The Espace Égalité (Equality Space) is an interactive and fun educational experience covering nearly 800 m², offering a unique experience for children and young people. Through an educational trail, the Espace Égalité enables visitors to familiarise themselves with the 26 grounds for discrimination, to fully appreciate the impact of discriminatory behaviour, and to become aware of the diversity of identities, families, backgrounds, life journeys, languages, scripts, religions, places and ways of life.
Implementation dates: 2019
Background / Issues identified
The Espace Égalité was born out of an initiative by local organisations as part of the Equality Weeks organised by the City of Strasbourg between 2012 and 2019. Each year, over a period of several weeks, pupils in the city’s schools were made aware of discrimination through a dedicated educational programme.
A pilot project was tested as part of the Equality Weeks and the campaign against discrimination to raise public awareness of issues relating to equality and non-discrimination. This project was expanded following the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015.
Implementation process
Since 30 September 2019, the Espace Égalité has had a permanent home in Strasbourg, ensuring continuous access throughout the year. This educational programme on respect and equal rights is the result of more than ten years’ collaboration between Strasbourg-based organisations committed to promoting equality, the French Ministry of Education, and the City of Strasbourg’s ‘Combating Discrimination’ unit.
It is primarily aimed at pupils from the final year of nursery school up to Year 7 in primary and lower secondary schools in Strasbourg and the Eurométropole. The Espace Égalité also welcomes young people and children from day-care centres, as well as professionals wishing to learn about the programme and its objectives.
Through an interactive and fun approach, children, young people and adults are confronted with real-life situations of discrimination, thereby stimulating the development of their critical thinking skills.
The Espace Égalité comprises of various rooms and spaces that invite visitors to engage in a range of experiences related to equality or discrimination, whilst being guided by qualified staff who facilitate all interactions. The experience is tailored to the group’s age and learning needs.
The exhibition design allows visitors to immerse themselves in an urban setting featuring a school, a town hall, streets, as well as homes, shops, libraries, newsagents, cinemas and museums. Visitors are thus encouraged to experience, in a hands-on and playful way, the various forms of discrimination that occur in everyday life.
Through a wide variety of workshops, visitors learn about human rights and the people who have defended them throughout history, whilst exploring a range of themes such as gender equality, sexual orientation, immigration and multilingualism.
Participants also learn about a range of criteria for identifying discrimination and become aware that such acts are against the law, whilst finding out about the legal remedies available. The Espace égalité also offers an immersive experience of the diversity of identities, family structures, origins, social backgrounds, languages, writing systems, religious beliefs, as well as places and ways of life.
The project is coordinated by the City of Strasbourg’s Anti-discrimination Unit, in partnership with various local authority departments, including the Department for Children and Education and the Urban Policy Department, and with the support of the Academic Directorate of the Departmental Services of the Ministry of National Education. A working group on ‘educating for respect and equal rights’ meets regularly to bring this programme to life, organise it and develop it collectively. It comprises local organisations active in the fight against discrimination, which contribute to the educational programme.
Results achieved
The Espace Égalité has been visited by a growing number of children and young people. The interest generated has led the city to allocate more space to the project, as well as to extend its opening hours and broaden its target audience to include students, community mediators and teachers from both the formal and informal sectors. These new groups can now book guided tours of the centre as part of their training.
Cross-cutting aspects
The Espace Égalité helps visitors familiarise themselves with the 26 grounds for discrimination from an intersectional perspective. In this way, children can become aware of the diversity of identities, families, backgrounds, life journeys, languages, scripts, religions, places and ways of life. For example, children explore the issue of gender equality and learn to challenge gender-based prejudices and stereotypes, notably through a workshop dedicated to women who have shaped history. This workshop raises awareness of women’s place in society, both past and present, and enables children to discover the various professions they have pursued, as well as the causes they have championed.
Recognised by the French Ministry of Education, the Espace Égalité forms part of the educational journey of young children.
Resources and documentation
https://www.strasbourg.eu/espace-egalite
https://strasbourgdeuxrives.eu/fr/lespace-egalite-emmenage-dans-la-cave-a-vins/
https://www.radiojudaicastrasbourg.fr/podcast/emission-speciale-espace-egalite-de-strasbourg/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDoHm-iO_qU
https://circ-ien-strasbourg2.site.ac-strasbourg.fr/wordpress/?page_id=7509
