This Thursday, at the Castle Hill of Nice, over 1,000 schoolchildren from the city gathered for a large-scale project. Their challenge: to break the Guinness World Record for the largest poetry workshop, accompanied by Christian Estrosi, Natacha Chicot, Rector of the Academy of Nice, and Maud Fontenoy, navigator and ambassador to the Ministry of National Education and Youth for marine education and sea classes.
Nearly 1,000 children, including 700 participants, took on an ambitious challenge: to break the world record for the largest poetry workshop ever organized. Guided by poet Sabine Venaruzzo, from the company “Une petite voix m’a dit,” the students successfully took on the challenge, surpassing the previous record held by Briton Laura Mucha, which involved 343 students. The official announcement of the record validation by the Guinness World Records was made in the presence of Nice’s mayor, Christian Estrosi.
A poetry collection titled An Ocean of Words, comprising close to a hundred texts written and illustrated by the students, was solemnly presented to the individual validating the challenge. This symbolic booklet will be sent to the heads of state expected at the UNOC 2025. It will serve as proof of the commitment of Nice’s younger generations.
A strong message to decision-makers
Beyond the accomplishment, it was the message conveyed by these children that captured the attention of the officials present. “You are putting pressure on heads of state,” Christian Estrosi said to the students. He then added: “The future is yours.” He also emphasized the need to act in response to increasingly visible climate disruptions. Citing recent weather events in the Var as an example: “The heavy rains seen in the Var can very well happen in Nice. If we let our planet degrade, in 100 or 150 years, future generations will no longer be able to live.”
The same tone was echoed by the Rector of the Academy of Nice, Natacha Chicot, who stressed the emotional and sensitive relationship to the ocean: “Once you have seen the sea, you cannot forget it,” she stated.
The event also benefited from the presence of Maud Fontenoy, navigator and ambassador for marine education with the Ministry of National Education. An inspiring figure for many young people, she praised their involvement and perseverance: “You have defended the sea, you have broken a world record. I am proud of the students.”
A particularly powerful moment of the afternoon was the performance of the song “L’Ouchรฉanou รฉ la Mar”, an original composition by Albert Tosan, sung in Niรงois by a bilingual class of French and Niรงois students. Performed alongside the mayor and the composer himself, this piece celebrated the sea in the local language, reconnecting with the cultural roots of the region.
