In a world marked by uncertainty and division, a French non-profit is helping to cultivate a new generation of hopeful, resilient, and socially conscious young people. Founded by Caroline Avanzo, Gemmes is on a mission to empower youth aged 12 to 24 by nurturing their inner potential and inspiring them to become agents of positive change.
With a background in law, Caroline spent 15 years working on some of the world’s most pressing human rights issues. But it was her experience in Myanmar, reporting on grave human rights violations and witnessing the limits of advocacy alone, that sparked a deeper realization: lasting transformation begins with education and inner development.
A Four-Pillar Approach to Youth Empowerment
At the heart of Gemmes’ work is a unique pedagogical framework built on four key pillars: Inspiration, Introspection, Action, and the Arts. These elements are carefully designed to develop the psychosocial skills of young people and help them cultivate a new perspective, on themselves, on others, and on the wider world.
By blending emotional intelligence with creative expression and social engagement, Gemmes encourages students to explore their inner world while fostering a sense of collective responsibility and unity.
Gemmes Workshops and the SPARKS Program
Gemmes operates primarily through two educational streams: Gemmes Workshops and the SPARKS Program. The Gemmes Workshops are direct interventions conducted in schools or during extracurricular activities, each centered around the four key pillars. These workshops aim to build self-confidence and courage, encourage reflection on personal qualities and relationships, foster a sense of place in the world, and raise awareness of social issues, all culminating in an artistic creation, for example slam poetry.
Complementing this, the SPARKS Program is an innovative character development initiative that enhances students’ psychosocial skills and nurtures their identity as global citizens. It empowers teachers to create safe spaces for meaningful discussions, where students reflect on themselves and on their interaction with society. Through these engaging sessions, participants begin to develop a more positive perspective on themselves, others, and the world, which generates the spark to engage in service projects and become positive agents of change in the community.
Gemmes Achievenements
Gemmes has achieved significant milestones over the years, including their first activity online during Covid, the pilot of SPARKS in Sarajevo, the scaling of SPARKS in the largest school in the world in India and a partnersip in France with Réseau Canopé, which works under the French Ministry of Education. Their recent partnership with Alliance pour l’éducation – United Way marks a new chapter, with large-scale deployments of Gemmes workshops in schools around Paris.
Looking ahead, Gemmes aims to continue scaling their activities in Europe, enrich their pedagogical material, and diversify their funding sources. Their collaboration with the TGE network has opened new opportunities for cross-border donations, particularly in Switzerland, where they are keen to develop new projects and engage with the vibrant donor community.
Why support Gemmes?
Gemmes aims to foster deep individual transformation in both youth and their teachers, promoting unity and sustainability. Despite global chaos, their pedagogical approach is rooted in a positive outlook on the latent potential within every individual, focusing on “inner gems.” By emphasizing what unites people rather than divides them, Gemmes addresses key challenges at their root cause, offering a hopeful and innovative educational approach in a polarized world where many are losing hope.
We’d like to end this article by sharing what Caroline said at last when asked if she would like to add anything else to the interview:
“I would like to continue on the theme of hope and share the famous quote by Martin Luther King: ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.’
For more than 15 years, I worked in the field of human rights and reported on some of the worst possible human rights violations. I am well aware of all the challenges in the world today. Yet, I have also seen throughout my life all the beacons of hope and light at work in our society. I have seen devoted human rights activists and NGO workers who put their life at risk every day for others; I have worked with courageous and brilliant UN officials; I have learnt from inspiring social entrepreneurs in the field of education who left successful careers to join the non-profit sector and work night and day to build the future of education. And of course, I have observed the generosity of donors across the globe, who make all this work possible.
These are only a small fragment of all the positive forces at play in our society today. Let’s not forget the proverb ‘A falling tree makes more noise than a growing forest’. A new forest is growing every day silently. We might all be surprised to wake up one day surrounded by a beautiful forest!”
To learn more about Gemmes, visit their website. And if you’d like to support their work, you can make a (cross-border) donation through their online giving platform.