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The 39th Paleo Festival in Nyon now being over, it’s a good time for Terre des hommes (Tdh) – this year’s charity – to take stock and look at the feedback from those six full and enriching days for the 56 volunteer facilitators and the 15,000 festival-goers who visited our stand!
Raising awareness with dedication
“Your beaker helps bring greater justice for youngsters!”; “Try your luck to help juvenile justice!” – this was the sort of message heard by visitors to the World Village during the Paleo Festival in Nyon.
- “What’s that?” asked curious festival-goers passing the Tdh stand.
- “Just imagine that when you’re leaving the Paleo, you commit an offence. The police arrest you: what sort of justice will be applied to you? Will you get a repressive or an educational sentence?” asked a Tdh volunteer. (The festival-goers exchanged puzzled looks.)
- “Tdh makes people more aware and promotes juvenile justice that is restorative, i.e. no measures of imprisonment unless as a last resort, and then to a lesser extent. This approach to juvenile justice encourages the offender to become truly aware of what he has done and leads to mediation between him and the victim, with a view to making good the damage caused. Would you like to put yourself in the shoes of a youngster in conflict with the law in Latin America?”
- “Yes!”
In the shoes of a youngster in conflict with the law
By handing over their returnable glass beaker (or its equivalent, CHF 2.-), the visitors were invited to play. Like on a wheel of fortune, a thrown ball lands at random on a ‘Good luck’ or ‘Bad luck’ square. That chance then leads to very different consequences: the ‘Bad luck’ square means the youngster in trouble will be sent to prison. With this game, Tdh makes people aware of a very important issue – that of justice for minors.
On a TV screen at the Tdh stand, festival-goers could listen to messages sent by young beneficiaries of Tdh’s project in Latin America. If they wanted to, they could then reply by sending supportive messages and having their photo taken.
Later, tasting Latin American snacks (manioc, plantain bananas or corn on the cob) or having a drink at the partner bar The Palm, visitors could continue to support Tdh projects in convivial and festive surroundings.
Tangible results
The great teamwork and its favourable reception by the festival-goers made it possible to achieve great results:
- 3,635 beakers (returnable for CHF 2.-) as well as CHF 900 in cash were donated;
- Takings from the catering came to CHF 2,'250;
- More than 250 visitors supported Tdh with photos and messages taken at the stand (you can see them on Facebook!) and in this way learnt more about the work of Tdh for juvenile justice;
- Nearly 1,300 hearts and 1,000 tattoos were worn by festival-goers as a signal of support for justice for youngsters.
We should like to express our sincere appreciation of the work done by volunteer facilitators at our stand. Thank all of you who believe in our projects and support us! Find out about all the events in which we will be participating.
