Four young girls from EEAP Montaury in Nîmes on their way to Paris: when art opens the doors to the Paralympic Games!

Comme Assia, elles seront quatre Nîmoises à assister à la cérémonie d’ouverture des Jeux Paralympiques de Paris 2024. Midi Libre – Pierre Meuriot

Ce mardi 27 août, elles sont quatre jeunes de l’Établissement pour enfants et adolescents polyhandicapés Montaury de Nîmes à prendre le train direction Paris pour assister à la cérémonie d’ouverture des Jeux Paralympiques de Paris 2024.

In Nîmes, a beautiful story comes to life. Four young girls, all with disabilities and residents at the Red Cross Montaury Establishment for Multi-Disabled Children and Adolescents in Nîmes, are preparing to live an unusual experience. This Wednesday, August 28, Assia, Maïlys (already there), Ryhanna and Mathilde will attend the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. And all this thanks to a project that has made art the springboard to a dream.

Paintings to reach the capital

It all started two years ago, when Katy Lebel, an educator at the center and a sports enthusiast, proposed a bold idea: raise funds by selling works of art created by children and attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games (August 28 to September 8). Katy saw an opportunity to approach the sport from a different angle. “We said to ourselves that we were going to access sport differently”, she explains.

This Tuesday lunchtime, families and accompanying adults were present for the big start. Midi Libre – Pierre Meuriot

Thus, a series of pictograms representing the Paralympic disciplines was created, each work having been created by the children of the center. These works were put up for sale to finance the trip to Paris. The challenge was considerable, but with determination and the support of certain patrons, the dream became reality.

"Art allows us to surpass our own limits"

Christelle Nuez, art therapist, accompanied the young artists throughout this project and is continuing the adventure in Paris until Friday. "Art allows us to surpass our own limits", she says. For two years, Christelle worked with the children every Friday, using painting and drawing as means of expression. “I thought we would never get there”, she humbly admits. However, the success is undeniable and the mission brilliantly accomplished.

For the parents, this project is much more than just a trip. In the station hall this Tuesday lunchtime, Jean-Paul, Mathilde's father, does not hide his pride: “It's a great project that they have been preparing for two years. She will see things that she would not have seen normally. She is very happy to be able to go, it's good for her”, he confides, happy for his fifteen-year-old daughter. "Then it will force us to watch the Paralympic Games a little more".