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TotalEnergies Foundation allocates all its compensations to young people

TotalEnergies Foundation works to ensure equal opportunities, in particular by supporting the inclusion and education of young people in socially vulnerable situations. As the patron of many major cultural institutes, the Foundation receives tangible compensation (tickets for exhibitions, shows, museum visits, etc.)1. In October 2021, the Foundation included a pioneering initiative in its charter: all the tickets are now given to young people who are supported by our partner associations. The aim is to give them easier access to culture, a source of emancipation and fulfillment, and thereby increase the impact of the actions we take.

Published on 12/10/2022
1 min reading time

Between October 2021 and May 2022, 1,500 tickets were donated for more than 70 cultural events.

Customized discoveries, shows and visits

The Quai Branly museum gave out tickets for the exhibition La Part de l’Ombre, Sculptures du sud-ouest congolais, which were used by the association Proxité, students from the Iron Academy Ecole de Production and L’Industreet. Similarly, young people supported by the associations Action Emploi Réfugiés, Wake up Café, the Fondation Apprentis d’Auteuil and Télémarque visited the Juifs d’Orient exhibition at the Arab World Institute (IMA). On each occasion, they were taken round by an experienced guide who explained the cultural depth of the exhibition.

The Paris National Opera has also enabled many young people and associations to attend performances of the Marriage of Figaro, Turandot and Parsifal, dance lessons or work sessions, and to visit the actual Opera building. Sport dans la ville, and l’Institut de l’Engagement were able to take advantage of this initiative, and in May this year, about fifty Cadets from the Marseilles Naval Fire Battalion (BMPM) visited the wings of the Opéra Garnier. This association invites teenagers from underprivileged neighborhoods in the city to familiarize themselves with the universe and values of the Naval Fire Battalion. It also invites them to participate in different sports or cultural activities to awaken their spirit of citizenship.

An exceptional day to discover the different professions at the Château de Versailles

In May, over 40 young people supported by the association Les Maisons Don Bosco, spent a day at the Château de Versailles. The morning was dedicated to an exclusive guided tour, ‘Versailles over the centuries’ (Versailles à travers les siècles). In the afternoon, they were able to observe different heritage professions on the restoration work site in the Chapelle Royale and in the palace gardens. In addition to the cultural benefit of the event, it was also an opportunity to raise young people’s awareness of careers that carry value.

For all these young people, who often have very little access to cultural events, these visits are opportunities for them to grow, meet other people and become more independent. They contribute to broadening their cultural horizons and, ultimately, to making their social inclusion easier.

1 Editor’s note: 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 for which the compensation is received”.