“The pretty vacation camps…” what will they be like this year ? Pierre Perret would probably never have imagined of facilitators masked, a distance of one meter between the tables and even less of the holiday studious… This summer, the “colos” will be a little special, but, good news, they will be able to restart from the 22 June and in conditions rather flexible.
The health protocol has been validated earlier this week by the ministry of national Education after a few trips to the ministry of Health. Nine pages only against 54 for the school ! The aim was, on the one hand, to reassure the parents by setting a protective framework and, on the other, to allow most of the organizers to open their shelters without too much stress.
It is necessary to consider the colo as a family of confined spaces
It still took days and weekends of discussion for the government and the actors of the sector agree on this “light” version. The organizers were adamant to not to make compulsory the wearing of the mask by the instructors in order to preserve “the spirit colo” and reassure little ones.
“If the supervisors had been hidden from the morning to the evening, there could have been a problem of emotional security for the children,” said Gabriel Hubschwerlin, a national delegate in charge of visits to the French Union of holiday centres (UFCV), who participated in the discussions with the Rue de Grenelle. It is necessary to consider the colo as a family confined. “The associations have been successful on this point : the masks will not be mandatory if the separation physical is not possible, outside as well as inside.
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The number of children per stay will not be restricted, but left to the discretion of the organisers. By contrast, the activities should be done in small groups of 15 minors maximum, which will have to respect ” the distancing and physical gestures barriers “. For physical and sporting activities, the minimum distance will be more strict : 2 metres. Without a doubt, the single most difficult to hold.
“Head-to-tail” on the bunk beds
For the meal, the youth will have lunch and dinner at good distance on the tables spaced a meter apart, depending on the model of the protocol of hospitality. For sleeping, while the first version of the text planned to leave one berth free on each bunk bed, the latter allows more children to share the same room, provided the position… “head-to-tail” ! The tented accommodation is not proscribed, provided they adhere to the rules of distancing. In addition, the prefect reserves the right to prohibit the reception of minors in the departments with high circulation of the virus “.
The associations are rather satisfied with this ” protocol safe and not anxiety-provoking “, but there are still concerns of organization, the text arrived “very late” and the season starting in two weeks. “For some of the smaller organisers, it could cost more expensive to arrange a stay to cancel” warns Gabriel Hubschwerlin. 35 % of the organizers are members of the UFCV have already planned not to reopen.
” in recent months, there has been a lot of cancellations on the part of councils and local authorities “, adds Simon Thirot, delegate general of the Union nationale des associations de tourisme et de plein air (UNAT). The colonies that succeed to re-make the full ? Nothing is less sure. For the moment, the fill rate is two times less than last year.
it also raises the question of the staff supervisor. The students, from generally their Bafa (certificate of aptitude to the duties of leader) in the spring, could miss the call ; their period of training has been compromised by the virus. The ministry has, however, agreed to relax some rules.
The “colos learners” ?
As to the idea of “vacation learning” worn by Jean-Michel Blanquer to “catch up” on the delay accumulated during the containment, it is not unanimous. This device subsidized by the State to families with more modest aims to reach 250,000 children in camps. But at UFCV, one wonders if the “colo” is “the right place” to do the catch-up school. “Do 3 hours of math per day, surely not ! But to make the link between the activities of the stay and the education, yes, ” says Gabriel Hubschwerlin.
The specifications of ” colos learners “, press release Wednesday, offers tracks on the theme of sustainable development, of arts, sciences,… In this version, it is also lighter, we no longer speak of ” strengthening school “, but rather “reinforcement learning” about ” about one-third of the total time of activity “, which reassures rather the actors of social tourism. “The colos are themselves the bearers of an educational project,” recalls Simon Thirot, of the UNAT, who is willing to accept the “outstanding feature” in this period ” outstanding “.
