L'ALTERNATIVE URBAINE, PARIS FRANCE
Leveraging a government scheme meant for uplifting Paris's most vulnerable, L'Alternative Urbaine innovates to use the city's footprint to offer walk tours, guided by society's most vulnerable- the homeless or formerly homeless.
L'Alternative Urbaine is an innovative project to help the homeless and people who have been in extremely poverty ridden conditions and living in the Paris area.
It trains selected individuals to be tour guides and give walk tours around Paris, in pre-determined routes. Eclaireurs (tour guides) learn to stick to a routine, develop confidence to interact with people, hone social skills and get paid whilst tour patrons get to see an unusual side of Pairs, even if they are city residents!
L'Alternative Urbaine has been extraordinarily innovative in leveraging a government scheme meant to help those in deep poverty. They help the scouts earn money utilizing a skill they already have - an intimate knowledge of the various routes and hidden sights of Paris.
L'Alternative Urbaine and the eclaireurs are both reimbursed by the Parisian government for their time/work.
Travel/Tourism
Homelessness
Leveraging a government scheme (or a specific initiative)
Leveraging existing skills of target population
Nonprofit
Use of urban/rural geography (use of a city's layout or footprint)
Of Interest to
ORIGINAL CASE STUDY / PROCESS ANALYSIS
process analysis
We examine how L'Alternative Urbaine came about, key issues from concept to implementation. Analyzing the content gathered led to the coming out of key issues, which we have plotted from concept to implementation.
Please note that this is NOT an chronological narrative of how L'Alternative Urbaine came about, we only examine issues along the process continuum that has made L'Alternative Urbaine a success.
For those wanting to work in the field of homelessness, finding innovative means to sustain, scale and create positive impact is a constant challenge. Whilst this initiative is certainly not the first of its kind, it certainly stands out for sheer innovation in terms of leveraging an existing program.
The interactive graphic below outlines key factors and important moves responsible for L'alternative Urbaine's success.
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The DPH (Dispositif Premières Heures) is a scheme floated by City Hall of Paris, & aimed at rehabilitation and reintegration of those in acute poverty experiencing homelessness and the such into society.
Those eligible are paid a stipend for one year and are encouraged to find training and employment in that time.
Organizations taking on these patrons are given incentives by the local government.
The most common route for such schemes is for employing those eligible to do heavy-lifting work. Construction, earthwork, moving, working in big box warehouses and so on.
Amandine Mutin, Selma Sardouk and Esperanza Falero, three people experienced in working with the vulnerable, esp. with reintegration, join intellect. They combine reintegration with tourism and a government scheme to come up with L'Alternative Urbaine.
The homeless (or recently homeless), given their life situation have acute route knowledge. They know the lay of the land, routes and spots that most others will not.
The trio decide to harness the walker friendly, tourist attraction that is Paris as the catalyst to recruit the homeless (or recently homeless yet experiencing acute poverty) to give walk tours of the city.
There is scope for innovation everywhere. The same government scheme, helping the homeless and those in acute poverty to et back on their feet is used very innovatively by the founders.
Instead of teaching them new skills (mainly unskilled labor!), here, they channel a skill the target population already have, aka. route knowledge.
Using this to give walk-tours in a tourist friendly city like Paris is innovative thinking at its best!
The founders go about setting up a working relationship with (community) social workers in order to recruit tour guides. They help identify people with appropriate skills as well as evaluate their health and behavioral status, making sure no one was at risk (the tour organizers and the tour guides).
Decide broadly on what areas to offer the walking tours on, how long, estimation of resources, personnel etc.
Decide to focus on fewer number of tour guides and tours, focusing on quality than quantity, more so given their own tight resource situation
When working with the vulnerable, in addition to finding someone appropriate and willing to work, it is very important to ensure ones' own safety. Taking the help of social workers, who are trained to work with society's most vulnerable is a shrewd move.
The DPH Scheme pays the people who qualify under the scheme. Once they find an employer, they can register with the scheme and get paid. This is another feature the founders of L'Alternative Urbaine found advantageous.
L'Alternative Urbaine does not require tour patrons therefore to pay for the tours; A small donation is recommended but never insisted.
They do traditional fundraising campaign once a year to raise money for training the eclaireurs (tour guides).
Other than this, they are open to collaborating with like-minded companies and are supported by several from time to time.
Not having to pay the tour patrons is a HUGE benefit L'Alternative gets because it is dependent on the DPH Scheme. Reducing financial burden is the no. 1 worry for most social innovators and leveraging a government scheme so that they can now only focus on the work.
Tour guides are also assured of income and can therefore focus on the work.
NOTE: L'Alternative Urbaine has not shared with us their operating costs, fundraising amounts or any kind of financial information. We understand this is an area most aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs are interested in but we also respect L'Alternative Urbaine's right to not discuss any information they do not want to.
If this is an area you are interested in and want to come up with an estimate, let us know. We can help you work out an estimate. Use the Contact form below.
L'alternative Urbaine itself finds and moves into offices at Les Grands Voisins. This is a mixed-use development, where socially conscious businesses and organizations rent space year round. This is another strategic move, as the location gives L'Alternative Urbaine support form like-minded institutions
Legally registers as Association loi 1901 – the French equivalent of a nonprofit.
An unseen side of the work done by L'Alternative Urbaine is the training and skills evaluation it does with the recruited eclaireurs. They get one-on-one evaluations and support from L'Alternative Urbaine staff. They are helped with job choices, encouraged to get trained for a more permanent type of job and so on. They are also given weekly training on skills to help with interpersonal skills, conversation skills and more general life-skills.
Areas scouted for tours and routes planned. The selected eclaireurs are invariably from an area they take responsibility of guiding the walks. Routes are still refined, pre determined, neighboring establishments and residents informed, permissions sought from relevant associations and so on.
This is a continuous and ongoing task, taking up much of L'Alternative Urbaine's efforts.
All of this organization's choices have been strategically thought out, including where to set up their offices, so as to maximize community support for themselves and the work they do.
This is something social innovators and entrepreneurs must be conscious of - taking decisions to maximize benefit, even if it means compromising on some other aspects.
This is entirely dependent on the type of work being done, but as a rule of thumb, having the community on your side is always a good idea!!!!
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Looking for ways to reduce the burden of resource procurement, including financial issues is a huge priority for social innovators/entrepreneurs. Leveraging an existing scheme, while not perfect, might allow them to get a start quicker than anticipated.
In leveraging the DPH scheme, L'Alternative Urbaine, not only reduces the financial burden it would otherwise face (in having to pay the eclaireurs), they are now free to focus on the actual work, leaving all funds raised to go to the program.
Training people takes time and resources, which are always in acute shortage, esp. the second.
As innovators, it is important to keep ones' eyes and ears open, seeing how the environment around us can support our idea, and whether there are hidden resources readily available which we are missing.
By harnessing skills the target audience already has, L'Alternative Urbaine accrues value multifold- it saves time, effort and most importantly, a very vulnerable and neglected subset of people feel useful, giving a massive boost to their confidence.
Further, Paris is not only a huge tourist destination, but a city famed for its walks and walkability (as in, streets are pedestrian friendly). Capitalizing on this was yet another major factor in its success.
There is however a substantial risk in relying so heavily on an existing support scheme or program, be it government or otherwise. In the even of the scheme being revoked or stopped, the entire social innovation might come to an end/be put on hold / scale down owing to lack of funds.
In leveraging the DPH scheme, L'Alternative Urbaine, has taken a significant risk. As Vivienne Poiret, Communications Manager points out, the program would 'probably not exist' if the DPH did not exist. The DPH scheme has found great success [and not just with L'Alternative Urbaine], making leadership at L'Alternative Urbaine go forth with the program.
However others looking to incorporate this into their agenda would be well advised to have a contingency plan in place.
Image courtesy: L'Alternative Urbaine, Paris
LESSONS LEARNT
IMPACT
Operational without interruption since 2014.
Have successfully worked with over 20 eclaireurs, helping them reintegrate into society even as they worked as guides.
The goodwill is huge, with some former tour guides staying on as volunteers!
Have been supported by some very prominent organizations in France.
Image courtesy: L'Alternative Urbaine, Paris
acknowledging..
Viviane Poiret Communications Manager at L'Alternative Urbaine.
She has taken the time to work with us over several hours of communication and given us insight into the working of this organization. We are very grateful to her.
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L'Alternative Urbaine can be reached at https://www.alternative-urbaine.com/
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