France/At the Mission locale d'Ivry-Vitry, a journey to reveal talent and self-confidence

In December 2023, around twenty young people from the Mission locale de Vitry-sur-Seine went on a trip lasting three days and four nights. This trip was largely organized by them, and provided an opportunity to boost their confidence. Florent Michelin, General Manager of the Mission locale, explains.

"The purpose of the trip was to enable young people to unlock their belief that they are not capable of making a contribution, to dethe image they have of themselves, to enable them to build on this trip", explains the director of the local mission covering Ivry-sur-Seine and Vitry-sur-Seine.

There was no question, therefore, of proposing an all-organized trip in which these "adulescents" aged 18 to 25 would have been essentially passive. "We said to ourselves: rather than asking them to be responsible, we're going to put them in a position of responsibility. "Three teams (the backpackers, the top chefs and the streamers) were set up to take care of museum and restaurant bookings, cooking and filming for the souvenir film. With a budget to respect and a few instructions, to really get these young people out of their everyday lives. When it came to catering, for example, the recommendation was not to eat the usual pizza or Greek food, but to look for something else, particularly related to their destination.

A change of scenery at the château

The location also contributed to the change of scenery. The little troupe headed north, staying for four nights at the Château de bon plaisir in Nielles-Lès-Bléquin, Pas-de-Calais. A four-corn gite with crystal chandeliers under the high ceilings, obtained at a negotiated price due to the low season, and which produced its effect. Symbolically, it was important," points out Florent Michelin. Some young people never imagined they would one day be welcomed in such a setting, with moldings on the ceiling."

The intense program included three workshops a day, from culture to life skills. " We tried to offer different workshops from those offered by the local mission," insists the director. In terms of culture, the young people began with a visit to the Musée de la céramique in Desvre, followed by a pottery workshop, before diving into Nausicaa, the huge aquarium in Boulogne-sur-Marne. The trip to Pas-de-Calais was also, of course, an opportunity to split the wind on the immense beaches of the Opal Coast.

In the more self-awareness-oriented workshops, the mission also sought to break out of habit. " We worked on self-esteem without naming it, explaining that the desire to recruit is as great as the desire to get the job", explains the director.

The days were also punctuated by practical missions carried out by the young people themselves, such as preparing meals or logistics. "The stay didn't create skills. We didn't teach them how to cook or look up information on the Internet, but it was an eye-opener. They realized that they were capable of many things," analyzes Florent Michelin.

Of course, there were a few setbacks, such as a reservation in a restaurant other than the one the group had initially gone to. This was an opportunity to understand what had gone wrong in the communication between the team who had made the reservation and the team who had noted down the address. That was the whole point of the evening debriefings, to learn from this type of error "not by asking ourselves whose fault it was, but how to organize ourselves to avoid it".

A gamble that was not won in advance, admits the director, as the young people didn't particularly know each other, were very socially isolated, and were, for some of them, in the hands of the law. "But it transformed them. One of them, who was always late, became punctual. Because he gave meaning to his punctuality, he realized that he was expected. Others decided to set off again together, starting with the question of the budget."

The budget for the trip came to "15,000 - 18,000 euros", says Florent Michelin. This amount was financed under the Contrat Jeunes program.

The local mission plans to do it again at the end of the year. "But you have to take the time to prepare, it's a whole philosophy of action. They need to feel that without them, the trip won't happen. That they are the ones who make the holiday happen. In 2023, we built the pedagogical framework in October, brought the young people together in November and left in December."

In anticipation of a possible 2024 edition, the film of the 2023 edition, dubbed "L'Échappée royale", produced by the streameuses team, is ready. "Making this film is very important so that young people can continue to build on this experience."

Source: 94.citoyens.com/