Charlène Briard is an educational coordinator who loves nature and its benefits. She passes on not just her knowledge but her passion to the general public.
Nature from the inside out
As Charlène sees it, nature is essential to all our lives, and our day-to-day existences most especially. Her bio-centric vision for the environment has given her a belief that human beings are just a tiny part of a greater whole that works in synergy. This vision has revealed to her the minuscule place humans occupy in the immensity of the natural world. It casts a questioning light on lots of ways of acting and thinking, starting with our day-to-day rhythm which is intimately linked to nature and everything it contains.
Charlène was able to get to grips with her location and act for the good of nature when she became an educational coordinator at the CPIE (or “Permanent Centre for Environmental Initiatives”) in Brocéliande. Her job allows her to work every day towards the thing that matters to her most: protecting beauty.
Scientifically speaking, her role is to observe biodiversity and the impact that human activity and the climate can have on it. At CPIE, she is the pivot point between the environmental activity leaders (who run the awareness-raising work) and the project managers (who coordinate the support work). She also leads awareness-raising action for audiences of all kinds. She treated us to some nature walks for people of all ages during La Gacilly’s Nature en Fête Festival in October 2021.
Focus on Charlène at Nature en Fête
Charlène has observed that people are getting more and more involved in her nature walks. Perhaps this is down to the dynamic she creates to forge a link between people and make sure they are active all through the workshop. This means everyone has the chance not only to ask questions but to provide answers and content of their own. Everyone can get involved as it’s completely interactive! Charlène believes that at the end of the walk, the adults, awestruck and amused by what they have seen, have a different outlook on their environment. It’s like they are children again !
What is the CPIE ?
The CPIE (or “Permanent Centre for Environmental Initiatives”) Forêt de Brocéliande is based in Concoret. It’s a non-profit which has been running activities focussing on environmental education and support for regions since 1988. It works to support local sustainable development in the Brocéliande and Ploërmel areas of Brittany.
The CPIE works principally via:
- awareness-raising and environmental training for audiences of all kinds (schoolchildren, local people, environmental education professionals and so on): Every year, the non-profit hosts introductory classes, holidays, courses, different groups and classes for organisations in its La Soett group activity centre. It works to raise public awareness though its trips out to discover nature.
- action to offer local authorities and local operators methodological guidance, advice and research about their ecological transition (referred to as “regional projects”).
The CPIE lives out its belief in popular education and participative governance.
It was a real pleasure to meet Charlène who is just as passionate about the environment as she is committed to young people – two qualities she shares with the Yves Rocher Foundation.
Check out the Yves Rocher Foundation 30 years celebration during the 2021 Nature en Fête edition.
