The 16 new elected members of the children's municipal council installed this Saturday in Castel

Le maire Pierre Soujol a proclamé les résultats à Victor-Hugo, jeudi. Midi Libre – JPS

Ce jeudi 10 octobre, dans 13 écoles de la ville, les classes de CM1 et CM2 ont été appelées à élire leurs représentants à l’Hôtel de ville où ils siégeront un an.

There is no age to learn citizenship, nor indeed to better understand democracy. The group of 16 children from Lunel, who are barely 10 years old and have just been elected to the city's children's municipal council, will be exposed to the notions of majority and minority, debates and public life for a short year, until the start of the 2025 school year.
Like their elder municipal councillors, who came from universal suffrage, these young elected officials (see opposite) were chosen, equally (one boy and one girl) in each of the 13 schools in the city, this Thursday, from almost a hundred candidates. They were elected from the CM1 and CM2 classes and will be officially installed at the Lunel children's municipal council, at 10 a.m., this Saturday, October 12 at the Espace Castel (Rotonde room) during an official public ceremony in the presence of Mayor Pierre Soujol and, among others, the three elected delegates. Among them, the deputy for education Sonia Mokaddem returns to the interest of this children's municipal council. Interview.

What is the purpose of the children's municipal council??

Our goal is to participate in citizenship education and to allow these children to discover the behind the scenes of the elected official function. We tried to keep the same bodies as a normal municipal council. They come to present their projects, there are majorities and the choices are made according to feasibility, the general interest and the means. It allows them to understand how a municipality works.

This is the 4th year that the municipal council has been elected, what are the main projects that have been carried out since then?

These CMEs have successfully completed several projects such as the creation of a bench made from writing instruments collected from schools and then recycled. It was installed in Hugo Park. A composter was also created in Hugo Park thanks to the CME as well as games such as hopscotch and chessboards in the schoolyards. The graduating class made a film on bullying and also participated in intergenerational activities at the nursing home.

How is the municipal council elected? children ?

at the start of the school year, the elected representatives Souad Gimenez, Carine El Azzouzi and myself, as well as the municipal technicians, go to the CM1 and CM2 classes to talk about the children's municipal council, explain how it works, the expected commitment. We give them 15 days to stand as candidates and defend their project to their classmates and then we organize an election like for the older ones with a voter card, voting booth, ballot box and counting. Then the CME meets 1 to 2 times a month on Wednesday mornings. I think it helps the children grow and the families really like it.

The new elected representatives

Serveau Janna and Tantawi Lucas (Louise-Michel CM2); Maton-Rodrigues Luna and Cinquemani Adam (Marie-Curie CM2); Belhoucine Sirine and Plazas Loan (Henri-de-Bornier CM2) Azzimani Layina (Syrine) CM1 and Mathias Scoubeau CM2 (Sainte Thérèse); Gueroiz Lina CM2 and Gros Khairy CM1 (Mario-Roustan); Ben KaddiInsaf CM1 and Gimenez Lucas CM2 (Victor-Hugo); Castelazzi Louise and Szentendrei Eliot (Jacques Brel CM2); Penaud Camilia and Ayrapetyan Avak (Parc CM2).

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