On September 15, 2021, Break Poverty gathered testimonials from players involved in the Dotation d’Action Territoriale (DAT) in the Hauts-de-France region, at a videoconference attended by almost a hundred people.
On this occasion, public authorities, associations and corporate representatives took the floor and shared their feedback on their involvement in the scheme.

DAT in Hauts-De-France, an innovative lever in the fight against poverty

Introducing the event, Valérie Daher, Director of the Break Poverty Foundation, stressed the importance of bringing together the worlds of disadvantaged youth and business, which are still too far apart. “ Together, we must give them a chance to break out of their precarious situation.”

The Dotatio d’action territorial (DAT), understand the system in 2 minutes.

Supported by the national strategy for preventing and combating poverty, the DAT is aimed at all regions that share this ambition.
Rodolphe Dumoulin, Commissioner for the Fight against Poverty in the Hauts-de-France region, confirms: “ It’s in nobody’s interest to let youth poverty develop on their territory. […] The DAT is the ideal lever for combating poverty at both national and local level, […] to implement a common strategy across the region.”
He also called for collective mobilization. “ You can count on my wholehearted support to accompany this process. I’m really counting on the territories; […] we need to pool our resources because it’s in our interest. ”

In the Hauts-de-France region, DAT is already being rolled out in a number of volunteer towns, with a target of 10 DATs by the end of 2021.
Beyond the pioneering territory of Béthune, 5 other local authorities are currently committed in the region.

The Dotation d’Action Territoriale (DAT) : deployment and results in Hauts-de-France.

Indeed, the three conurbations of the Baie de Somme, Amiens Métropole and Pays du Coquelicot have launched DATs supported by the Conseil Départemental de la Somme. There are also the towns of Cambrai in the Nord and Calais in the Pas-de-Calais.

Conclusive results and territories convinced

DAT is already showing very conclusive results in the field. On average
30,000 a year raised for each association supported by DAT, from 3 to 4 local private partners. It should also be remembered that 71% of these donations come from local VSEs, SMEs or ETIs (compared with an average of 46% for this type of company at national level).
Read the full results of the DAT impact assessment.

Since September 2019, in Béthune, local businesses have chosen to financially support the development over three years of 5 associative projects with a strong impact on young people. Thanks to the DAT, 260 new beneficiaries could thus be supported by the associations in 2020-2021.
Read testimonials from DAT partners in Béthune.

David Rauscent, Project Director for Attractiveness and Sponsorship, and coordinator of the three DATs implemented in the Somme, is also pleased with the unifying role of the Department in this territorial dynamic. “We are in the process of creating a collective alliance with businesses to truly make a difference.”

The Dotation d’action territorial (DAT) as seen by our partners in the Hauts-de-France region.

The scheme is currently in its second phase, that of selecting associative projects, and is preparing to launch a Call for Expressions of Interest. “ We have decided to focus on projects that support parenting, prevent exclusion from school […], introduce young people to the world of business […] and promote youth mobility.”

Mathilde ROY, Deputy in charge of the Pact for Good Living and Accessibility at Amiens Town Hall, gave a presentation on the situation of young people in her area. She also emphasized the measures taken by the city and the added value of the DAT in amplifying existing actions.

A network of territories committed to youth

Grégoire Guillard, Break Poverty’s Regional Delegate for the Hauts-de-France region, reminded participants that any structure with a legitimate role to play in bridging the gap between the associative world and the corporate world can host a DAT. Local authorities, business clubs, incubators, SSE players, philanthropists, etc. are all eligible.

Break Poverty provides free training and support for the DAT promoter (a part-time resource dedicated to the project) at every stage, adapting the tools to the local context and expectations.

To support the deployment and impact of the DAT, Break Poverty also works closely with business networks. In this region, for example, we can cite the support of MEDEF Hauts-de-France, but also innovative partnerships: the Club des Fondations d’entreprise du Réseau Alliances or the Call&Care scheme.

Guy Drobinoha, Regional Manager for Employment and Training at MEDEF Hauts-de-France, went on to explain that DAT really does provide a solution to the challenges faced by companies in the regions. The scheme recreates the link with young people. “It’s in the regions that the problems arise, and it’s there that we’ll find the solutions. […] With the DAT, the company becomes part of the life of its region.

Bruno Lajara, Director of Envol in Béthune, was finally able to testify to the impact of the DAT on his association’s activities over the past year. “DAT has enabled us to forge links with the local fabric and the business world.” The company WeeeMetallica has recruited one of the young people from the Envol program on a work-study program.
The DAT also contributes to the professionalization of associative players. The Director of the Envol association also declares that “The DAT (has) also helped us to increase our capacity to provide better support and improve monitoring of the overall impact we can have on our audiences.”

Finally, Valérie Daher concluded that it was urgent to act to avoid sacrificing a new generation. Starting this autumn, Break Poverty is launching a new promotion of promising regions throughout France.

This is an opportunity for interested local authorities and organizations to join this network of territories committed to youth !

If you share this ambition and would like to take action for young people in your area, please contact us. To find out more, visit the Dotation d’Action Territoriale website.

Photo credit : Taylor Wilcox, Unsplash.