In 2021, the Du Pain & Des Roses – Nantes association was set up to offer women who are far from employment an opportunity to discover the plant industry. The project consists of setting up floral art workshops to enhance the professional and psychosocial skills of vulnerable women from reception centers in the Nantes area. In the longer term, the project aims to become a workshop and integration site (ACI), offering the women a qualifying job and long-term socio-professional support.
The workshops use flowers to help participants develop their creativity, self-confidence, oral expression and ability to work in a group. They also help to combat women’s isolation, as they are times when they can take pleasure in floral creation and exchange ideas in a friendly, caring atmosphere. What’s more, the workshops are professionalizing. Women learn techniques in the plant, horticultural and floristry trades that can be put to good use when looking for a job. Finally, the workshops transmit an eco-responsible vision of floristry through the use of seasonal and local flowers and foliage.
The association supports women and gender minorities who are far from employment by offering them free workshops in floristry and plants in a creative, comforting and friendly environment. The aim is to help them rediscover their self-confidence and talents, and a path towards employment. What’s more, the association’s approach tends to limit its ecological impact.