Humacité© and Climacité©

Humacité©, solidarity engagement

Humacité© is the Excelia network's solidarity scheme. Depending on the programme, it puts the Excelia Business School student at the service of people in difficulty, in France or internationally, through actions of social aid, support, facilitation, training or education. It is not an internship: it is a personal engagement in the fight against social, economic or cultural exclusion.

In France, rooted in the voluntary sector

A mission carried out on French soil immerses the student in the richness of the local voluntary sector, often in contact with organisations that support people whose path has been difficult. According to Sophie Pauget, Humacité© manager at Excelia, this is where the importance of social connection for those going through hardship is best measured.

Internationally, an ambassador for a country and a school

A mission abroad most often turns towards helping children and young people, and, across Excelia, close to half of international missions take place in Asia. There, the student becomes an ambassador for their country as much as for Excelia Business School, in an experience that, depending on the programme, lasts from 6 to 12 weeks: 2 to 3 months of preparation before departure, then a debrief of 2 to 4 weeks on return.

Since the scheme was created in 2004, more than 10,000 students have taken part across Excelia, at a rate of close to 600 new missions each year, 70% of them international. "By engaging themselves and working with people in need, the student gains human values that will benefit them throughout their personal and professional path," sums up Sophie Pauget.

Twenty years after it was created, the documentary below retraces this story, through the eyes of those who lived it.

Climacité©, environmental engagement

Climacité© is the Excelia network's second engagement scheme, focused on the environment and integrated, depending on the programme, into the Excelia Business School curriculum. It rests on three pillars: raising awareness, educating and training people to face the challenges of environmental protection and adapting to climate change. Quite distinct from an internship, it is a personal development experience in which each person measures their share of responsibility towards the planet.

A Climacité© mission or project, depending on the programme, meets two combined criteria: it must fall within one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, and it must limit the carbon footprint of the action itself. The scheme takes the form of a collaboration with an association, an NGO, a company or a local authority, or of a one-off citizen action, in France or abroad, lasting from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the programme followed.

A whole first cohort, in 2020

Climacité© was launched in December 2020 by the 104 1^st-year students on the Bachelor in Business, the whole cohort, prepared beforehand with talks on renewable energy. Their actions covered fields as varied as the Pays de Mortagne and the neighbourhoods of La Rochelle. This first year mobilised, across Excelia, more than 230 students in the field, joined by close to 200 Master in Management students who carried out a project adapted to their work-study rhythm.

Concrete missions, from reuse to carbon offsetting

Among the missions carried out in this first year:

• setting up a third place dedicated to reuse, with L'Apporte Bonheur
• litter collection in Guadeloupe, with the CleanMyIsland association
• a carbon offsetting strategy, for the Gironde departmental council
• herbicide-free winegrowing, for the Domaines Jean Martell

As many different fields for a single goal: turning a conviction into measurable action.

They experienced it

Four perspectives from Excelia Business School students and graduates on these missions, in their own words.

"This volunteering experience in Mauritius made me understand that education is much more than simple learning: it is a genuine lever for hope and empowerment."

Charles Gadrey, Master in Management student: Charles's testimonial

"Coming back from the Humacité© programme, I realise that my thirst for travel has multiplied. I want to discover the world to the full."

Sofiane, Master in Management student: Sofiane's testimonial

"So I personally carried out my Climacité© mission in Tunisia, in an organic grocery shop selling organic and natural food products."

Chaïma Bouguerra, Bachelor in Business: Chaïma's testimonial

"The Humacité© and Climacité© missions are genuinely extremely rewarding on every level, both personally and professionally."

Ligiannah Mohamed, BBA International graduate: Ligiannah's testimonial

How a mission unfolds

Each scheme has its own method. For Humacité©, everything starts 2 to 3 months before departure: the student chooses their project, which is only approved if it meets demanding criteria on safety, the social nature of the host organisation and the quality of supervision. "A Humacité© mission is not tourism, and we prepare students for what awaits them in the field," says Sophie Pauget, Humacité© manager at Excelia. A debrief of 2 to 4 weeks follows their return. Climacité© moves forward in four stages: research, approval by the teaching team, action in the field, then presentation of the results. As these arrangements vary depending on the programme, talking to an Excelia Business School adviser makes it possible to find out about them before getting started.

End-to-end support

Around a Humacité© mission, the school offers coaching before, during and after, completed on return by one-to-one follow-up that helps put into words what the experience has changed. The mission remains integrated into the curriculum, even though additional costs may apply depending on the destination (transport, accommodation, insurance).

On the professional side, the experience develops interpersonal skills and an adaptability that recruiters look for. An assessment carried out across Excelia among 600 students, before and after their Humacité© mission, confirms this: their ability to act in a complex environment improves markedly. The Talent Centre then helps turn this experience into a talking point for CVs and interviews, alongside the other recognised forms of engagement in a student's path, whether voluntary, sporting or entrepreneurial.