FRBV25 - EC- RESPECT–Democracy: discovery of the senate in Paris

This activity required various phases of work over the school year, and was entirely the initiative of the students in a 3rd grade class.

In September: following the election of class delegates ( awareness of democracy in the school): the elected representatives wanted their class to take part in school outings. The head teacher asked them to suggest some (in line with the school curriculum) and get organized. During a class meeting, the student's collective choice fell on Paris, with the aim of visiting the National Assembly and the Louvres Museum.

Second stage: the students, supervised by their history teacher (Mrs Lescieux), started organizing the trip during class meetings (between November 2024 and March 2025). The delegates collected and filled in the documents for school outings from the secretary's office ; they asked adults to accompany them; they went to see the manager to get quotes for transport; a small group of volunteers looked into the reservations to be made; as a whole class, they wrote a letter to the MP for the constituency, asking him to invite them to the Assembly; the delegates applied for a grant from the school. Unfortunately, no slots could be allocated for a visit to the Assemblée Nationale.

But when the Board of Directors voted on the outing, the representative of the Communauté Urbaine de Dunkerque (Dunkirk Local Council) wanted to help the class, and got in touch with the senator for the Nord Region. She invited them to visit the Senate. The students were able to become concretely aware of the role of elected representatives at the various levels of national representation.

The visit on April 26, 2025: an assistant to the senator welcomed them for a guided tour of the building. The students discovered a place steeped in history, a former 17th-century royal residence. They were impressed by the majestic grand staircase, and admired the rich decorations of the rooms they passed through, such as the magnificent library. But the highlight of the visit was undoubtedly the Hemicycle. There, they felt the solemnity of the institution, realized its importance thanks to the guide's explanations, and better understood the mission of senators. Everyone agreed, students and adults alike: every citizen should have the opportunity to visit an institution of the Republic, so that they can really appreciate the role of elected representatives and feel more involved in the political life of the country. No one left the visit indifferent. One student even chose the Senate as the subject of her DNB (Diplôme National du Brevet) oral exam.

The rest of the day was spent discovering the capital's major monuments and national heritage paintings at the Louvre.