students, going through a difficult time in their young adult lives.
Solidarity, all united to support students
Professionals and professors are not the only ones mobilizing for students at this difficult time. Restaurateurs are also mobilizing to help students. For this reason, some restaurants in Bordeaux such as Pokémoon and Paula have offered during the month of February a menu of 2 euros exclusively for students. On Saturdays and Sundays, these restaurants offered a full meal in the form of a bowl with a drink. The only condition to take advantage of this advantage is to present your student card.
The University Restaurant of the Crous also offers meals for students at 1. Every student, whether a fellow or not, can take advantage of this offer. Thus, this offer is available in all restaurants of the Crous de France. The purpose of this operation is to help the most insecure students, so that everyone has the opportunity to eat themselves sufficiently and properly.
Large brands such as Intermarché and Leclerc act in solidarity for students. Indeed, Intermarché has been a major player in solidarity since the beginning of the health crisis. It is in this dynamic that the brand has launched a support operation for students as their purchasing power decreases. For a week in February, she offered a voucher of 10 euros starting at 20 euros in store purchase.
Leclerc is also following the solidarity movement by offering a packed lunch for students very soon. Indeed, the owner of the brand Michel-Edouard Leclerc announces the implementation of this exceptional operation very soon.
Sources:
100 volunteer and solidarity teachers launch a national collective to support students in distress: SOS Tardigrades, SOS Tardigrades, press release of February 16, 2021
Restoration, Crous Bordeaux
This week, Intermarché supports students and their purchasing power: for 20 euros spent, a voucher of 10 euros offered,Les Mousquetaires, February 1, 2021
