Action Femmes, the association that takes women over 45 out of unemployment
A professional reintegration is never an easy task. And, for women over 45, this task is all the more complex… Indeed, a woman in her forties registered as unemployed combined, against her will, with two disabilities. Initially its genre: end of 2021, 48.5% of Pôle emploi registrants were women. Secondly, his age can be an obstacle in his professional projects. Unsurprisingly, seniors have more difficulty than other profiles when reintegrating into the labor market.
From this observation, the Toulouse Francoise Baraquin created the Action Femmes 31 association in 2011, which later became Action Femmes Grand Sud. In the space of 11 years, the association has opened two branches, one in Albi in 2016, the other in Montpellier in January 2021. “During 11 years, we have helped 412 women find a job or simply created their own business,” says Françoise Baraquin, interviewed by The Independent Opinion.
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Benevolence and positive psychology
The accompaniment of these forty-year-olds is carried out over the long term. First of all, the unemployed women for less than two years are invited to a collective information meeting. “Often, they discover our association through word of mouth or through recommendations”, says the president and founding member of the association. During these information meetings, volunteers, who are 62 in number, will explain to them what the association can and cannot do for them.
When they agree to be helped by us, they will be followed on an individual level. The volunteer goes with her, take stock to define a project or simply better define their project”, explains Françoise Baraquin.
After the support framework laid down, the members of the association can follow various collective workshops. “We do four per week on average. The follow-up is sustained because our field of action is quite broad. We offer workshops on self-confidence, positive psychology, sophrology, relaxation, etc.”, details the Toulouse.
Other workshops are also more technical. The latter referred to enhance the skills of these women. The titles are diverse, but the goal is to give them the tools to find their place in the labor market. Among these workshops, members can take part in the following modules: “exploring their strong moments and daring”, “benevolent management”, “reinventing their professional life”, “allowing themselves to succeed”. “There are even job interview simulation workshops and workshops allowing you to talk to recruiters, because you don’t imagine it being asked for, but recruiters also have anxieties,” admits the founder of the association .
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place of discussion
Among the multitude of modules offered, only one is compulsory. “This is the revitalization module. During this time, the members of the association are obliged to come to our premises every two weeks. During the session, they must make a pitch, presenting themselves in less than two minutes “, says Françoise.
Françoise Baraquin is president and founding member of the association. © Lydie Lecarpentier
During this workshop, the forties will discuss what they have done and what they want to do. “It’s a great place to exchange,” enthuses the Toulousaine. She adds :
Professional life is made up of ups and downs and when we are going badly, we tend to replicate ourselves. While cracking in a group is better. They happen to realize that they are not alone.”
For these women over 45 who have worked for the association, the experience has been very rewarding. This is the case of Cathy, who was able find a job thanks to the valuable advice of the association. “AFGS is a second family that helps to rebuild oneself from the base, where the values of respect, benevolence, sharing and consumption take on their full meaning. Over the course of the workshops, I have taken on more and more pleasure to find other candidates, each with a different story but so passionate… Having found a job, I feel a deep gratitude for the whole team”, writes Cathy.
Many upcoming projects
From now on, the association would keep cultivating the “collective” aspect. For this, Action Femmes Grand Sud consider creating an alumni network.
Some have this desire, especially since the majority of them continue to see each other again after their time in the association”, explains Françoise Baraquin.
At the same time, the association is updating its educational platform which allows its members to work on their employment or business creation project. “We hope to finish this update before June 2023 to best support the women asking us for help”, says the founder of the association.
Finally, the association organizes several events, to strengthen the cohesion of the group, but also to raise awareness among the members. Next event, a theatrical performance of the play “5” performed by the company “Au random des scènes”, on Friday March 10, 2023 at 8 p.m., the Salle des Fêtes Limayrac in Toulouse.