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IN BRIEF
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The concept of class exchange, made famous by the innovative project “Bn’B college”, provides a concrete solution to the often high cost of school trips. This initiative, born from the dynamism of three Breton teachers, allows two institutions from different regions to exchange their students during an educational stay. Each one discovers a new region and a new family environment while significantly reducing travel expenses. This model completely rethinks the organization of school trips while preserving the educational and human richness of these experiences.
An Economical Alternative to Traditional School Trips
The issue of the cost of school trips often weighs heavily on families. In response to this situation, three Breton teachers imagined a solidarity-based system: the Bn’B college. The principle is simple and effective: two classes from different schools exchange their students for the duration of a simultaneous educational stay. Thus, each student is hosted and fed by a family from the other institution. This organization limits expenses to the essentials – mainly transport and activities – reducing the bill by nearly half compared to a traditional organized trip.
The Genesis of Bn’B College: An Idea from the Ground
The idea of Bn’B college emerged after a realization made during an expensive school trip. The teachers wanted to democratize access to travel so that no student would be prevented from going due to a limited budget. After several years of administrative procedures and perseverance, they succeeded in setting up an online exchange platform allowing any institution to join the initiative. This network is growing quickly, attracting more and more teachers eager to offer new horizons to their students without heavy financial burdens.
Remarkable Savings
This new organizational mode guarantees substantial savings. According to conducted experiences, a four-day, three-night exchange can be limited to about 233 euros per student, compared to an average of 450 euros for a traditional equivalent stay. The elimination of accommodation and catering costs, replaced by hosting in the homes of participating students, considerably relieves parents’ finances. The only remaining expenses are transport and cultural visits, whose costs can further be reduced by pooling transportation means or choosing less touristic destinations.
An Impact on Educational and Human Experience
The innovation is not just in cost reduction. The Bn’B college also fosters a deep cultural and human exchange: students share the life of a local family, discover new habits, and enrich their horizons. These stays weave lasting bonds between young people, who sometimes remain in contact with their “host families” beyond the stay. For teachers, the family atmosphere reduces the fatigue and tensions often observed in collective accommodations, allowing more space for learning and sharing.
A Personalized Educational Program
From an educational standpoint, the exchange allows for immediate exploitation of discoveries made. Visits to iconic sites, such as the Palace of Versailles or Mont-Saint-Michel, are integrated into the school program, with activities directly designed to deepen knowledge. Teachers from both institutions pool their educational resources and work hand in hand to design a bespoke, stimulating stay that aligns with the year’s learning.
Organizational Challenges, but a Promising Initiative
While the Bn’B college requires significant personal investment, especially to contact each family and organize logistics, its initiators assure that the effort is worthwhile. Despite difficulties in finding partners and managing communication aspects, the experience proves enriching for both students and teachers, who rediscover the richness of educational travel through a simpler, more accessible, and human model. This format challenges habits, invites creativity, and gives new life to the tradition of school trips in France.
