Oscar for best actor in 2007 for The Last King of Scotland, Forest Whitaker inaugurated on Wednesday in Aubervilliers, in the northern suburbs of Paris, a training center financed by his NGO. After America and Africa, he set up in France, in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis which is among the poorest and where the unemployment rate reaches nearly 40% among young people.
A light gray suit and sneakers, the 61-year-old Hollywood star cut the red ribbon for the new center of the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI). The actor of Last King of Scotlandinaugurated Wednesday, May 17 in Aubervilliers, in Seine-Saint-Denis, a training center. ” In 2023, we are launching our activities in France in Seine-Saint-Denis “, said Forest Whitaker.
Located in the popular district of Quatre Chemins in Aubervilliers, this is its first location in Europe. ” I looked at the data and saw that the youth unemployment rate was 39% and the poverty rate was 40%, he explained. I realized that we could be of service here. It’s a great opportunity for us to build this partnership in a territory that we imagine to be at its lowest but which has potential, a lot of potential to go very high. »
Programs dedicated to young people and women
Founded in 2012 by the actor, marked by his encounter with child soldiers in Uganda on the set of Last King of Scotland where he played the role of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada, WPDI is mainly present in his hometown of Los Angeles and African countries (South Africa, Chad, South Sudan…).
Aimed at women and young people, this centre, which has been operational for a few months, offers several free training courses in various fields: conflict management, business creation, digital training. Around 60 people have already been trained there. with the objective of 200 to 250 beneficiaries per year. “Les battantes” is one of the flagship programs for women. ” This program has changed the fact that I can know myself. We all want to undertake, but we don’t know what to really focus on, testifies Michele Dia, 39 years old. There now, I know, it’s clear: I’m an Afro hairdresser and I’m going to open a hair salon very soon. »
This pilot project, financed by patrons such as the BNP Paribas bank, could eventually be developed in other municipalities in the Seine-Saint-Denis department.