News

Mot de la presidente: Jacqueline Meunier

07/03/2007

Dear all,

Thierry Lacroix is an ex-rugby player of International repute. He is currently visiting Australia promoting both his own program "Acadosport". This also coincides with promotion for the Rugby World Cup to be held in France in September.

Last week, I was invited to attend a function at the French Embassy in honour of Thierry Lacroix. I also attended his presentation at the Alliance Française where he introduced his commendable new social and educational program. There also was the world launch of the new CD "le français dans la mêlée " French in the rugby scram" by Patrick Dunand, who attended a NAFT Conference here at PLC last year. Copies will soon be available as this can be of use when covering the sport topic in the classroom.

I have English copies of this worthy program for reference. Perhaps limited application for PLC but it shows that sport can help give back confidence to the young. (The CD on the other hand is also geared for female players).

Thierry Lacroix and Jacqueline Meunier

Thierry Lacroix,
Director of AcadoSPORT,
Alliance Française, Canberra ACT		 Jacqueline Meunier,
NAFT President,
27 Février, 2007

Here is an extract of the exclusive from the News section of www.rugbyexclusive.com following Lacroix's presentation in Sydney and Canberra last week.

"Lacroix, who is married to an Australian, Abi, plans to move to Australia next year and set up his social program, Acadosport, to get kids back to school, through sport.

"The program uses three things," Lacroix said. "Sports, high profile guys and major events. We put the young who are out of school for different reasons, thanks to their passion for sport, we put them back to school.

"Argentina asked me to do the same. Brazil. A lot of countries where you've got young guys on the street, but they like sport and we use this to bring them to school and to make sure they have the basics to go after a job.

"We have looked after five thousand guys. The success rate we've got is 95 per cent. I realise there is some need here for Aboriginal people or for young out of school.

Everywhere in the world you've got young people out of school for different reasons, but it's not right to live with that problem. In France in November 2005, the big crisis when people burned cars and things like that, I realised sport was a way to avoid this problem."