Former political figure, the president of ESS France Benoît Hamon was in Reunion on April 22 and 23 with a delegation from ESS France Outre-mer and the Regional Chamber of the Social and Solidarity Economy (CRESS).
The opportunity to highlight this sector.
Highlight of the visit, April 22 in Saint-Paul : the launch of the local currency TiKatsou marked a first. According to the principle of local currencies, Reunion consumers can now convert their euros and pay for their purchases in a network of partner stores. ESS France, ESS France Outre-mer and CRESS jointly provided their support for this system. « In TiKatsou, it is the possibility of making our economy operate in a short circuit. We can even imagine communities buying part of TiKatsou and thus developing the economic sovereignty of the island.”, underlined Benoît Hamon.
A lever for inclusion and employment
The delegation went to the ESS hub : the event hall of the city of the Port. Welcomed by Mayor Olivier Hoarau in the presence of local elected officials, representatives of the Company for employment purposes (WHERE) Péi and employee synergy, Benoît Hamon learned about an effective local policy in favor of integration and employment. A sequence which demonstrated the Port’s commitment to the “Zero long-term unemployed territory” experiment., with the progression of Synergie Péi. Today, more than 120 people are supported by EBE towards sustainable employment. It illustrates the structuring role of the ESS as a lever for inclusion. Another stage of the delegation : the dockers’ cooperative of Reunion Island, emblematic organization of the social economy in the Indian Ocean.
An ESS brand
In Sainte-Marie, it’s first at Adesir, with Réunionese members of Échobat, that the local dynamics of this network combining eco-construction have been demonstrated, training and integration with players such as Synergie Family, Getec OI, Perma’culture, or the CAUE Réunion. An example of a sector anchored in local issues, developed within the framework of territorial economic cooperation centers, with the support of ESS France Outre-mer and funding from Ademe. The tour continued at the Scopad, home services cooperative. The visit of the former minister was also the occasion for several announcements : the launch of the ESS brand in June ; and the strengthening of Cap ESSor, the support solution developed by ESS France Outre-mer to accelerate the growth of companies in the sector.
