Acting for an inclusive and supportive society

Who are we?

We are a network with more than 123 associations in both mainland France and the French overseas territories.

Les PEP were created in 1915 in order to help 300 000 orphans from Great War and were officially recognized as promoting the public interest in august, the 16th of 1919. Since 1925, les PEP have been in charge of children and neglected young people. Today, les PEP act for the right and access for all to education, culture, health care, leisure, work and social life.

Solidarity and laïcité/secularism have been the basis of les PEP since the beginning.

Les PEP have always been close to the French ministry of Education and we are also linked to other ministries such as the French ministry of health and the ministry of youth.

Our main activities

– Education: people with learning difficulties and early school leavers)

– Holidays and leisure: we organize trips for children and adults and school trips,

– Early childhood: nursery

– Families support

– Social and Medico-Social Area: to help young people and adults with disabilities (including people with mental physical sensory or other disability.

Our association is managed by 22 000 employees. Our operating income is about 800 million euros. Each year, more than 1 300 000 children, adults and their families are welcomed by our association. Today our political project is aimed at developing an inclusive society.

What is an inclusive society?

In an inclusive society, efforts are made to guarantee equal opportunities for all the members of the society, no matter their status in social life. This way, they can achieve their full potential in life and social development. An inclusive society enables full participation of every citizen of the society in all areas of life: political, economic, social, cultural…, voices of people need to be heard. It places the citizen at the heart of the decision-making process. According to PEP, all the people must have the same rights to access education, culture, health care, leisure, work and social life. Finally, an inclusive society is aimed at reducing inequality, poverty and social exclusion should step backwards.

What are actually our actions for an inclusive society ?

We defend the rights of children with disabilities to have an access to school: We help them through special needs teaching assistants. (AVS: auxiliaire de vie scolaire)

We manage more than 800 social and medical structures which welcome people with any disability from children to old people.

We defend the right for every one including people with disabilities to go on holidays and meet other people (people with no disability). In our holiday centers, we organize special trips for those people and also trips for theirs families to rest.

We fight against illiteracy: we help people with education and social difficulties to get main skills to be active in social and professional life.

We also support teenagers facing problems through a call center which leads them to professionals from health and social centers.

We help new comers (allophones) to learn French and adapt to life.