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2004 : AN EXHAUSTING YEAR ...
  

    A place for locals to meet-up, to talk about their desirs, a place that enables these desirs to become projects, dynamics driven by an open and democratic association and the certitude that culture should be the main element for development of social and intregational ties are among the characteristics that marked this year.

 

Assisting projects

 

    This objective became a definitive aspect of our project during the year. Being able to stay open thus offered a certain stability to users, locals or friends of the association and enabled them to come share their wants, projects or to sollicit help from the association. Every Monday, between 2 and sometimes 10 of us gathered around a cup of coffee to discuss actions and potential projects.

 

    Christelle Mette, a local came to us to talk about her project to build a house for a victim of Leprecy in India. A fund-raising evening was organized with all the youthes taking part in this mission. 340€ were raised.

 

    Following the Tsunami that devastated south-east Asia in 2005, Deborah, a young Indian woman adopted at a very young age and residing in the area and also a volunteer helping students with homework, spoke to us about her desire to come in aid. A solidarity day was organized (29th January 2005) during which she was able to contact the youthes mentioned hereabove and 500€ were amassed.

 

    Robert, earning just the minimum wage for insertion (RMI) and living in St Sever was able to manage a metallic refuse recycling project thanks to his knowledge in polishing and assembling metal materials. 12 hours spent in the workshop at La Vache Qui Lit ended in an internship set-up by the Culture and Youth Centre inVire (MJC).

Beginnings of a business creation project supported by the Fonds Social Europeen (European Social Fund) and by the «10B» measure came to light. In the meantime Robert accepted an opening as a polisher in factory in Vire (an improvement on his prior status).


 

    Celine, a young house-wife and mother with a passion for singing pitched-in and held the first Kara-o-crepe. A score of people turned-up.

 

     Sylvain, a local, joined by Celine came together to think about a service project for people isolated in rural areas, notably meal deliveries. This ambitious project required intense assistance: we put them in contact with ARDES which from thereon assisted them in setting-up their business. Their association is currently being registered.

 

    Stephane, a photographer, is looking to value the neighbourhood with the help of his focus and bring the local residants to use photography as a tool to show their know-how and their «savoir-vivre». Various gatherings took place at La Vache to define the ins and outs of the project, to establish what was feasable within the St Sever constituency, to invite associative partners, to set a budget... It will set-up a Labolette for one month at La Vache Qui Lit in May 2005.


    Gauthier and then Simon both local adolescents passionate about Rock were looking for a place to practise. A first Rock'ado night was organized in December: 3 groups gathered and shared their experience. The advertizing, entirely managed by the youthes, enabled 50 odd youngsters aged 14 to 20 from the Vire area to come to La Vache. It proved to be a very interesting experience with its set-backs that allowed the youngters to debate over other potential nights (26th of March and 4th of June) and the idea of organizing a small festival.


    Finally, Jean-Michel, our neighbour and butcher, expressed his will to invite an amator theatrical group from a neighbouring county to gove a perforance he particularly appreciated to La Vache Qui Lit. We welcomed the group in November and discovered a new place that the association could put to good use. Indeed, for the occasion we borrowed a set of stands from the Preau theater that could seat up to 60 persons. 70 spectators attended the presentation. Other venues are forcasted: 13th of April a professional solo artist will perform for some garage thearter, 28th of May the first performance for a young female from St Sever after following a theater course, in June a recently formed amator thearter group from a neighbouring county.


    The concept of a place to ressource where tools and assistance are available is gradually formed. This new mission that was always among our goals from the start soon revealed its weaknesses or at the least what it required: we needed to be available, on site regularly, knowledgeable of all existing devices, master a number of administrative communication techniques or to facilitate project launches. These professional abilities are necessary as the sole services provided by the association no longer suffice.

 

Partnerships

 

    Stepping out of the circle, making the circles cross, questioning the barriers that generate isolation, unawareness of the other. To come together, to work together progressively became an essential focus of our project. In this direction we launched the Sheep fair on the 24th of August that is aided by the holding of a century-old fair. A non-profit collective formed for the third time with support from the local coucil and the St Sever Intercom as well as the Comice Agricole (another non-profit organization). The whole day being marked by rain, our facilities were vital, revealing how it could provide homely warmth. It ended in 150 invites, most of which from St Sever, feasting on a whole sheep barbecue.


    This second edition of the Granit Eau Bois hiking expedition that started in the minds of a handful of walking fanatics in the neighbourhood, including friends of La Vache Qui Lit, has surpassed our expectations. Partnered with the K'Fe Rencontre association based in Mesnil-Clinchamps and the Student Parent association the Trois Ecoles, we coordinated the finances and intensively participated in the organization of this action that enabled near to 600 walkers to discover the St Sever landscape, over twice the number of the previous edition! On top of contributing to bringing value to the area and creating ties between volunteers this walk was self-financed by 1000€ by each of the three organizing associations.

 

    Furthermore, K'Fe Rencontre invited us to participate in one of its manifestations, the Plants and Seeds fair. We bought our scare-crow, our countryside books, our crepes, our cider and we offered a fair-trade coffee and tea tasting.

 

    Moreover we responded to an invitation from the St Sever Intercom for a project geared to youthes as part of environmental protection week: set-up of a metal waste recycling workshop for creating art or objects unrelated to the original purpose of the metal refuse.

 

    The local cultural action collective enables us to reflect upon organizing artistic suggestions in close partnership with the population. This collective is composed of elected members, representatives and other civilian speakers : it is only natural that friends of our association play their part, contribute and support to the projects underway. 2004 will mainly have been a year for reflection and for structuration of CLAC, the latter only being a non-judicial space for debate and formalising propositions.

  Lastly, through the participation of its members, the association has created partnerships with structures such as the Preau theater and the Culture and Youth Center (MJC) in Vire that can offer punctual technical support. The library in Vire as the main source of second-hand books means that the users of our association's services have access to these books.

    Operating within a network seems like an obvious choice, our wish is to set La Vache Qui Lit at the heart of this network as a place that all those with the desire to stimulate and develop country-life can use.

 

The cooperative field

 

    Our facility has undergone remarkable interior transformation: the electrics was entirely renewed, partitions were put-up giving us an office and rest rooms that will soon be in service. The works were all carried out by friends of our association, in their own time, according to their individual abilities and availabilities. In two years we made over 4000€ worth in purchases for material necessary for the works.

 

    The plans for the works were revued to take into account the new discovery activity during the year: Theater. Indeed we experimented by setting-up the stands just before the partitions went up. Immediately it was clear to us the partitions had to fit the lay out of the stands when they came to be used.

 

 The origins - Year 2004 - 2005/2007