The partners of the TotalEnergies corporate Foundation share their experience: La Source Garouste
Guillaume Garouste - Managing Director, La Source Garouste
What can you tell us about your association?
La Source Garouste aims to help children in socially vulnerable situations through artistic creation. We organize workshops with professional artists and educators. They are delivered in small groups to ensure quality work, either in our facilities, since La Source has 10 associations in 10 different regions in France, or we use the facilities of our social partners. The association was created 33 years ago by Gérard and Elizabeth Garouste, both artists.
What’s your commitment to youth?
We work with over 9,000 young people every year. We organize all kinds of workshops for them, whether art classes, theater, or live performances. At La Source, we realized that for young people who are struggling at school, these arts workshops help them gain confidence. We do quality work on a personal level, and the young people who attend the La Source workshops develop their creativity, their potential and their self-confidence. We give presentations at the end of each workshop, and parents are invited. That’s the highlight at La Source, because the children are proud to show their parents what they’ve achieved.
What’s your project with TotalEnergies Foundation?
We are lucky enough to have the support of TotalEnergies Foundation in all our activities, in particular those focused on children and teenagers. This year, thanks to TotalEnergies Foundation, we ran workshops on digital art and art-related professions, and were also able to take the youngsters on cultural outings.
The association works essentially in rural or suburban areas, reaching out to young people who do not necessarily have access to culture. Thanks to the Foundation, we were able to develop all that with them.
Can you sum up “Creating partnerships” in a few words?
TotalEnergies Foundation gives us its full support both in our actions and financially. It chose to partner with La Source because it listened to our requirements. It meets our needs and gives us advice on different projects. Finally, TotalEnergies Foundation helps us network with other associations so that we can work together.
