Bellidée

Bellidée is a non-profit organization based in Saint-Martin-Boulogne, in Northern France. It manages three community centers accredited by the Family Allowance Fund of Pas-de-Calais (Marlborough, Centre and Ostrohove) as well as two daycare centers. These community centers are places for living, sharing, and co-creating, where residents are key actors in local social development, supported by a team of professionals. Our centers are not social aid services or one-stop service providers. We prioritize collective action over individual support, promoting solidarity, human dignity, social inclusion, and democratic participation. Our doors are open to everyone, with the aim of fostering a better way of living together. Bellidée’s governance is rooted in local participation: the organization is led by a Board of Directors made up of elected residents, local associations, and municipal representatives, and each community center has its own users’ committee. These spaces allow community members to voice their needs and ideas, participate in local initiatives, and help shape the services and activities offered. Since 2010, Bellidée has joined the European project dynamic, using EU funding to develop innovative projects in the neighborhoods and experiment with new ways to improve daily life for residents. We focus on themes such as youth engagement, education, intercultural dialogue, inclusion, professional integration, and active aging. Accredited by the Erasmus+ Agency, Bellidée actively participates in the European Solidarity Corps, both by hosting international volunteers and sending young French participants to carry out missions of general interest in Europe and beyond. We believe that solidarity, mobility, and intercultural exchange are powerful tools for personal growth and social transformation.