Report by Ms. Lorena Schlicht, Mayors for Peace France (AFCDRP)
After meeting Ryadh Sallem, para-athlete and member of the French national wheelchair rugby team who has participated in five Paralympic Games during his career, and also president of the association CAP- SAAA (standing for Sport, Art, Adventure and Friendship), the City of Varennes-Vauzelles has entered into a partnership with this organization to host its very first EducapCity event!
EducapCity is a civic and popular education program aimed at children aged 8 to 14. Its goal is to raise awareness about different types of disabilities and to help children discover their town in a new way—through play and exploration. Organized into teams of six children and one adult, young participants walk through the city to discover its heritage, municipal services, cultural and solidarity associations, memory organizations, disability-related associations, sports clubs, businesses, institutions, staff and volunteers, as well as law enforcement and emergency services.
At each stop along the route, the teams must complete a challenge or answer one or more questions to score points and try to win the event.
Thus, on Friday, April 11, 2025, 54 students from Saint-Just School took part in a CAP CLASS, the first activity of this Vauzelles-based EducapCity. It featured three awareness workshops on disability, including a wheelchair basketball game, a blindfolded obstacle course guided by a teammate, and an introduction to sign language.
Then, on Saturday, April 12, 2025, five teams—34 children in total—took part in the first edition of the CAP RALLY, which took place across the entire city. The day ended at the Gérard Philipe Center, where diplomas and gifts (offered by our partners) were handed out to all participants.
The winning team will proudly represent the city of Varennes-Vauzelles at the EducapCity event in Paris, to be held on Tuesday, June 24! Congratulations to them, to all participants, and to the parents who managed to keep up with the children’s energy!
Peace also means inclusion, sharing, and respect for differences.
Photos: courtesy of Mayors for Peace France