A look back at "Donner des elles à l'UM" in pictures
Like every year in March, the University of Montpellier organized its "Donner des elles à l'UM" event to promote gender equality. Workshops, round-table discussions, home cinema and a fresco entitled "Théorie d'être ensemble". Here's a look back at the 5th edition of this remote event, organized by the Quality of Life at Work Department of the Campus Life Division.
A man and a woman assemble a large poppy that floats above their heads. The man is perched on a stepladder, while the woman balances on a pyramid of chairs. This is how Montpellier artist Débitdebeau chose to illustrate the theme of gender equality in the professional and academic world. "The poppy and the red thread are recurrent elements in this artist's creations, and it's also a reference to the Nous voulons des coquelicots movement," explains Victoria Beauchesne, a civic service volunteer in the art and culture department, who accompanied the artist for the duration of this creation. The work, entitled Théorie d'être ensemble, can now be seen in Building 7 on the Triolet campus.
Follow its realization step by step thanks to timelapses by Lune Jezequel, also a civic service volunteer in the UM's art and culture department.
Verbal self-defense workshop and round-table discussion
The month of equality at the University of Montpellier also included a virtual round table which brought together some thirty people to discuss a practical, concrete project: exchanging ideas to design an information tool for victims of sexual or gender-based violence. Nadia was one of the participants. She says she is very sensitive to this theme, which "resonates with my personal history. I myself have benefited from the support of the UM services, where I found listening, comfort and kindness. When you're going through difficult times, both personally and professionally, it's great to work in a supportive environment.
"Each situation is specific, but we hope that this information tool, to which many UM departments (DVC, DAGI, DRH, SCMPPS, etc.) will contribute, will enable victims, who are sometimes very stressed, to have all the information they need," adds Agnès Fichard-Carroll, vice-president in charge of social responsibility.
The verbal self-defense workshops, meanwhile, drew around a hundred participants from the university's student and staff body. Florence is a regular at the training courses and workshops. Although she herself doesn't feel she's suffering, she knows that life can sometimes be difficult, and is always on the lookout for the keys that can help her in her day-to-day professional or personal life. Whether it's first aid, non-violent communication or managing difficult situations, "this time it was a bit different. The aim wasn't to avoid conflict, but to learn how to confront it and say 'no', 'stop' or 'this situation doesn't suit me'".
Homophobia, sexism, racism, discrimination against a person with a disability: during these workshops, participants were able to ask themselves what the right reaction should be when faced with or witnessing this type of situation. "All the examples given by the speaker had actually taken place, and almost all concerned both men and women. It was a lot of fun, and at the same time interesting, because we all had quite different ways of reacting. However, she found the experience a little too short-lived, and would be happy to repeat it: "And why not try to get some men to come?
Fighting stereotypes with Hogar
Another type of workshop, another means of expression: art. Between February1 and March 9, UM students and staff were able to benefit from the talent and expertise of visual artist Hogar. Two online workshops introduced participants to graphic arts. Paper, glue, scissors, felt-tip pens and a fine hand gave birth to ten original works designed around the theme of " Breaking out of clichés ".
Finally, over a hundred people logged on to watch Sébastien Lifshitz's latest film, Adolescentes, which won three awards at the 2021 Césars, including Best Documentary. See you next year for another edition of your "Donner des elles à l'UM" event... in person this time.