Festisol - Festival of Solidarities

Festisol: Solidarity in Action in Chadrac

Every year in November, the Maison Pour Tous La Couveuse in Chadrac opens its doors to Festisol, the local branch of the Festival of Solidarities, a national event coordinated by the CRID (Center for Research and Information for Development). Since 2003, a collective of associations from the Haute-Loire department has been mobilizing to offer several days of civic, cultural, and festive activities around local and international solidarity issues.

An Engaged Associative Collective for Over Twenty Years

The Collectif Festisol Le Puy-en-Velay, based at 29 bis rue de la Roche Arnaud in Le Puy-en-Velay, brings together about ten associations committed to solidarity and international cooperation. Among the active members are Secours Catholique, the Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), the Scouts et Guides de France, Emmaüs, Biocoop, the association Les Jeunes Pousses, Les Amy du Sénégal, Wayruru, and Croisement de Réseaux. These organizations, with complementary missions, join forces to raise public awareness of contemporary global challenges: climate change, people's rights, fair trade, sustainable agriculture, and social mutual aid.

A Rich and Multidisciplinary Program

The Festisol program unfolds over several days and combines various formats to reach all audiences. Documentary screenings, in partnership with the Alimenterre festival, invite reflection on global food and agricultural issues. Live debates, sometimes via videoconference with partners in Senegal or Latin America, allow for authentic exchange between citizens from the North and South. Creative workshops — making South American flutes, collective murals, discovering plants, and preparing snacks — are offered to both children and adults. Live performances, from paper cutout theater to library presentations, complete the program. Each edition usually concludes with a festive and friendly concert.

Themes at the Heart of Global Current Events

Each year, Festisol addresses themes related to major contemporary challenges. Recent editions have covered the environment and people's rights, nature education, the paradox of hunger in the world, and the question "The world is changing, what about us?" These themes, defined in conjunction with the national framework of the Festival of Solidarities, are adapted locally through the lens of initiatives led by the collective's associations.

Strong Territorial Roots

Chadrac, a town bordering Le Puy-en-Velay in Haute-Loire, hosts Festisol in an emblematic venue of local associative life: the Maison Pour Tous La Couveuse, located at 10 Cours de la Liberté. This social and cultural center, a true crossroads of civic life in Chadrac, offers an ideal setting for meetings, screenings, and workshops. Festisol is part of the dynamic associative fabric of the Le Puy-en-Velay urban area and contributes to promoting the values of solidarity and openness to the world in a rural, mid-mountain region.