Le Grand Bain

Founded in Marseille by the nonprofit organization CitizenCorps, Le Grand Bain uses meaningful connections between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds as a powerful educational tool.

The program pairs elementary school classrooms from neighborhoods with contrasting socioeconomic realities, bringing students together through a shared learning journey that includes exchanging letters, meeting one another, exploring each other's neighborhoods, and collaborating on projects. The city itself becomes a learning environment where children discover new perspectives, challenge stereotypes, and build connections across social divides.

Beyond these student experiences, Le Grand Bain is developing an educational approach centered on meaningful encounters, designed to be adopted by teachers and other education professionals and, ultimately, shared more widely. This approach is grounded in research and close collaboration with France's public education system, local governments, and community organizations.

8th
Marseille ranks as the 8th most socioeconomically segregated major urban area in France.
Source: INSEE, 2024
15% → 63%
The proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds varies dramatically across French middle schools: it is below 15% in one in ten schools and above 63% in another one in ten.
Source: DEPP / INSEE
Positive Impacts on Social Cohesion
Scientifically evaluated school diversity initiatives have demonstrated improvements in relationships among students, their sense of safety, and their willingness to cooperate.
Source: French National Education Scientific Council

"We are at the beginning of a broader conversation that extends beyond schools to society as a whole: how can we rebuild connections, mutual respect, and understanding between social groups whose everyday realities have grown increasingly distant?"

Marion Chapulut - Founder and Executive Director, CitizenCorps – Le Grand Bain

"Rather than offering one-off activities, we design progressive learning journeys rooted in artistic projects and the exploration of Marseille. Each step gives children an opportunity to discover their city, create together, and experience perspectives different from their own."

Laura Peysson - Director of Operations and Educational Programs

Our Approach

1. Building Connections Between Classrooms

Le Grand Bain pairs classrooms, with half coming from underserved neighborhoods or schools designated as REP+ (France's highest-priority education network) and half from more affluent communities.

Through letter exchanges, in-person encounters, neighborhood exploration, collaborative projects, and a culminating festival, children gradually build meaningful relationships with their peers.

2. Turning the City into a Learning Environment

Many activities take place beyond school walls. Parks, cultural institutions, and neighborhoods become spaces for exploration, allowing children to discover places and communities they might otherwise rarely encounter.

3. Developing a Pedagogy of Connection

Le Grand Bain develops tools, training programs, and teaching methods that help educators prepare for, facilitate, and build upon these encounters.

This educational approach is developed in collaboration with academic researchers and institutions, including Aix-Marseille University, AMPIRIC, and INSPE, France's teacher education institute.

4. Building a Community-Wide Educational Alliance

Schools, teachers, nonprofit organizations, families, public institutions, and local governments work together to support these shared learning experiences.

The ambition is to make this pedagogy of connection more than a standalone program: a community-wide educational movement that brings people and institutions together across an entire region.

34

Pairs of classrooms participating in 2026–2027

1500

Children participating in the program

72

Teachers trained and engaged in the educator community

93%

Of Marseille's administrative districts reached

Transforming education by building connections across social divides

Supporting Growth and Scale

Providing financial and strategic support to help Le Grand Bain strengthen its operating model and expand across the Aix-Marseille metropolitan area.

Building Educational Partnerships

Supporting the identification and development of partnerships that enrich children's learning experiences and progressively build a coordinated network of educational stakeholders around the pedagogy of connection.

Advocacy & Impact Documentary

Contributing to the development of a documentary designed to raise awareness of social and educational segregation, tell the story of meaningful encounters through children's eyes, and bring Le Grand Bain's educational approach to a broader audience.