3 Questions to Julien Verger, Director of the Yuna Crew Association

Non classé

8 juin

Association Yuna Crew - Julien Verger.jpg

TF - What problems does the N.E.C.T.A.R project address?

JV - We tend to buy our food in supermarkets, without worrying about where it comes from or what is in our fruits and vegetables. Scientific research proves the dangers of ingesting chemicals on our health. It is essential to return to a reasoned agriculture, without endangering the Earth.

Moreover, we are more and more cut off from nature and its benefits. Our society no longer allows us to take time for ourselves or for others. However, the virtues of nature on our organism are recognized, taking into account what it offers us food-wise as well as spiritually.

We are also witnessing a lack of knowledge of the fauna and flora on the part of our children, who are disconnected from nature and too connected to the technological world. Green spaces are becoming increasingly rare, which increases the distance between man and nature.

Culture and art are sometimes unattainable for some people, because of their education and financial means. It is fundamental for the human being:

To discover in order to blossom,
To learn in order to open up,
To explore in order to learn.

By considering the word environment as what constitutes the network, the place, the links and the tools which surround a human being, we thus pose this problematic:

How to reconstruct the links between man and his environment through educational and cultural tools embedded in a natural setting?

TF - How does the N.E.C.T.A.R project concretely address these issues?

JV -

N.E.C.T.A.R
Nature - Education - Culture - Transmission - Art - Reasoned
It is the meeting between culture of the earth and culture of the mind.

N.E.C.T.A.R is a place of life, it is a space of exchange and transmission, it links pedagogy and culture.

N.E.C.T.A.R reconnects the human being to nature, it raises awareness, it makes people think, and it awakens.

N.E.C.T.A.R lives through and for the citizens, it is firstly a human adventure, it was born from the desire to create a space out of time and out of the current way of life.

First, in April 2017, the family gardens in Gattières were born.

The municipality, in collaboration with the Yuna Crew Association, created 8 plots of 50 m2 for the inhabitants of the village, on a 750 m2 lot.

It seemed appropriate to allow the inhabitants of Gattières and from the surrounding area (many of whom live in village houses with no outside space) to benefit from a vegetable garden so that they can reconnect with nature and grow their own vegetables while respecting the fauna and flora.

The "faut qu'ça pousse" festival was born in July 2017 within the gardens; music groups and exhibitions of local artists are at the rendezvous every summer.

In a warm and friendly atmosphere, the gardeners have succeeded in making this space thrive while respecting nature.

In September 2020, given the success of this place, the Yuna Crew Association, the municipality of Gattières and the owner of the land, Mr. Hugard, thought of a new project: N.E.C.T.A.R.

Shared gardens, including 2 large plots for the 2 schools of the village;
A barefoot path;
An educational farm;
A scented path (flowers, herbs);
Outdoor wellness activities (yoga, meditation, massage, paramedical...);
Cultural and educational outdoor activities for children and adults;
A new outdoor stage to host the "Faut qu'ça pousse" festival in the summer.

The shared gardens will open their doors to new gardeners mid-March 2021, the other activities are being installed.

Various workshops and trainings related to permaculture, the zero waste approach, music, art, first aid training, as well as courses for children during the vacations, with local actors will be offered within this place.

In 2021, the Baous Music School, the Yuna Crew association and the 06 incubator, decided to join forces to invest in a building at the heart of Gattières in order to continue to develop its cultural action on the territory.

TF - What would be the ideal scenario for the development and diffusion of the N.E.C.T.A.R project?

JV - This project, depending on its actions, reaches different audiences. The educational action is aimed at the children of the commune of Gattières. The family gardens are aimed at local inhabitants, essentially from Gattieres or neighboring areas. The cultural action is aimed at the inhabitants of Alpes Maritimes.

The project, its functioning and its exemplary nature require a national scope in order to inspire other associations and other municipalities.

The ideal scenario of development would be the completion of all the tools and modules of the project by 2023 (Barefoot path, educational farm, workshops for children and seniors).

An adapted diffusion would be putting a national spotlight on the project as soon as possible followed by a "focus" depending on the actions carried out in time and a complete report at the end of the project's development.

A huge diffusion would allow the whole population of the department to become aware of N.E.C.T.A.R and would allow the connection between the project and the populations far from Gattières.