Lucie de Clerck (E08) co-founded Entourage, the ‘social network’ that is truly ‘social’. The aim of her non-profit is to fight exclusion by encouraging everyone to act for the most vulnerable populations, via digital technology. Insights.

ESSEC Alumni: What forms of extreme insecurity in France does Entourage address?

Lucie de Clerck: The cause-and-effect link between precarity and social isolation is a proven fact, and in both directions. On the one hand, a person’s entourage obviously represents a key factor underpinning their resilience in difficult times. Not only do we all need help and support, but feeling recognised and loved is intrinsic to human dignity. It is a question of physical and emotional support, as well as dignity. In other words, the more isolated we are, the more vulnerable we become to precarity. On the other hand, once we find ourselves in a precarious situation, we become increasingly isolated. 83% of homeless people say they feel stigmatised. This vicious circle affects an increasingly larger number of people in France. According to the Solitudes 2022 survey, 7 million French people are objectively isolated, i.e. they have very few or no relations with other people, which makes them particularly vulnerable, and there are already 330,000 homeless people compared to 143,000 ten years ago.  

EA: What solutions does Entourage offer?

L. de Clerck: Our aim is to overcome individualism and reforge social links by opening support networks for the most vulnerable and ensuring that everyone can call on the aid of benevolent citizens. We thus raise awareness among the general public and facilitate encounters between people who share the same street or neighbourhood but live in completely parallel worlds. Our specificity from the start, which is also our greatest strength, is that we have worked alongside people who have experienced tough times. At present, we still work with a ‘street committee’, i.e. our own council of experts composed of 15 homeless or formerly homeless people. This form of co-building, which remains fairly unique in our sector, helps us to develop the most appropriate solutions possible.

EA: In particular, you launched an app with the same name. How does it work?

L. de Clerck: This app allows local inhabitants to come together and connect with people in difficulty. You can offer or ask for help, join discussion groups, access a programme of convivial events between neighbours, whether homeless or not, or view a map which shows all the solidarity structures in your town.

EA: The app also provides educational resources...

L. de Clerck: Yes, and we offer a ‘Guide’ section for clearer understanding of exclusion and how to act against it. In addition, we hold more than a hundred awareness workshops per year, all listed in the app, which we can organise in schools or companies on request. The best way to break down barriers, however, is to meet people. A long chat with Rachid or Gilbert will change your perspectives more effectively than any video content!

EA: What are the profiles of the people you rally?

L. de Clerck: Half of them are aged over 45 and 63% are women. Many are already familiar with the cause, but more than 40% are prompted to act for the first time with us. More surprisingly, 7% are in precarious situations themselves. We can explain this by the fact that everyone needs to help as much as be helped. This also contributes to our human dignity, which, I might add, questions our social model that labels poor people as ‘beneficiaries’.

EA: What about the companies who work alongside you? What actions do you lead together?

L. de Clerck: Firstly, companies currently provide more than 50% of our resources. Each year, around 200 companies donate to us, share their skills, resources and networks, or pay us their apprenticeship tax. Our collaboration goes beyond the financial aspect, however. Our partners can engage their employees through our various training and solidarity team-building activities, or work with us to develop their own initiatives. For example, we’re currently working with SNCF (railway), whose agents encounter homeless people on a daily basis. 

EA: There’s also your LinkedOut tool 

L. de Clerck: LinkedOut takes the same approach as Entourage to professional exclusion. It started out with the realisation that many people want to and can work, but their isolation prevents them from finding a job. In response, LinkedOut rallies a community of citizens who encourage and coach these jobseekers, as well as opening doors for them. Once more, technology plays a key role, because the solution is based on an online platform which ‘viralises’ applicants’ CVs. Where necessary, we also offer integration support for companies who ‘take the risk’ (or rather ‘seize the opportunity’!) of recruiting a LinkedOut applicant.

EA: What is the connection between LinkedIn and LinkedOut?

L. de Clerck: LinkedOut is a totally independent project we developed by ourselves. LinkedIn nevertheless agreed to grant us a licence to use the LinkedOut brand, which boosts our impact. We are extremely grateful to them!

EA: What are the profiles of the people LinkedOut helps?

L. de Clerck: We have 40% women to 60% men. Their common factor is financial precarity and an extreme degree of social isolation. Their profiles are nevertheless very varied; we see the long-term unemployed who have exited the system, homeless or formerly homeless people, migrants, young people coming out of the Child Welfare system, and so on.  

EA: What results has LinkedOut obtained to date?

L. de Clerck: In 3 years, we have lent our support to 450 applicants. More than 70% have found work thanks to the network. And over 700 companies have expressed their willingness to recruit inclusively. The desire is really there, which is all the more reason to accelerate and multiply the bridges between insertion players and ‘traditional’ companies.

EA: Apart from LinkedOut, what impact has Entourage had since its creation? Do you have data on its actions and the results obtained?

L. de Clerck: Since its creation, we have rallied 50,000 local residents some 15,000 people in extreme situations of exclusion. We have just finalised an impact study, for which we interviewed almost 800 people, half of whom are socially excluded, and the results are impressive: 60% of excluded respondents say they met people, 74% feel happier and 47% have proactively taken new steps towards insertion. The figures prove, as if they needed to, that everything is possible when you feel surrounded and supported. 

EA: What projects does the Entourage have for the coming years?

L. de Clerck: We’re going to accelerate our expansion, with the aim of going from our current 6 branches to 16 by 2025, and to multiply our impact by 6. We’re also launching an initiative around sport, which represents dreams, sharing, collective strength and exceeding oneself, a wonderful way to foster inclusion. In practical terms, we enable excluded people to join amateur clubs, take up a sport and create new relations. In addition, we call on major competition organisers to offer tickets to people in the most difficulty. We have our sights firmly set on Paris 2024 so that homeless people, the first to suffer the inconvenience of the Olympic Games, can participate fully in the festivities. 

EA: How can the ESSEC community support your actions?

L. de Clerck: Through their network first and foremost! Alumni can play a key role by opening the doors of their company to us, or transmitting our messages to decision-makers and the media. We are also looking for core skills to help us expand, such as growth hacking, canvassing and development, etc., and we’re always looking for funding, of course, whether through corporate patronage (50% of our budget as I mentioned earlier) or individual donations (15%). Lastly, if you’d like to get involved personally, visit our website to discover our various volunteering options (in particular coaching for LinkedOut applicants) and our application, or come to one of our Entourage cocktail events to make life-changing connections!  

Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser  (E10), Content Manager at ESSEC Alumni
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