TotalEnergies Corporate Foundation works in favor of young people, particularly the most vulnerable. As a sponsor of cultural institutions and associations, it receives material compensation(1) that it offers to young people who participate in the programs it supports.
Today in France, many young people in vulnerable situations have limited or unequal access to culture and heritage. This is the societal challenge that TotalEnergies Corporate Foundation has decided to tackle, by helping young people gain access to art and heritage in all forms.
In addition to the cultural programs supported by the Foundation, some 1,400 tickets were handed out in 2024 to young people in partner associations and structures: visits to exhibitions, museums and heritage sites, access to practical art workshops, tickets to rap, classical or world music concerts, as well as ballet or opera recitals, etc.
Making access to culture easier for young people and encouraging open-mindedness when it comes to cultural activities are two of the priorities at TotalEnergies Corporate Foundation.
In 2024, over 100 young people were able to see the Parfums d’orient and Arabofuturs exhibitions at l’Institut du Monde Arabe. The partner structures and their young beneficiaries enjoyed guided tours of the exhibitions and participated in practical arts workshops including “cooking, taste and smell”, “creating perfume”, or “raw materials for Oriental fragrances”.
A further 300 young people were able to go to shows for young children, attend rehearsals at the Paris National Opera, and discover the wonders of the Palais Garnier and its 150 years of history.
Culture makes us social beings. There’s nothing better than sharing things, sharing experiences, and I believe that culture brings people together, and that’s what distinguishes us as human beings.
Culture helps broaden horizons, strengthens harmony in diversity and is a source of independence and fulfillment.
250 young people were able to attend shows and concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris: classical music (Gautier Capuçon and Daniil Trifonov, Renaud Capuçon and Alexandre Kantorow), rap (Youssoupha, Oxmo Puccino, Prince Wally) and world music (Fatoumata Diawara) concerts.
At Marciac in the Gers region, TotalEnergies Corporate Foundation supports the Jazz Festival in Marciac through its Jazz Music Initiation Workshop (AIMJ) held at the Aretha Franklin middle school. In summer 2024, around 90 young people from the Asylum Seekers’ Accommodation Center (CADA) in Pau were able to attend concerts given by famous singers such as Imany.
I’d never been to that kind of concert, I didn’t really know what to expect. I liked it, I enjoyed it and I let myself go with the flow. Imany explained how she had ended up on stage, and it really resonated with me. It made me realize that we shouldn’t let minor obstacles stand in the way of forging ahead and living our dreams.
Every year throughout France, TotalEnergies Corporate Foundation supports restoration work sites involving young people who are either job seekers or unqualified and thereby contributes to preserving heritage and spreading its influence.
In the context of the partnership with the Fondation du Patrimoine, TotalEnergies Corporate Foundation has privileged access to old work sites. Many young people were able to discover sites in the Ile-de-France and in other regions such as the Citadelle de Marseille or the “Notre Dame de Paris: at the heart of the restoration project.”
Two hundred young people were also lucky enough to discover the Domaine de Versailles. On the agenda: visiting the château, exploring the gardens and water features, walking through the extensive park, etc.
Every year, TotalEnergies Corporate Foundation is happy to give more than 1,000 young people the opportunity of participating in cultural outings and events that they often describe as an “unforgettable first experience.
(1) : For corporate philanthropy operations, the French tax administration allows this kind of compensation, though the practice is strictly controlled through the principle of “significant disproportion between the value of the compensation and that of the donation behind it.” ↑.