Association Mots & Merveilles

What Association Mots & Merveilles does

Association Mots & Merveilles is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2008 by former French-language teachers Nathalie Saysset and Caroll Weidich, headquartered in Aulnoye-Aymeries (Nord) and operating across 14 antennas in the Sambre-Avesnois and Bassin minier territories of Hauts-de-France. Its mission is the prevention and remediation of illiteracy and illectronisme, delivered through free one-on-one tutoring (the explicit 1 learner = 1 volunteer method) and group workshops in reading, writing, arithmetic and digital skills, plus dedicated programs for children and adolescents (ages 2–16, including dropout support at Collège Jacques-Brel in Hautmont and Collège Saint-Exupéry in Louvroil) and cultural projects such as the Victor Hugo portraits, the 'Mots Aïque' podcast and a mediation pathway co-built with the Cité internationale de la langue française at Villers-Cotterêts.

The underlying operating model is community-led rather than technology-led: 28 salaried staff coordinate a network of 409 trained volunteers who deliver face-to-face instruction, with no proprietary software platform — the digital stack consists of HelloAsso (donations), Ausha (podcast distribution) and Google Analytics (web measurement). Pedagogy is grounded in personalized pathways, mandatory volunteer base training, and observation periods; cultural and intergenerational projects (Tapis de Lecture XXL, Prix des Incorruptibles, Lecture à voix haute) extend the product surface beyond core literacy tutoring.

The association is funded by public grants (État, Région Hauts-de-France, Départements du Nord and Pas-de-Calais, Villes, CAF du Nord and CAF du Pas-de-Calais), corporate sponsorship (Fondation de France, Fondation du Nord, Fondation Théophile Legrand, Fondation Cultura, Académie française via Prix Schadet), and individual donations. Services are entirely free to learners; the only paid price point is a €5/year volunteer membership. In 2025 the organization reported 1,095 adults trained and 197 youth supported, with recognition including the 2025 Trophées de la cohésion sociale (Institut Synopia), the 2021 Prix Schadet (Académie française) and the 2016 Prix national de la solidarité (Version Femina / Europe 1).

Name

Association Mots & Merveilles

Legal name

ASSOCIATIONS MOTS ET MERVEILLES

Website

https://asso-motsetmerveilles.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Association Mots & Merveilles is a French non-profit founded in 2008 that delivers free, one-on-one tutoring and group workshops in reading, writing, math, and digital skills to adults and youth facing illiteracy across 14 sites in Hauts-de-France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Literacy Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Literacy & Numeracy Intervention (Reading/Math Support) (EDAJALAD)

Keywords

• Adult literacy education
• Basic skills tutoring
• Volunteer mentoring programs
• Illiteracy remediation
• Digital literacy training

Headquarters

HQ city

Aulnoye-Aymeries

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Financements publics: L'association est financée par l'État, les collectivités territoriales (Région Hauts-de-France, Départements, Villes) et des institutions publiques (CAF).
2. Mécénat et dons: L'association reçoit des dons de mécènes et des partenariats avec des acteurs privés pour financer ses activités.
3. Cours gratuits pour les apprenants: Les cours et ateliers sont entièrement gratuits pour les apprenants. Le fonctionnement est financé par les financements publics et le mécénat.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Association Mots & Merveilles delivers free, face-to-face tutoring and group workshops in reading, writing, arithmetic, and digital skills to adults in illiteracy situations and to school-age children with academic difficulties. Each learner is paired one-to-one with a trained volunteer supervised by 28 salaried staff, across 14 physical sites in the Sambre-Avesnois and Bassin minier territories of Hauts-de-France.

Product overview

Association Mots & Merveilles is a non-profit organization (associa

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Tutoring (Cours particuliers)

Quantifiable outcome

• 1095 adultes formés en 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Région Hauts-de-FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollectivité territoriale finançant les activités de l'association
• Département du NordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDépartement finançant les activités de l'association
• CAF du NordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaisse d'Allocations Familiales partenaire financier
• CAF du Pas de CalaiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaisse d'Allocations Familiales partenaire financier
• Académie françaisemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA attribué le Prix Schadet à l'association en 2021 pour rendre la langue française accessible à tous
• Cité internationale de la langue française à Villers-CotterêtsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProjet de médiation co-construit avec les référents, bénévoles et apprenants pour créer un parcours de visite adapté aux visiteurs en situation d'illettrisme
• Médiathèques localescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartenariats avec les médiathèques pour organiser des activités et ateliers (Avesnes, Aulnoye, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, Denain)
• Écoles localescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration avec les écoles pour l'accompagnement des enfants et le projet de lecture à voix haute dans les écoles d'Aulnoye-Aymeries
• Réussir en Sambre AvesnoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartenaire de la mission locale qui a orienté Jessie vers l'association
• Maubeuge Creative CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRéseau de villes créatives partenaire
• Villes partenaires (Maubeuge, Jeumont, Feignies, Landrecies, Louvroil, Somain, Bully-les-Mines, Bruay-sur-l'Escaut, Carvin, Denain, Avesnes-sur-Helpe, Fourmies, Aulnoye-Aymeries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollectivités territoriales soutenant et accueillant les antennes de l'association

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Secours populaire français: National French non-profit providing social support including literacy and educational aid to vulnerable populations. Comparable beneficiary base but broader mission.
• Croix-Rouge française: Large French humanitarian organization with literacy, language, and social inclusion programs including FLE. Overlapping capability delivered as part of a broader social services portfolio.

Direct peers

• ATD Quart Monde: French non-profit tackling extreme poverty through education, literacy, and family support. Closely comparable grassroots adult literacy and social inclusion mission in the same geographic context.
• Emmaüs Connect: Branch of Emmaüs dedicated to digital inclusion (illectronisme), training vulnerable populations in digital skills. Strongly comparable mission to Mots & Merveilles' digital literacy work.
• Bibliothèques Sans Frontières: Non-profit focused on literacy and access to books/knowledge in underserved communities. Comparable adult literacy access mission via innovative cultural programs and partnerships.

Regional players

• Lire et Écrire: Belgian non-profit federation providing adult literacy training and teacher training. Comparable adult literacy mission but operating in Belgium rather than France.

Others

• ANLCI (Agence nationale de lutte contre l'illettrisme): French government agency coordinating the national response to illiteracy, funding and aggregating initiatives. Acts as ecosystem coordinator/funding partner rather than operator.
• Fondation de France: Major French philanthropic foundation that funds Mots & Merveilles and similar literacy/social inclusion associations. Ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MotsetMerveilles59
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-mots-merveilles
• Instagraminstagram.com/assomotsetmerveilles

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association Mots & Merveilles