The first days of this new year lead us to the MJC Le Vivarium where every week, sports, musical or manual activities, film screenings, shows & other meetings punctuate the lives of the inhabitants of the Vallée de Villé.
Samad Kardouh, deputy director of the MJC, readily agreed to a Q&A session for us. If you want to know more about what's happening at the MJC in 2024, you'll have to read to the end of this article.
Samad, the MJC, offers a rich cultural program of shows every year. What are the upcoming shows that you absolutely shouldn't miss?
- 24/02 at 20:30pm: Ladislava: Stories of Gypsy Music (traditional music from Eastern Europe)
- 25/03 at 17:30pm: Poppies (Directo Cinema Company / Theatre, Music, Poetry, Visual Arts, Sign Language)
- 14/04 at 17:30pm: The Prophecy of Faqat (Cie La meute / Dance and mapping)
- 25/05 at 20:30pm: Winner of the French song talent showcase (Partnership with Tanzmatten of Sélestat and La Bouilloire of Marckolsheim)
The auditorium has recently been refitted with new seats for the comfort of its patrons, and the film screenings are varied, ranging from mainstream films to animated features and art house films. Can you tell us more about the frequency of screenings?
From 3 to 5 sessions per week depending on current events but also according to the requests of the MJC services and local associations.
Tuesday: Art & Essay, Wednesday: Young Audience, Friday: Young Audience and Box Office, and some Thursdays for additional screenings and partnerships with associations, but also daytime screenings for schools and colleges.
The community center also has a nice bar called "Wunder Bar". Could you tell us its opening hours and what products are available there?
The Wunder'bar aims to foster social connections and encourage interaction among residents of all ages and from all social and cultural backgrounds. It is open on Tuesday evenings, Wednesday afternoons, and Friday evenings. It is also open during events organized by the MJC (Youth and Culture Center) or its partners, depending on the event.
It is also a space for projects where we want to raise awareness of the importance of responsible consumption and support short supply chains, by offering products from local producers.
The family area offers various opportunities for sharing throughout the year. Specifically, what are the objectives of the family area? And who are the activities intended for (parents, children, young people, etc.)?
The Family Center aims to support local families, particularly parents, in their parenting role. It provides spaces and workshops that foster parent-child bonds, encourage interaction among parents, and develop inter-family solidarity. It also serves as a resource for parents by organizing meetings with parenting professionals. The family liaison listens to parents to identify their parenting needs and proposes group activities tailored to those needs. For example, this quarter the Family Center is offering parent-child workshops in various activities (dance, singing, visual arts, gardening, etc.), drop-in sessions at the Family Center (games, crafts), and events specifically for parents: brunches (on topics such as parental burnout, sibling rivalry, and sleep in toddlers) and an evening screening of the documentary "The Child Is the Teacher." The activities are therefore geared towards families (children aged 3 to 18) but with times specifically dedicated to parents.
One of the new features this year is the organization of tea dances. How did you come up with this idea? When will they take place?
The Community Center also set itself the objective, in its latest social project, of contributing to local community events to revitalize the volunteer network. From this observation and the Community Center's objectives, a project was born to offer specific activities for isolated seniors, led by the center's family liaison and a group of retired volunteers ready to get involved in organizing and implementing these activities.
The initiative will take the form of a tea dance on Sunday , February 4, 2024, from 14:30 p.m. to 17:30 p.m. at the Centre Social - MJC in Villé. This event is being organized by 7 volunteers and the family liaison officer of the organization.
A DJ musician, Mathieu OFFNER, will be providing entertainment this afternoon. A €2 membership fee will be required from participants.
Drinks and pastries made by volunteers will be on sale at the Wunder'Bar.
The idea is to schedule once a month from February to May and from September to November.
Thanks to Samad for the time he dedicated to this article!
If you would like to stay up-to-date with the latest news from the MJC, please visit us online: https://mjc-levivarium.com/