In London, Renovo shows that excellence has no borders
Offer everyone the opportunity to aim for excellence, whatever their origins or their means: this is the bet that Tawfik Barboucha has set for itself. Founder and president of the Renovo association, he has been acting for several years to remove invisible – but real obstacles – which have slowed the access to young people from minorities, in particular Muslim culture, to the French Schools. In this interview, he returns bluntly to the deep causes of this under-representation, but also to the concrete solutions set up by his association. From rigorous school support to linguistic stays in London, including inspiring meetings, Renovo deploys a real educational and social elevation strategy, based on the transmission, commitment and pride of a heritage. An enlightening exchange with a field actor that upsets fatalisms and focuses on excellence for all.
What observation has motivated you to act towards young people in Muslim culture and what do you think are the deep causes of their sub-statement in the grandes écoles?
Our association is part of an support for excellence towards minorities which are completely under represented in access to “very large schools” (cf. social recruitment of the school elite for forty years Michel EURIAT and Claude Thélot) and these being strongly composed of young people of Muslim culture, it will say that causes, moreover more historic than religious, were their own and of which it was necessary to understand the springs.
The 4 deep causes:
1) Knowing: ignorance of excellence and double standard of the French school system
2) Psychological: Inability to project yourself into high added value functions because direct absence of child’s share capital
3) Financial: Level of excellence that acquires a very high level of education provided by very expensive private structures but also by social experiences such as linguistic stays inaccessible for these populations
4) Support: Even if the students know the sectors, wish to project themselves into these high functions and have the financial means, the success of its routes requires psychological support worthy of high -level athletes. A high level of preparation allowing students to face the first months of its sectors of excellence is essential and support throughout its years by supervisors who have themselves carried out these courses of excellence allows students to be reassured about their ability to achieve their academic and professional objectives.
What type of support do you concretely offer students and how do you select the young people you follow? Is it open to everyone?
Within Renovo, we have 2 programs, a selective program towards the 4th – 3rd schoolchildren who wish to access its excellence courses and another program intended for all college students, high school students and preparation without selection criteria.
For the selective program, students are committed, once access to excellence sectors, to provide volunteer courses to future generations for 3 to 5 years. These students will first receive high -level lessons mainly in scientific matters while ensuring the minimum required in literary matters. This results in courses every Sunday of the school year from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and all school holidays in the following format:
– All Saints holidays: 1 week of vacation and 1 week of lessons (Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with evaluation Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
– Christmas holidays: 2 weeks of lessons so no vacation (Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with evaluation Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
– Winter holidays: 1 week of vacation and 1 week of lessons (Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with evaluation Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
– Easter holidays: 2 weeks of lessons so no vacation (Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with evaluation Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
– Summer holidays: all the month of August in progress (Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with evaluation Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
And this all along the support to the fields of excellence. Participation is carried out according to family income but with a minimum threshold of € 150/month.
For the program open to all without selection criterion, The teaching staff is the same as that of the selective program However, expectations are less but we support students in order to allow them to earn an average of 4 to 5 points on scientific subjects in one year. And for those who already have good academic results and who have not been able to access the selective program of Renovo, we accompany them so that they express their full potential by allowing them to access the programs of the years to come and this in a benevolent way.
The sessions take place on group Sunday:
– Mathematics from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
– Physics – Chemistry from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Financial participation is set according to the support format chosen:
– half -yearly (20 sessions per subject at 15 €/h)
– Annual (32 sessions per subject at 13 €/h)
Now let’s talk about the linguistic stay in London scheduled for July. Who is exactly to and what are the selection criteria for the 15 places still available?
The linguistic stay is aimed at all CM2 students, middle and high school students from France and Navarre without forgetting the overseas that wish to make a stay in the London capital from July 2, 2025 to July 13, 2025.
Financial participation is € 1890 for non -members and € 630 for Renovo members.
What will be the typical program for a day on site and why did you choose Oxford and Cambridge as a visit to?
Typical day
9 am – 12 p.m.: English lessons provided by native English -speaking teachers
12 noon – 1 p.m.: Halal meal in the house
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.: Transport trip to the center of London
2 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Visit of the cultural and historical heritage of London
5 p.m. – 6 p.m.: Back home
7 p.m. – 8 p.m.: Halal dinner
8 p.m. – 10 p.m.: Free time
10:30 p.m. – Extinction of fires
These two universities represent the British academic flagship and their courses are like the Andalusian universities of the 11th century. These two criteria obviously pushed us to organize a day in these two academic cities, especially since our students are systematically accompanied by students from these universities.
What distinguishes this trip from classic linguistic stays?
The cost: our stay is 30% – 40% cheaper from other stays the framework: ethics respecting the values of children from these minorities (halal food, possibility of praying, visit of the London historical mosques …) Meetings: in addition to visits students meet balanced adults combining both social success and spiritual development
Can you tell us more about the matches planned with personalities that you qualify exceptional?
Students meet balanced adults combining both social success and spiritual development, some of which are French expatriates in England.
Are help or facilities provided for families with modest incomes?
Possibility of payment in several times for families whose income is modest.
What feedback do you receive young people and families who have already participated in your actions?
Since 2014, we have organized more than 20 stays between Silicon Valley, South Africa and Great Britain since 2014. In recent times, we have focused on stays in London for financial reasons, in the sense that stays outside the EU are more expensive and therefore become inaccessible to a large part of our target.
Ultimately, do you want to further develop this type of stay in other countries?
The famous law of supply and demand, a stay at Silicon Valley for 2 weeks would cost nearly € 3,400, if there are candidates, which they contact us.
