Author: lgi

The Faculty of Law at the Catholic University of Lille and the Lille Bar Association have launched an innovative initiative: the Legal Access Bus. This mobile unit offers free legal assistance to vulnerable populations in areas without legal aid offices.

Volunteer lawyers and law students provide consultations covering employment, family, housing, criminal law, debt, and more. The goal? Quality legal support—close to those who need it most.

This initiative fights legal exclusion due to geographic or economic barriers and offers students real-world training under expert supervision.

Learn more about the Legal Access Bus

From design to concept, hybrid hotels are on the rise. These models help optimize space and target diverse audiences. EXTENDAM has invested in several hybrid concepts in recent years.

Inès de l’Aulnoit, Partner at EXTENDAM, said:

“We like investing in hotels that combine services like serviced residences, offices, or housing. They attract varied clients through multiple distribution channels. We have recently converted a former business center into an aparthotel in Boulogne-Billancourt via our Convert Hotel fund. In Marseille, we financed a RockyPop Hotel from a former tourist residence. These projects involve reworking shared spaces to offer large, welcoming dining areas and new services like bike repair and flower shops—attracting local foot traffic.”

Find her full analysis in Industrie Hôtelière

Since 2016, the association Les Extraordinaires, founded by Flore Lelièvre, has opened inclusive restaurants in France. The first, Le Reflet, opened in Nantes, followed by a second in Paris in 2019. Their mission? Showcase the talents and skills of people with disabilities in mainstream settings.

With Les Brigades Extraordinaires, a collective of inclusive restaurants, the association now supports nearly 40 similar initiatives nationwide—pushing for a fairer and more inclusive society.

👏 Hats off to Flore Lelièvre and the team for this inspiring, diversity-driven movement!

Learn more about Les Extraordinaires

Ghosting isn’t just a dating issue—it’s affecting hiring too. With 57% of recruiters admitting to ghosting candidates, it’s a growing concern. But it works both ways!

Pierre-Gilles Bouquet of recruitment firm VOLUNTAE points out: “We’re seeing more candidates ghost us than the other way around.”

Recruitment is a two-sided dialogue. Professionals offer tips on how candidates can follow up and maintain communication.

Read the full articles by Youssef Zein on MSN News and 20 Minutes France

Since 2016, KODIKO has supported refugee integration into the French workforce with a unique co-training approach. Rather than traditional mentoring, KODIKO creates peer-based duos where refugees and employees exchange professional and cultural knowledge.

This not only helps refugees find jobs but also brings new perspectives to companies, enriching society through diversity.

Founders Cécile Pierrat Schiever and Maÿlis Dupont always believed in their vision—confirmed by the early success of their first duos. Today, KODIKO has helped over 1,500 refugees, proving that inclusion is both possible and valuable.

Learn more about Kodiko

The job market is undergoing major changes, and one trend is becoming increasingly noticeable: ghosting. 57% of recruiters admit to having ignored a candidate during the recruitment process—an experience many find frustrating. But all is not lost!

In 20 Minutes France, Youssef Zein explores the reasons behind this trend and offers solutions for both candidates and recruiters. Pierre-Gilles Bouquet from the recruitment firm VOLUNTAE shares his perspective: “We more often see candidates ghosting us than the other way around,” emphasizing that recruitment is a two-way conversation, where communication is key.

Whether you’re a candidate or a recruiter, keeping the lines of communication open is essential to avoid such situations and move together toward a successful hiring process.

Read the full article in 20 Minutes

Standing like a new beacon on the Parisian skyline, Racine ushers the former headquarters of the ONF (National Forestry Office) into a new era. Designed by Maud Caubet’s agency, the tower features an innovative elevation, which shelters an agricultural greenhouse and is an outstanding example of material efficiency. The project skillfully integrates existing structures with the right materials in the right places to optimize performance and minimize carbon footprint.

Soon to be completed, the building is a true demonstration of how architecture can address the environmental challenges of our time.

Maud Caubet emphasizes, “Racine Tower is more than just a renovation. It is a symbol of how we can combine architectural tradition with sustainable innovations to build the cities of tomorrow“.

Discover Racine in the June issue of Matières magazine

Published on June 19, the new FAIR – La Croix solidarity finance barometer reveals that solidarity savings now account for 0.5% of the French total financial savings, up from 0.45% in 2022. With a 15% increase in 2023, solidarity finance has surpassed 30 billion euros in assets!

In 2023, 680 million euros were invested in projects with social, ecological, and international impact. This positive momentum shows that solidarity finance continues to gain ground and is becoming firmly established in the French financial landscape.

Thierry Sibieude, President of FAIR – Label Finansol, highlights the priorities for the future: enhance distributor training, leverage collected data, and assess the social impact of investments to make solidarity finance even more transparent and effective.

Read the full article in ID Durable

Facing social and environmental challenges in Seine-Saint-Denis, Les Valoristes stands out with an innovative approach to circular and solidarity-based economy. Founded by Ngoc-Lan Loi, this eco-social structure is committed to building a more inclusive world by reintegrating people distant from employment through on-the-job training as valorization agents.

Les Valoristes not only reduce waste but also transform it into opportunities. Their mission is to contribute to the ecological shift by repurposing materials and creating upcycled furniture from construction and public works waste.

Kudos to this initiative, which combines social and environmental impact while contributing to the positive transformation of Seine-Saint-Denis!

Learn more about Les Valoristes

In 2023, the total amount of ethical investments surpassed 30 billion euros, marking a 15% increase in just one year! According to the FAIR – Finansol Label – La Croix Barometer, this growth is primarily driven by employee savings, which account for 18 billion euros of this total.

Despite an uncertain economic environment, solidarity investments continue to attract interest, with a growing share in employee savings (9.5% of the total) and funds being directed toward projects with significant social and environmental impact.

Learn how this momentum is transforming the financial landscape in Damien Pelé’s article in Challenges