Director of ALEFPA-Le Manteau, territorial councilor, president of the allocation commission for the elderly and of the EHPAD of Saint-Martin, Audrey Gil demonstrates unfailing dedication.
Originally from Pau, in the southwest of France, she took the path of studying Science and Technology of Physical and Sports Activities (STAPS). With a master's degree in adapted physical activity and a diploma in special education under her belt, Audrey Gil swapped the mountain landscapes more than 15 years ago to discover Guyana and officiated in a youth center looking for professional integration. After a brief return to mainland France, she settled in Saint-Martin: “I started at SESSAD (Special Education and Home Care Service) a month after it opened, and I stayed there for 7 years. Thanks to the board of directors, I obtained my diploma to become a director of a small structure or head of department (CAFERUIS), which allowed me to access the position of director at Manteau de Saint-Martin in 2015.” Audrey's thirst for knowledge has not dried up, however, she has since completed a Master 2 in management of medico-social establishments with an interest in participatory management.
Merger and Commitment
Created in 1998, Le Manteau merged in 2021 with ALEFPA, the secular association for education, training, prevention and autonomy, which gives the small structure the means to achieve its ambitions: “Being attached to ALEFPA allows us to have much more openness, I remain a full director but ALEFPA gives us a solid foundation, support to best manage the budgets that I find and support to respond to calls for projects, that's why we have managed to develop. It's the perfect partnership”. The list of ALEFPA-Le Manteau's mechanisms is long and yet so necessary in the region: “Le Manteau's vision is to develop further, to be active for the population that needs it” confides the woman who has also chosen to get politically involved: “I want to be in the doing, and to stay involved, it's important. Just like being able to direct the needs of the territory to public policies, to have expertise”.
The family of blood and heart
To recharge her batteries after endless days, Audrey Gil rediscovers her passion for sport, despite past injuries, and especially friends: “I actually like being tired at the end of the week, it’s energizing, even if my son often criticizes me for working too much. But he supports me, he understands that if you want to develop things, you have to work but also give of yourself. We work on a human level, there are people who touch us more than others, it’s not possible to close the office door and leave it all there, I find great support from my friends. I built my family of heart here, after all these years, I am still as attached to Saint-Martin, it has become my home”.
From the individual to the collective
As close to her employees as to the users, Audrey Gil makes it a point of honor to be accessible: “I went from the daily life of the individual to the collective, but it's also great to see a project get underway and see that we can support lots of people. That doesn't stop me from continuing to serve food or go to activities, the users need me to be there”. Proud of her team which has grown from 12 to 23 employees in a year and a half, Audrey Gil has found the right balance: “They are dynamic, I really have a great team with each one their own personality, I motivate them and I ask everyone to be versatile by setting an example”.
The medal…
Named Knight of the National Order of Merit last June for her 18 years of service in the social sector, the woman who coached young people in volleyball from the age of 15 does not hide her pride: “Proud that my work is recognized, I give of myself and that the authorities notice that, it makes me happy. Really, it touches me, and it values me. I don't like to be put forward too much... I don't know if discreet is the right word, but I am humble.”
Saint-Martin youth
Audrey Gil's message for the new generation: “Always have this motivation to train yourself to try to progress, stop limiting beliefs and push the doors to see what is behind, you have to find the will because each of us has within us a force that will allow us to go where we want, be in action”.
If Audrey Gil played the game of describing herself in three words by choosing “sport, sensitive and social”, her career and her vision of life naturally lead us to add the adjective “inspiring”. _Vx
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