Silence reigned in the room, its walls decorated with paper unicorns. Seated in front of their books and notebooks, a dozen teenagers diligently do their homework. Next to them, Nicole, 73, and Osman, 24, provided explanations and encouragement. The former is a volunteer, and the latter has signed up for eight months of civil service. Both are part of Cécile's tutoring team, employed by the Maison de Sagesse association as an educational project organizer. They started by serving snacks, then helping with homework, and finishing with academic activities. During the vacations, extracurricular outings are also organized.

"We aim to give them back their confidence," explains Cécile. The children come to us because they can't study at home in good conditions, for lack of space, or because their parents are in a precarious situation. Some come from the Bastille emergency accommodation center, and others are referred to us by a school principal. At the association, they find free support and people who listen.

Mathias, 17, a first-year secondary school student with shoulder-length hair and a rosy complexion, told me all about his journey. He discovered the association last year. "I was repeating my second year under challenging circumstances. Having just arrived from Nantes, he and his mother lived in a hotel until they could find social housing. This fragile situation impacted his studies: "In Paris, I discovered a more significant competitive spirit. I was often harassed in the high school corridors.
The association became a safe space in which he gradually found his feet. "The volunteers help me with literature, maths, and physics, but it's all about support: they don't do it for me; they teach me to work independently. Yamina, 16, agrees: "I like coming here. It's warm and quiet, and we get help. At home, my two little brothers and sister make a lot of noise. It's hard for me to concentrate.

Nicole, a retired French teacher, has been coming here for twelve years. "I discovered Maison de Sagesse on the local community forum, she tells me, between a math problem and a French exercise. I think it's important to stay in society and be useful. The 'retired' option wasn't enough for me." She appreciates the human-scale support provided by the social center. "I used to teach classes of 35 students. Here, the relationship is individual. They call me by my first name; they're on first-name terms, and I have time to joke around. It's much richer on a human level. She has followed some of the children for years and knows their brothers and sisters. But the children are still discreet: "They don't talk much about their difficulties. We guess at them more than we know them."

Maison de Sagesse was founded in 1992 by Denise Fouin, now 79, to help children and their families. The association's name was inspired by her conviction "that human wisdom will prevail over egoism, indifference or ignorance." She has multiplied her missions abroad - yesterday in Tibet, today in Madagascar, Morocco, and Laos - believing that much can be achieved with few means.

One day, however, it became clear that children in France also needed help. There are huge disparities; schools no longer play their role as social elevators, and many children reach the sixth form without knowing how to read. A social worker asks them for help. "We had set up libraries in Lebanon; we couldn't just sit back and do nothing," recalls Bénédicte Bodin, now in charge of the association's projects in Paris.

She set up her first mission in the 13th arrondissement, followed by one in the 12th and another in the 20th, "where the needs are." Last year, thanks to the support of DEMAIN, Sézane's endowment fund, school supply kits were distributed to families at the start of the new school year, textbooks were purchased, and extracurricular outings were organized. Numerous workshops have also been organized: writing workshops on emotions led by a sophrologist, hypnotherapy, coaching to learn how to work differently and channel one's attention, etc. These workshops create tools that help children daily and provide them with methods to become active players in their education.