Children in the Princess Grace Hospital have been decked out in specially adapted AS Monaco ‘jerseys’ to help boost spirits in the pediatric ward. The team mascot, Bouba, has also been gifted.
As part of the AS Monacoeur program, ASM football players Keita Baldé and Benoît Badiashile visited the pediatric centre of CHPG on Thursday 20th February. Benoîte de Sevelinges, Director of the CHPG, ASM football players Keita Baldé and Benoît Badiashile, and André Rousset, Deputy Head of Pediatrics
In the presence of Benoîte de Sevelinges, Director of the CHPG, and André Rousset, Deputy Head of Pediatrics, the football players presented the children with jerseys on behalf of the players of AS Monaco.
Specially reworked by the CHPG seamstress team, the jerseys meet hospital standards and will serve as gowns for patients cared for in the pediatric ward.
The two players also presented kids with Bouba, the club’s mascot, which has also been transformed to coverinfusion equipment.
The unique initiative is part of the AS Monacœur programme, launched in 2017 in support of the Monegasque foundation Les Enfants de Frankie. The aim is to “help children escape from their daily lives and dream through open eyes”.
Photos: Michael Alesi/Direction de la communication
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert The Musical, adapted from the 1994 Australian sleeper hit film, is coming to the Grimaldi Forum for four days this June.
Priscilla tells the tale of three unique friends, two drag queens and a transsexual who travel across the Australian outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a rickety old bus they have named Priscilla.
The trio had been invited to perform at a resort owned by the ex-wife of one of the friends, hence the reason for the journey. On their travels, they encounter an interesting array of outback locals who, whilst not always approving of their lifestyle, are often as quirky as the “girls” in their own special ways.
The three performers face adversity and emotional challenges, and through it all strengthen their bonds of friendship and pay tribute to freedom and tolerance.
The musical is top-loaded with fantastic disco and pop hits from Tina Turner, Gloria Gaynor, Madonna, Kylie Minogue and others. Whilst the music is sing-along worthy, it is the costumes that steal the show. Huge coloured wigs, brightly hued corset dresses, shaggy boots, sky high heels, bead, bangles and sparkles of all description are on display, making this a visual feast as well as a musical one.
The show runs from 4th to 7th June in the Salle des Princes. Tickets and information are available on www.grimaldiforum.com.
Thousands of teenage students in Monaco are benefiting from a new webchat coaching scheme offering free and personalised career guidance. CAESO was launched in November 2019 and is an initiative of the Smart City programme.
CAESO (Coach d’Aide aux Études Supérieures et à l’Orientation) is a 100% digital webchat service that is currently being offered to middle and high school students in Monaco, in conjunction with existing support such as guidance counsellors.
As part of Smart Principality, an Extended Monaco program, CAESO was created by the government and is being deployed by the local start-up Ovvy.
The programme is designed to answer common questions among teens, like: “How do I become a physiotherapist, lawyer, electrician or salesperson?”, “Which industry should I work in?”, and “What are the BAC reforms and why is it changing?”
According to the government, from 9th Grade (3ème), students and their parents begin to ask themselves many questions about their educational and professional future.
“Orientation is a major concern for students and families who need benchmarks in the face of increasingly extensive training options, the reform of the baccalaureate and changes to access to higher education,” explained Nicolas Rodier, technical advisor to the Directorate of National Education for Youth and Sports.
CAESO is available for students from 3ème to Terminale (12th Grade) in both public and private institutions. It provides students with information on more than 850 trades and 100,000 training courses.
“At the end of exchanges with CAESO, the student has career ideas, information on training, Parcoursup (the French national admissions platform) and BAC reform, as well as recommendations for post-baccalaureate studies adapted to their professional aims,” said Mr Rodier, adding that “this device aims to make students more involved in their orientation and strengthen their self-confidence.”
The free webchat is accessible via the website www.caeso.mc. With their personal access code – distributed by OVVY in the classroom – students, with parental authorisation, connect to the webchat from their personal phone or from the computers and tablets provided by the school. The data is completely confidential.
Since its introduction, more than 1,900 middle and high school students in the Principality have used CAESO, and 64% of students in grades 9 to 12 – a total of 1,200 students – completed their profiles and received advice from CAESO.
Monaco has highlighted the importance of sport in tackling homelessness and building a sense of belonging at a recent United Nations meeting.
Monaco participated in the UN Economic and Social Council in New York City that adopted a resolution asking nations to develop comprehensive, intersectoral national strategies and specific policy interventions to address homelessness.
Themed ‘Ensuring access for all to affordable social protection systems and housing in order to tackle homelessness’, this was the very first of its kind to tackle the thorny issue for the committee.
Cédric Braquetti, the Principality’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, intervened during the general debate to present the health and proactive, human-centred social policy of Monaco.
Monaco also was involved with the portion of the session that included sport as part of the solution. The Monegasques noted that sport was of fundamental importance for homeless people, as it gives them a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves. The teamwork aspect lifts confidence, builds social ties and fosters integration leading to improved mental and emotional health.
The resolution also urged governments at both national and local levels to improve access to more affordable housing in communities. This, they suggested, can be done through targeted social measures and formal policies on the building and distribution of reasonably priced, safe housing choices for those without means to access such options on the open market.
The declaration also called for an end to discrimination and negative stereotyping of homelessness by proposing that laws, advocacy and awareness campaigns be implemented at grassroots levels.
The decree was passed by the 58th session of the Commission for Social Development, the advisory team that looks after the social development arm of global development.
Photo: Pixabay
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