In 2014, the Orange Foundation launched major digital education programs to provide new opportunities to young people in need and vulnerable women, based mainly on digital technology.
The Orange Foundation is launching a new international call for Solidarity Fablab projects, opened in countries where the Orange Group is involved (outside of France) endowed with 420 000€.
Since the emergence of the FabLab movement, we have captured the interest of the approach aligned with our desire to act in the field of digital solidarity education, and we have developed the concept of Solidarity FabLab for young people in integration (out of the school system, looking for a job) as a lever for their professional project.
FabLabs are a place of innovation, where individuals learn and understand digital technology in an original and collaborative way. So it is a wonderful opportunity for them to develop digital skills and prepare themselves for the professions of the future. We know that the way people learn in FabLabs, which is based on doing and sharing, is a powerful driver to increase young people's confidence and self-esteem. Collective project prototyping makes action concrete, gives meaning and allows you to be an actor in a sustainable world.
Building on these aspects, we want to draw in young people and raise their awareness - and for the highly motivated among them, offer digital fabrication training that capitalizes on their skills, totally free of charge for them.
So far, the Orange Foundation has supported 200 Solidarity FabLabs in 24 countries: Spain, France, Poland, Tunisia, Morocco, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinee Conakry, Mayotte, Madagascar, Senegal, Egypt, Jordan, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Belgium, Romania, Ethiopia, Liberia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Moldavia and Slovakia.
Useful information for submitting your projects
- Opening of the call for projects : 02/17/2023
- Deadline for submission : 04/16/2023
- Selection committee : may 2023
FabLabs created by an association can apply for this “solidarity FabLab” call for projects if they are located in a country where the Orange group is present (outside France).
The projects mainly concern existing FabLabs (some creation of places can be envisaged with a very mature project) offering training as far as possible.
Fablabs that have already been supported may apply only to develop training (a review of previous support is mandatory).
We invite you to contact the Orange Foundation teams in your country to present your project to them.
It is important for the project to describe:
- the fablab, its missions, its capability to lead the action with young people in integration
- the associative partners of the project accompanying young people in integration who will be able to make young people come to this place
- the economic and social background of the project and the relevance within the local context
- in the case of a development of training courses: the content, the duration, the educational objectives of these courses
- in the context of the realization of a collective project (ideally around sustainable development): the content, the skills acquired, the partners (the project may be destined to a company, an association, city, …)
The Orange Foundation is particularly attentive to the solidarity actions that FabLab will set up for the benefit of young people in precarious situations and unemployed and to the implementation of specific educational programs, totally free of charge for them and allowing them to develop new skills.
The project's supporting structure must have legitimacy in the digital world and ideally be associated with other youth integration associations. It must also have the status of association or NGO. It can also have a partnership with a company that allows young people to be involved in the professional world (either through the project or through training ...).
The project’s budget required must be realistic and should not include general operating costs or the wages of its permanent staff. For new FabLabs, the Orange Foundation can contribute to financing the equipment and helping the FabLab launch its activity. As part of a training program, only the expenses directly related to the training will be covered (the development of the training program, the accompaniment of young people during the training, the purchase of equipment for the realization of training...).
The key criteria :
- the relevance of the project and the involvement of other partners
- a project for young people in integration (socially, professionally)
- the implementation capacity and a realistic budget
- the durability of the project
- training and carrying out a collective project
Attachments to file: :
- the status of the NGO
- the budget of the NGO
- the NGO’s annual report
- the auditor's report