Hélène Ysebaert

Tell us about the project

The project for which I applied to the OSS Foundation was initiated by the “Generations and Culture” association as part of the “A Roof to Share” program. The goal was to fund a series of activities to enable senior hosts and their guests to meet. The objective: to build social connections, foster a sense of belonging, and share experiences.

Tell us about your experience as a mentor

Discovering the world of nonprofit organizations alongside “Générations et Culture” has been a rich experience, full of learning and emotion. Beyond the human side—which naturally stems from their missions—they are very principled and constructive people. On several occasions, we spoke with Anne-Sophie Lapalus, the organization’s director. She spent a lot of time explaining to me how they work, what their network looks like, what challenges they face, and so on… and what their projects are… They have so many! There is so much to do to build effective intergenerational practices that there’s no shortage of ideas! Despite the soundness of their initiatives, I understood the difficulties they face in securing the necessary funding to launch their various projects. Since it is a nonprofit organization (and recognized as being of public interest, mind you!), it operates solely on grants from public or private entities (such as the OSS Foundation). I was also invited to the steering committee meeting in December and was able to hear a comprehensive, detailed, and well-reasoned presentation of their activities for the year 2018. I had the honor of presenting them with a check for €3,000.00 in April during a small ceremony at Damart, where we hosted a week-long photo exhibition of their “host-guest” pairs. Following that, the organization posted two thank-you messages on their Facebook page.

What did you like about it?

Contributing to a charitable cause. Discovering a world beyond my company. Experiencing pragmatism with a heart.

Your experience in 3 words

Personal investment and satisfaction

Testimonial from the organization:

They are very grateful to the foundation for their funding and also thanked me warmly for my personal commitment.