In Ariège, a slam workshop gives high school students a taste for words

Not easy when you are between 15 and 18 years old to put words on what you feel and then speak in front of your classmates. For the past few weeks, once a week, several students from the Pyrène high school in Pamiers in Ariège have overcome their fears to confront words and emotions through this slam workshop where public speaking and writing are combined.

Report: France 3 Midi-Pyrénées – G. Berg / P. Dussol / S. Grosset

Work on confidence and writing

Supported by the Ecritures vivants association, this weekly meeting is supervised by two musicians, Paul Cuisset Fernandez – alias Pabloramix – and Martial Larboulette – alias Martial Lamrit. Their role is both human and technical. Human because they must establish a climate of trust and exchanges that allows adolescents to open up without fear of judgment. Technical because it is necessary to promote written and oral expression, while respecting certain constraints (rhyme, lexical field, figure of speech, plan, etc.).

Words, a source of pride

The young people who take part in the workshop seem to be the first to be surprised by their creations. This is also the goal of this project: to prove to them that words and the French language can be a source of play, joy… and pride. A concept that is sometimes quite new to them. “We have students who are quite distant from the world of culture, explains Magalie Ehongo, teacher of applied arts and culture referent of the Lycée Pyrène. They have difficulty speaking, expressing themselves orally and in writing. They are often in “devalued” professional sectors. The idea is really to restore their self-confidence.”

Ariège land of slam

Other Ariège high schools offer workshops to their students. This is the case at Lycée François Camel in Saint-Girons where a similar workshop was organized with L’Intrus, a slam artist. The approach is even more successful because the texts created with the students will be returned on March 10 during the 16th edition of La Nuit du Slam (NDS). This collective adventure born in 2008, allows everyone to come and listen, perform and share words. It includes (among others) L’Intrus, Pabloremix and Martial Lamrit. The event, free of charge, is held at the Salle des Fêtes in Castelnau-Durban from 8 p.m.