Jy name is Sylvain Grignon. I'm a child of the Paris suburbs... I've grown up, studied, played sports and worked in the Paris region since I was a child. I've been lucky enough to have a protective environment that has helped me to integrate well into society. Not everyone around me was so lucky.

So, when I could, I made a few forays into helping more disadvantaged young people, by doing recruitment forums in difficult neighborhoods in Mantes la Jolie, for example, when I was a store manager.

So, when I came back to Paris after several years, particularly as an expatriate, and saw that the situation was continuing to deteriorate sharply, I said to myself that as Regional Manager, I had the opportunity to do something on a different scale.

When I met Quentin, from Sport Dans La Ville, I immediately understood that the union between this association and the Paris Petite Couronne region was a natural one. Helping young people get their foot in the door of the professional world, using sport as a common language ... that was it...

Sport dans la ville develops centers based around sports, in particular soccer, but also basketball, providing a gateway to the professional world. 

We identified a number of sites, then thought about how we could work together effectively. We presented the project to store managers, and several were immediately interested and ready to get involved. Together with David Thoury and Pape Faye, we came up with the first ideas for a partnership between an SDLV center and a store. Our personal commitment was focused on sponsoring a young person, following him and helping him along the way. Our professional commitment was to make our stores "available" to young people from SDLV to discover the company and the world of work. 

I came to the Foundation with Pape, David and Quentin, and we launched the project over the first two years. The Noisy and Saint Denis centers were inaugurated, the young people took their first steps in our stores wearing a Decathlon vest...

Of course they were up to the task, they had so much to give us in return.

For over 10 years now, we've been working with Sport dans la ville to help young people reintegrate into society through sport. Today, we have decided our actions in a 3-year project (2017-2019): the JOBATHLON.

We share the same values of responsibility, commitment and caring. Our aim is to restore young people's confidence and help them get back on track. We have carried out a number of initiatives locally (Lyon metropolitan area) to help young people reintegrate into society: sponsorship, equipment, employment assistance, recruitment, company visits...

In keeping with this spirit, we are further strengthening the employability of young people, from training to employment. The aim is also to facilitate the voluntary involvement of Decathlon employees in local community projects.

Jobathlon's key actions include in-house sponsorship to create a team of Decathlon sponsors to help young people each year.
We also offer themed workshops 4 times a year during the school vacations. These are half-day or full-day workshops on personal development, creating a research network, and simulating job interviews. At the same time, we set up specific recruitment sessions, which require us to organize "come in shorts" sessions 2 or 3 times a year.

Other key actions, such as the Jobathlon promo, involve setting up one or two training promos per year, for 12 to 15 young people, over a 4-week period, to prepare them for the "come in shorts" sessions from April to October. Finally, sports activities are organized throughout the year between Decathlon employees and young people from Sport dans la ville. Thanks to this, we can build up our network and attract new sponsors.

Jobathlon could help 200 young people a year to build and realize their projects!

Finally, as is often the case at Decathlon, I left for another mission, I passed on the baton ... but this project lives on ... I still feel that pride ...

Told by the Decathlon team.

My name is Sylvain Grignon. I'm a child of the Parisian suburbs... I've grown up, studied, played sport and worked in the Paris region since I was little. I was lucky enough to have a protective environment that helped me integrate into society. Not everyone around me was so lucky.

So when I could, I made a few attempts at helping the most underprivileged young people, by running recruitment forums in struggling neighbourhoods at Mantes la Jolie, for example, when I was a store manager.

So when I came back to Paris after a few years, mainly spent working abroad, and I saw the situation was still deteriorating rapidly, I said to myself that as a regional manager, I had the opportunity to do something on a different scale.

When I met Quentin from Sport Dans La Ville, I immediately understood that the union between this association and the Paris Petite Couronne region would come naturally. Helping young people to get a start in the professional world, using sport as a common language... I was already sold on it...

Sport Dans La Ville develops centers with a focus on sport, especially soccer, but also basketball, providing a bridge to the professional world. 

We identified several sites, then thought about how to collaborate effectively. We presented the project to the store managers, and several were interested and ready to get involved. With David Thoury and Pape Faye, we sketched out ideas for a partnership between an SDLV center and a store. Our personal commitment was based on mentoring a young person, monitoring and helping them and throughout their journey. Our professional commitment was to make our stores "available" for young people from SDLV to discover the company and the world of work. 

I came to the Foundation with Pape, David and Quentin, then we launched the project in the first two years. The centers in Noisy and Saint Denis were opened, the young people took their first steps in our stores with a Decathlon jacket on...

Obviously they had what it took, they had so much to give us in return.

For over 10 years now, we've been collaborating with Sport Dans La Ville to help young people reintegrate through sport. Today, we wanted to turn our actions into a 3-year project (2017-2019): the JOBATHLON.

We share the same values of responsibility, commitment and kindness. We want to restore young people's confidence and help them to get back on track. We've carried out several actions locally (in the greater Lyon area) to encourage reintegration: mentoring, equipment, help into employment, recruitment, company tours...

Jobathlon is based on key actions, and we have in-house mentoring in order to create a team of Decathlon mentors who help young people every year.
There are also themed workshops 4 times a years in the school holidays. These are half-day or day-long workshops about personal development, creating a job search network, and interview simulations. Meanwhile, we are setting up specific recruitment sessions, which require us to organise recruitment sessions 2 or 3 times a year called "viens en short" [meaning "come dressed in shorts"].

Other key actions, like the Jobathlon scheme, require setting up one or two training schemes a year, for 12 to 15 young people. They last 4 weeks and are designed to prepare the young people for the "viens en shorts" sessions from April to October. Lastly, there are sports actions organised throughout the year by Decathlon employees and young people from Sport Dans La Ville. This way, we can create our own network and enlist new mentors.

You have to bear in mind that starting the Jobathlon could enable 200 young people a year to receive help with building and implementing their project!

Lastly, as is often the case at Decathlon, I set off on another mission, I passed on the baton... but this project is still thriving... I still feel proud of it...

Story told by the Decathlon team.