Romaric, discovering Senegal

March 11, 2024

Romaric Vintrin, a teacher at the Val d'Isère school, also combines a passion for Africa with an educational project. His aim? To create links between the Avalins and the children of Senegal, the country that caught his eye. Through this project, he hopes to introduce them to another continent and bring them into contact with otherness.

On his various trips, he meets teachers and visits schools. He uses his mascot, the marmot, to share with children his discoveries and the differences between the two countries (fauna, flora, gastronomy, culture...). Thanks to his Polarstep accountIn addition to its own website, it can describe the groundhog's adventures in real time... much to the delight of little Avalins curious to know what's happening to him!

On his return to France, he set up an exhibition at the Val d'Isère school and proposed various activities during extracurricular activities. He was able to explain and share with the children various objects brought back from Senegal: musical instruments, clothing, traditional jewelry...

Beyond the intercultural aspect and the sharing with the students, this project was also personally enriching for Romaric. It was an opportunity to confront his own apprehensions, to ask himself what subjects to film, how to show such a different reality, to transcribe events without judgment or moralizing, and to question the needs and forms of education.

With his head full of ideas, he is thinking about what to do next and how to spread the word and expand the project: self-publishing his travelogue, setting up an association... To take things even further, he would like to get a teacher to teach a class in the other country from a distance.

Would you like to join him in co-constructing a project? Would you like to travel to Senegal and talk with him about the country? Contact him: romaric.vintrin@outlook.fr.