Our student society HeForShe won the award for the best international initiative at the event “400 idées pour faire avancer l'égalité” (400 ideas to promote equality), a discussion day promoting equality between the sexes, on 9 March 2017. The event was the culmination of the action plan “Sexisme Pas Notre Genre” (sexism isn’t our thing) launched by the Ministry for the Family, Children and Women’s Rights.

HeForShe – NEOMA BS Reims was preselected to compete for the award for the best international initiative thanks to its launch of a “HeForShe Federation” for Higher Education establishments in February 2017. “It was already a great honour for HeforShe – NEOMA BS to be selected as one of the 56 projects in the competition,” explains Violette GRESSER, President of the society and first-year student on our MiM programme. “For us, this victory above all provides recognition for our commitment and the efforts each one of us has made to develop a genuine culture of equality.”

In addition to recognition, winning the award for the best international initiative gives HeForShe-NEOMA BS the strong visibility it needs to pursue the action of the sixty or so student members of the association. “Since winning the award, we have already been contacted by an alumnus who would like to join us” adds Violette. “It’s a sign that this first award earned by the society will give it a breadth of scope that goes beyond the student community.”

By taking part in the event “400 ideas to promote equality,” launched by the Ministry of the Family, Children and Women’s Rights, also provided the students with an opportunity to develop their network. “The day was punctuated by workshops and panel discussions with major players such as the High Council for Equality. So it provides us with an excellent opportunity for networking, and we made full use of it, but always with the same aim: to develop our commitment to equality as much as we can.”

After successfully launching the HeforShe federation for Higher Education, and obtaining the prestigious award that enabled it to stand out from the crowd of 400 other authorised initiatives, what more can we hope for HeForShe NEOMA BS?
“For us to continue to successfully communicate our key message to the whole of our community: the issue of gender equality concerns everybody, every day, and despite the major social progress that has been achieved, a great deal of ground remains to be covered!”