A week of integration, months of preparation!

We take a closer look at one of Institut Lyfe's key events, with the Campus-Student Life team. 

You've all heard of Integration Week, but do you realize how much work goes into making it happen?

A little history 

First of all, a little history: integration week hasn't always existed at your school. It was Dominique Giraudier who introduced it in 2016, during his first year in office, and it was Yvelise Dentzer (Arts and Culture teacher at the time) who built the very first model for this unusual event! It has to be said that the "Campus Life" team didn't yet exist. 

It was in January 2017 that the department dedicated to student life was born, and, quite naturally, it was for the start of the new school year in September of that same year, that the highlights you know appeared: Grand Accueil, soirée blanche, grand banquet, rally in Lyon, fittings, educational meetings, promo photos and fashion show!!! Made up of Raphaëlle Asselineau, Domitille Mayet and Amalia Fraioli, the team quickly expanded.  

In September 2019, it was thanks to Myriam Marescot, who joined the team in 2018, that the very first seminar dedicated to international students was born, the aptly named "Easy France Toolbox*", which aims to smooth the arrival in France of international students. Three days and a dozen specific workshops complete the initial schedule, during the week preceding the general integration. 

The digitization of our tools and the creation of a dedicated mini-site, in 2020, "my feel good days" was an essential revolution in its organization. Indeed, with the opening of new Bachelors programs, tracks in English and French, and whether or not the Clipper is a tenant, 32 different schedules are coexisting! With a view to personalizing schedules, the launch of the tool has ensured that the right student receives the right schedule, at the right time, without confusion, thanks to a personalized connection. 

2023 : Launch of the WOW (Webinar of Welcome) for international students, a remote information session accessible in replay for those who were unable to attend. 

This year, Myriam Marescot, Domitille Mayet, Manon Bobillon (replacing Amalia Fraioli on parental leave) and Clara Challier as project manager, are organizing this magnificent event. As you may have guessed, Raphaëlle Asselineau will soon be leaving the Institute, so she is stepping back to let everyone get their bearings for a future organization without her.  

Over the years, new activities have appeared, been improved, some abandoned, corrected, and the current model seems to be popular, so there's no need to change a tried-and-tested recipe!

A seamless collaboration 

Every year, it's like clockwork, with all the Institute's departments mobilized, each at their own level, to deliver the services you've come to expect.  

At the center is the Campus Life team, which coordinates the entire event, calling on all the necessary in-house skills: Tableware and Culinary Arts for all the catering, whether it's the preparation of meal baskets, the "soirée blanche" or the grand banquet. The Technical team, for openings and closings, building alarms, electricity consumption forecasts during the various highlights, or for the loan of the truck. The Purchasing team takes delivery of all special deliveries. The Pedagogical teams take an active part in all the highlights and indicate the special times they intend to share with the "new kids". The Clipper is of course on deck, especially on a Sunday to welcome the new tenants. The accounting team makes sure that all our suppliers' invoices are taken care of, ensuring the continuity of our relationship. The Communications team validates the media and promotes this wonderful event on the networks. The Corporate Relations department handles relations with promotional sponsors and, in some cases, special partners for the occasion. Colleagues in the Admissions team pass on the lists of new entrants, and work with the Scolarité team to ensure that the new intake is properly registered.  

The older 2nd and 3rd year students are also heavily involved in welcoming their younger classmates. Generally speaking, around a hundred of them are involved in a variety of missions to ensure the event's various highlights: who participates in the culinary preparations, who is in charge of the campus tours, who is in charge of the Olympics, who will be the "parade entertainer" ^^! It's the very DNA of the Institut! What's more, while the older students help welcome the younger ones, at the Graduation Ceremony, it's the younger ones who take part in the departure of the older ones, bringing an unforgettable time at the Institut full circle! 

Externally, more than thirty service providers are federated for the event: Elior, of course, for the preparation of spaces and their daily cleaning, security agents, specialized agencies delivering their workshops, suppliers of uniforms and objects given to students, rented or loaned spaces, the agency developing the "Feel Good days" website, not forgetting the twenty or so alumni mobilized for the Lyon rally, partner banks, TCL, emlyon and the City of Ecully, historic partners... ! 

We should also mention the presence and exceptional partnership with CLCV (Consommation Logement Cadre de Vie), a consumer protection association specializing in housing, which enables our students to call on the services of legal experts in the event of a rental dispute.

Integration objectives 

And what's all this for, you might ask: to entertain our newcomers?  

Yes, the purpose of this event is to offer a nice moment of conviviality, but not only that. Behind these festive moments, there are 4 more serious objectives:  

• Social integration: meet your classmates and the Institute's teams; 
• Administrative integration: ensuring the completion of essential administrative steps, whether legal obligations or Institute requirements; 
• Geographical integration: getting to know and master your new environment: the campus, Ecully, Lyon, France. 
• Pedagogical integration: receiving your work tools: uniforms, briefcases, knowing the basic rules and identifying the teams, so that you can start your course at Institut Lyfe with peace of mind.

Finally, it's worth remembering that the integration process itself is mutual, so it's also a time when we get to know the new class, and learn from each new arrival!

Preparation highlights 

• May: preparation of general schedule, booking of spaces, contact with service providers... 
• June: orders placed for dress code, goodies, identification of support students, transmission to colleagues, preparation of catering... 
• July: validation of schedules, start of Welcome newsletters, finalization of logistical details... 
• August: home stretch: orders received, kits prepared, materials, presentations (imagine the elves before Christmas). 

After all that, you'll understand why, from May onwards, the Vie de Campus team is hard at work concocting an unforgettable moment for the new promotions!  

Don't hesitate to let us know if you'd like to play an active part in the integration process - we're always looking for people with good will (and good hands!) to help make the event a success.