Ô Vallon: Inclusion, Well-Being, and Social Cohesion for Families in the Vallon

The project aims to promote access to spaces for socialization and well-being for families in the Vallon neighborhood, with a particular focus on including families in precarious situations. These families, who are often underrepresented at sociocultural events and have limited access to well-being spaces, will benefit from opportunities to get involved and enjoy spaces dedicated to their well-being.

We aim to reach families in the Vallon neighborhood, with a particular focus on including families in precarious situations who have limited access to well-being resources and sociocultural events.

The Vallon neighborhood in Lausanne is home to a large number of different nationalities, as well as a diverse range of socioeconomic statuses. Comfortable, market-rate rental units stand side by side with subsidized apartments that are sometimes poorly maintained, while public benches are transformed in the evening into makeshift sleeping spots for people experiencing homelessness. It is also a multicultural neighborhood: in 2022, it had nearly 1,700 residents, just over 50% of whom were foreign nationals. This coexistence is also reflected in the various social and cultural institutions: an emergency shelter (Salvation Army – La Marmotte), a residence for people with mental health challenges (Bois-Gentil – La Résidence), a drop-in center for people struggling with substance use (ABS Foundation – Le Passage, La Terrasse, the Safe Consumption Space), a social integration enterprise (Démarche), the Vallon Community Center, the Pulloff Theater and the 2.21 Theater, the Reighikan Dojo, several tattoo and graphic design studios, and more. For many years, the Vallon Neighborhood Association (AQV) and the Vallon Community Center (CAV) have been working hand in hand to foster a collaborative spirit aimed at improving residents’ quality of life. Together, our goals are to foster solidarity, integration, participation, and social and cultural coexistence in the neighborhood. One of the CAV’s missions is to assist neighborhood families in precarious situations by supporting them in various areas such as asylum law, job searches, and parenting support. Supporting families is part of building long-term relationships based on trust. The community center also hosts a food distribution program (run by the Mère Sofia Foundation), a legal aid clinic (run by volunteer lawyers), and a free store (run by the CAV) on its premises. Over the years, the program coordinators have identified physical and mental health challenges faced by certain mothers and families in the neighborhood. In response, the CAV aims to develop a project to promote well-being for these families. Precarity—which can be economic, social, and/or relational—requires a comprehensive approach. We have therefore decided to focus on relational and social vulnerability, which is often perceived as a barrier to access to leisure activities and social life. According to a participatory study conducted by the Fribourg School of Social Work, it became clear to the respondents that vulnerability includes “the inability to engage in leisure activities or activities that foster social life and well-being. (…) It is a negative dynamic that prevents people from having sufficient support to integrate, from forming meaningful connections, and from getting involved in communities to exercise their citizenship” (Rey-Baeriswyl and Rollinet, 2020, p. 2). This project will take place as part of the major Ô Vallon neighborhood festival, which will be held from June 5 to 15, 2025, in the neighborhood. This festive setting, which spans 10 days to allow for encounters and follow-up interactions, is ideal for reaching a broad audience and fostering moments of social mix. Building on the lessons learned from the previous edition, we seek to ever more effectively incorporate the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of Le Vallon. The central themes for 2025—gentrification, housing, and movement—are directly linked to these issues. For this new edition of Ô Vallon, we have received proposals from neighborhood residents and users that align with our well-being initiative. The project aims to offer families in Vallon—particularly mothers and families facing economic hardship—spaces for socialization and well-being through two initiatives: a daycare center and massage sessions. We will thus offer them moments of well-being, including individual massages and group massage workshops led by a professional massage therapist during the festival. In addition, a neighborhood daycare—an initiative led by a local mother—will be established to enable single parents to participate in activities and build social connections. The project thus aims to provide families in the neighborhood facing economic hardship with access to wellness, care, and social activities and spaces that foster social connections, in order to combat exclusion and strengthen bonds within the community. It is based on the belief that everyone living in a neighborhood should be able to participate in neighborhood life and perhaps create new forms of social participation—values cherished in the Vallon neighborhood—which are also cited in the aforementioned article as potential courses of action to combat precarious living conditions. These courses of action include, for example, “local exchange systems,” intergenerational exchanges, cultural activities in public spaces, shared living spaces in the city, and community initiatives such as social grocery stores ” (Rey-Baeriswyl and Rollinet, 2020, p. 3). The daycare center will be run by community members, which will strengthen the bond of trust that has already been established.

Vallon neighborhood

October–December 2024 - Conceptualization and development of the project - Initial contact with various partners - Funding application January–February 2025 - Creation of a working group comprising the various partners (CAV, AQV, daycare center, massage therapy, and neighborhood social and cultural institutions) - Collaborative planning with partners February–March 2025 - Contacting facilitators, finalizing the program - Working group meetings - Coordinating and organizing the project in collaboration with partners April–May 2025 - Working group meetings - Coordinating and organizing the project in collaboration with partners - Outreach to target audiences June 5–15, 2025 - Project implementation during Ô Vallon 2025 - Community/neighborhood daycare during the neighborhood festival - Group massage workshops and individual massages for neighborhood families - Observation of various events to assess the project and identify potential follow-up opportunities End of June 2025 - Project review and evaluation - Based on the review and observations, what follow-up actions should be taken?

3,000

Ô Vallon Vallon Community Center Vallon Neighborhood Association Daycare: local mothers Massages: two local massage therapists who are service users Neighborhood organizations and institutions that will also be involved: - La Barre Elementary School - APEMS Primaflora - Salvation Army – La Marmotte - Bois-Gentil – La Résidence - ABS Foundation – La Terrasse, ECS, Le Passage - Théâtre 2.21