JUNIA ALUMNI DAY: back from the sea!

On October 11, we took you on a sea voyage at the 11th JUNIA ALUMNI DAY, our association's annual event. This year's event was part of the 150th anniversary of the Université Catholique de Lille and the Ecoposs Festival, on the theme of "The Extraordinary Voyage".

We invite you on an extraordinary voyage to the ocean, with the theme "Invitation to a voyage to the sea: resources and innovations".

The day began with a cocktail lunch, during which participants were welcomed by our Chairman Eloi Carton and JUNIA's Managing Director Alexandre Rigal. A convivial moment that also gave everyone the chance to try their hand at Ocean Fresco thanks to a stand manned by Camille Dejode (ISA 2017). This fun format provided a first glimpse of marine biodiversity, the food chain that links different species and the threats they face...a foretaste of the complete Fresque!

Afterwards, we all moved to the round-table venue. Following an introduction by Eloi Carton, our Chairman, we welcomed to the stage Julien CASTELIN and Junias ADUSEI-GYAMFI, who presented JUNIA's projects and lessons learned around the theme of water and soil, making a link with ocean health!

This was followed by a round-table discussion, moderated by Anne Beaumeister, featuring no fewer than four speakers from a wide range of backgrounds. The keynote speaker was Sophie Jourdain Vercelletto, former Vendée Globe director and co-founder of Kaïros Environnement and the Explore fund, which seek to provide concrete solutions to today's environmental challenges. Also on the panel were two speakers from Ifremer, Xavier Harlay, Director of the Manche Mer du Nord Center, and Pierre Cresson, Researcher in marine ecology and biodiversity. Last but not least, a JUNIA ISA 2019 graduate, Arthur Caulliez, founder of the Les Argonautes collective, which communicates on actions to protect the oceans, rounded off this fine round-table discussion.

We were able to discover their commitment to a greater understanding of the marine environment and the actions (or non-actions) needed to preserve this fragile environment essential to our survival. They all wanted to convey a message of hope!

After these fruitful exchanges, the day ended with another convivial moment.

Did you miss the boat? Watch the replay of the round table here: