Although it’s been around since 1939, it’s a little-known device. Travel grants awarded Zellidja Foundation Allow youth between the ages of 16 and 20 to go on a study tour of at least one month on their own

. The boost is not insignificant as it can go up to 900 euros. Martin Simoneau The device has been tested and approved. A young man armed with his trusty mountain bikeBiology student nativeobscenity

Departed for Ireland in June 2022. “The only condition is to have a study topic as a guide, assemble the file and present it orally. I chose to discover Irish biodiversity”, explains the young resident Saint-Pere-en-Retz

(Lower-Atlantic), 19 years.

Traveled about 1200 km

In three weeks, he cycled nearly 1,200 kilometers to meet professionals from several nature reserves in Ireland.

“In the evening, I knocked on people’s doors to set up my tent in the garden. The Irish are really welcoming. I once couch surfed at a woman’s house. She left the bed for me to go and sleep on the sofa,” says the student. Another “funny” subplot, in depthKonnamara

. “I was climbing a hill when an Irish tourist bus passed by. When I got in there, they all came down to congratulate me. » Martin Simoneau fell in love with the west of Ireland, specifically the regionCork

Martin Simoneau admired Ireland’s landscape. © Le Courier du Pays de Retz

And woofing The cyclist put his bag down for a weekKerry

In the south of the country, woofing in exchange for room and board, help on a farm.

A few months after his return, Martin Simoneau wants to encourage other young people to try the Zellidja system. “The restrictions are not huge compared to what it brings. » A report of his trip, submitted to a jury, will be archived later National Library

In Paris. Between 1

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