“It was exceptional both from the point of view of wonder and adversity! »Enthuses Chloé Pierre, 16 years old. Three years after her trip to Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic, the young girl still has stars in her eyes. In 2019, she had an extraordinary experience with 10 classmates from the third year of the private college Fénelon, in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime). These 11 students have chosen to follow Demain c'est nous, a two-hour weekly option dedicated to climate change issues. A specificity of the establishment which still exists, spurred on by François Bernard, professor of technology: “I like practical and concrete things, I wanted to take them to the field. Both to teach students to love nature but also to show them the melting glaciers.Hence the idea of going to Svalbard! », He explains.
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In April 2019, this Norwegian archipelago located in the Arctic Ocean therefore welcomes 11 college students, 2 teachers - Claire-Hélène Bon, English teacher is also part of the adventure -, the director Nicolas Dattilesi who follows them for a documentary and Heidi Sevestre, a young glaciologist.
Here they are off for a week of immersion halfway between Norway and the North Pole, on this land at the end of the world covered in large part by glaciers.
A colossal and costly project - € 3,000 to € 4,000 per student - that François Bernard did his best to get funding from companies that had long been canvassed.
The establishment has put its hand in the pocket and the students too, with a modest participation.
"We saw black snow"
On site, it is -10 ° to -15 ° C at night, slightly less cold during the day. “We had days at 0 ° and these are not the usual temperatures at all. Climate change has been seen very quickly. There was the icebreaker that had no problem moving forward. It was not normal, ”says Chloé Pierre. “We also saw black snow, snow on which fine carbon particles are deposited,” says Anissa Duchet. During this rough trip, the food was freeze-dried and the nights chopped up by watchtowers to watch out for the possible arrival of polar bears. A trip anything but restful, but “very enriching” for those who were then college girls. The return to reality has sometimes been difficult.
The documentary “Ça va Svalbarder” is screened on Saturday, September 25 at 9 pm at the Fouras casino as part of the Green Screen eco-citizen festival.
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But most of the students came back with more and more motivation to act.
Today in final year, many remain involved in the project Demain c'est nous.
“The fact of exchanging with senior scientists like Heidi Sevestre is very interesting.
It put us on an equal footing with adults, ”says Anissa.
“We have concrete things to say now, we are informed,” adds Chloe.
“When I returned to La Rochelle, I imagined that the students would no longer want to damage nature.
This is exactly what happened!
They even created the association Demain c'est nous in order to continue their actions, ”says François Bernard.
From this adventure was born a documentary entitled “It’s going to Svalbarder”.
“It's a raw film, without comments on this unique experience.
We do not come home unscathed from Svalbard, even me that marked me a lot, ”says Nicolas Dattilesi, the director.
Released at the end of 2019 and little presented due to the health crisis, the documentary will be screened on Saturday, September 25 at 9 p.m. at the Fouras casino as part of the Green Screen eco-citizen festival.
For more information:
www.festivalecranvert.fr