19.10.2026
During Pink October, ESSEC students, student associations, and staff members take part in awareness actions, sports events, and solidarity initiatives. These commitments help raise awareness about women’s health issues and support the fight against breast cancer.
On the Cergy-Pontoise campus, several student associations organize events that combine awareness, sports, and solidarity.
Affiliated with the international Rotary network, the Rotaract ESSEC Club leads humanitarian and charitable initiatives throughout the year. On October 8, its Rota’course event—a 5-kilometer charity run in François-Mitterrand Park—supported Girls Gotta Run. This organization uses sports and education to provide new opportunities for young Ethiopian girls.
For its part, HeForShe ESSEC promotes gender equality and works to prevent gender-based and sexual violence. The association partnered with the Rotaract ESSEC Club to host an awareness and discussion evening on October 13 as part of Pink October.
Information and prevention are another key part of this campaign. On October 8 on the Cergy campus, the Feelgood@essec program offered three workshops dedicated to endometriosis. These sessions aimed to better explain this disease and raise student awareness about women's health issues. Around 50 students attended these workshops.
These actions help spread information on women’s health and encourage dialogue on topics that are still not known enough.
ESSEC staff members also joined this effort during Odysséa Paris in Vincennes. Initiated by the CSE’s Social and Cultural Activities Commission (ASC), 67 staff members participated in this charity run.
Two groups took the starting line: 29 participants on the 5-kilometer walking or running route, and 38 on the 10-kilometer timed race.
In addition to covering part of the registration fees, the ESSEC Group Association CSE donates €1,000 to the Gustave Roussy Institute to support breast cancer research.
Since 2002, Odysséa Paris has brought together more than 586,000 participants and raised over 10 million euros to fight breast cancer. The funds collected help finance research projects at the Gustave Roussy Institute.
Through the actions of its student associations and staff, ESSEC contributes to raising awareness about health, equality, and solidarity. These initiatives show the different forms that commitment can take within the community all year long.
