About Us & Non-Profit Governance

The Sovereign General Assembly

The ultimate authority of Association Rencontres en Séronais resides in our General Assembly, which convenes annually in ordinary session and as needed in extraordinary session. Every registered member possesses an equal vote regardless of their length of tenure or level of financial dues contributed. The General Assembly reviews and votes on the moral report presented by the President, approves the audited financial balance sheet submitted by the Treasurer, and elects members of the Board of Directors through secret ballot.

Convocations, agendas, and preparatory financial summaries are distributed to all members at least fifteen days prior to assembly dates, ensuring that all participants can exercise informed oversight. Assembly minutes and resolution ballots are transcribed into our permanent legal register and deposited with the competent administrative authorities in Foix.

The Board of Directors (Conseil d'Administration)

Composed of nine elected members representing diverse geographical sectors of the Séronais territory, the Board of Directors meets quarterly to formulate operational guidelines, evaluate ongoing sports and recreational programs, and allocate resources in accordance with General Assembly mandates. Board members receive no remuneration, stipends, or attendance fees, maintaining complete fidelity to the French legal principle of benevolent management (gestion désintéressée).

Specialized Field Committees

To ensure efficient execution of our public utility goals, the Board oversees four permanent functional commissions:

• Sports & Athletics Commission: Oversees course design, non-competitive rules, safety protocols, and technical coordination for all walking, running, and cycling gatherings.
• Trail & Environmental Stewardship Commission: Coordinates seasonal path maintenance, waymarker renewal, eco-responsibility standards, and waste elimination protocols along all itineraries.
• Youth & Intergenerational Commission: Designs inclusive activities tailored for local schools, children's groups, and senior citizens, ensuring appropriate physical pacing and social integration.
• Finance & Transparency Commission: Conducts internal auditing, monitors grant utilization compliance, and prepares public reporting schedules.

The Ethical Commitment Charter

Every elected officer and active volunteer signs our formal Ethical Commitment Charter prior to assuming responsibilities. This binding document prohibits conflicts of interest, forbids the utilization of association assets for personal or commercial gain, mandates absolute political and religious neutrality, and enforces zero-tolerance policies toward discrimination, harassment, or unsportsmanlike conduct during all activities.

Countering Rural Isolation Through Structured Physical Encounters

The Séronais basin, comprising eighteen constituent communes clustered around the central market town of La Bastide-de-Sérou, presents a demographic profile characteristic of many mid-mountain regions in southwestern France. With an average population density below twenty inhabitants per square kilometer, numerous households reside in isolated farmsteads or tiny hamlets situated several kilometers from basic municipal services. Statistical surveys conducted by regional health observatories reveal that more than twenty-eight percent of residents are aged sixty-five and older, with a notable proportion living alone.

In such dispersed settings, geographic distance frequently compounds social isolation. When public transport options are scarce and private vehicle usage becomes challenging for aging citizens, everyday social interactions contract dramatically. This enforced sedentary lifestyle accelerates physical deconditioning, increases the prevalence of chronic cardiovascular ailments, and exacerbates loneliness and depressive disorders. Commercial sports facilities—such as private fitness clubs or pay-per-entry gyms—are non-existent in these small valleys, and commercial subscription models remain economically inaccessible for pensioners subsisting on modest agricultural retirement pensions.

Association Rencontres en Séronais provides the direct antidote to this rural isolation crisis. By organizing free, regular, and welcoming physical gatherings right in village squares, municipal meadows, and scenic rural crossroads, we bring active recreation directly to the doorsteps of our community. When elderly citizens walk alongside young families during our bi-weekly morning circuits, physical exercise ceases to be an arduous chore; it becomes an invigorating social celebration where neighbors share smiles, discuss local news, and check on one another’s welfare.

Youth Retention, Athletic Literacy, and Civic Belonging

At the opposite end of the demographic spectrum, rural youth frequently experience feelings of peripheral marginalization. Without local sports infrastructure or structured leisure activities, adolescents in rural communes often spend prolonged hours isolated in front of digital screens or face long, tiring bus journeys to distant urban agglomerations simply to access basic athletic fields. This lack of proximate recreation can diminish local attachment and accelerate youth flight once secondary education concludes.

Our non-commercial programs intentionally target rural children and teenagers through accessible, fun-filled sporting clinics that emphasize cooperation, endurance, outdoor survival skills, and regional discovery. By introducing youngsters to trail running, orienteering, non-motorized cycling, and teamwork games in the very hills and forests of their homeland, we cultivate profound athletic literacy and enduring regional pride. Young people who run our ridgelines and map our valleys develop an intimate, positive bond with the Séronais landscape.

Furthermore, our association acts as a primary incubator of civic responsibility for young adults. Teenagers who initially participate as runners or cyclists are systematically invited to step into voluntary organizing roles—operating refreshment water stations, assisting with timing sheets, guiding younger children through obstacle courses, and learning first-aid basics. Through this seamless transition from beneficiary to civic contributor, our youth discover their intrinsic value as community builders and develop vital leadership competencies that serve them throughout their adult lives.