1

Youth Work, the schooling and social sectors in

France

Marc Carletti, IUT Figeac,Toulouse 2 University, LRPmip, 2014

Laurent Besse, 2014, IUTUniversity of Tours (France)CETHIS (EA 6298)

Youth Policy 2

“The sum of significant government initiatives affecting young people’s lives”.

Lost in Translation ?3

“There is no consistent definition of youth work either in all European countries or even in any single country” (Youth Partnership, 2004)

Youth Work and Schooling in France : the perpetual school?

- Importance of schooling in the building of French citizenship since the Revolution (Condorcet, Republican myth, Jules Ferry’s laws 1881-1882)

- Popular education strongly related to school, primary school masters playing a crucial role in popular education (from evening classes to summer camps)

- The role of the Ligue de l’enseignement (The Schooling League) founded 1866, still one if not the largest cultural trusts in France and the core of the secular sphere

4

School versus Youth policy? (1930-1959)

- The reluctant path to Youth policies : The Front populaire in the mid 30’s strongly opposed the idea of a Youth policy which was synonimous of totalitarism (Germany, Italy) and there was a large Republican consensus on this point

- A ministry of Youth and Family was established by the Petain regime in 1940 and Youth policy will keep a totalitarian flavor long after the war, even if thematic youth policies are advocated.

- After 1944, the Ligue acted as a Quango for Youth and Cultural activities (role of specialised school masters)

5

Forgotten school (1960-1990’s)

- Ealry 60’s : Emergence of Youth policy in France, especially regarding leisure and citizenship (Animation i.e Youth and Community Work)

- Social decline of school masters- Centrality of school questionned- (difficult)Emergence of the new professionalized

animateurs (Youth and Community workers) who defined themselves partly against both school masters and social workers

- Training of these workers being mainly carried out by the the Youth mouvements (not universities)

6

School Rediscovered (late 1990-2014?)

- Important reform of French school since 2012

- Les rythmes scolaires  (ie schooltime organisation) that is a reorganisation of the schoolday and the will to take into account afterschool work

- Broader context : PISA inquiries, crise of the French middle school (« collège »)

Growing role of the local authorities in France since the early 90’s, especially regarding education matters

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Education partagée?

Education? Shared education? Or Divided education? (BIER 2010)

What part for Youth and community work?

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Special Education and Youth Work9

ÉDUCATION SPÉCIALISÉ

• Éducateur spécialisé

• Moniteur éducateur

• Éducateur technique

• Aide médico-psychologique

ANIMATION

• Animateur socio-culturel

• Animateur sociale

• Animateur de loisirs

• Animateur de quartier

• Animateur socioéducatif

• Animateur coordonnateur

•…

Common Sources10

Les mouvements de jeunesse…

• Summer camps, outdoor education, secular and faith-based youth fellowships…

…et d’éducation populaire

• “Popular education is committed to the constant transformation of society by contributing to the development of educational, economic, social and political alternatives in which individuals are involved as the co-authors of their future.”(CNAJEP, 2005)

Common Sources11

• Henri Joubrel (1914-1984)

Founder of the National Association of Educators of Maladjusted Youth (ANEJI)

• Gisèle de Failly (1905-1989)

Founder of the CEMEA (Centre d’Entraînement aux Méthodes d ’Education

Active)

• Joffre Dumazedier (1914-1984)

Sociologist, author of Vers une civilisation du loisir ? (1962)

Founder of Peuple et Culture (1944)

Common Sources12

Website of the CEMEA, « Mouvement national d’éducation nouvelle » 2014

Divergent Paths13

Health Leisure

Justice Culture

Individual-based Collective

Psychology/PsychiatrySociology

Residential facilities Open-access

Educ

atio

n

Spéc

ialis

ée

Animation

socioculturelle

SOCIAL W

ORK

EDUCA

TION P

OPU

LAIR

E

Professionalization and Training14

Affaires Sociales et de

la santé

Jeunesse et des Sports

Education nationale,

Enseignement supérieur et recherche

Travail social

1967Diplôme

d ’Educateur Spécialisé

Animation

1971 CAPASE

2006 DEJEPS

Animation

1967DUT

Carrières Sociales

Animation sociale et

sociocuturelle

Culture

Médiation culturelle1979 DEFA

(repealed 2009)

Preventive Work15

.

Government response to troublesome youth :

Maurice Herzog and the sociocultural facilities (Maisons des Jeunes et de la Culture, Centres sociaux…),

Preventive Work (éducateurs de rue, Club de prévention…)

Animation16

.

“A vital process through which individuals and groups affirm themselves and get going; it is to generate a dynamism that is at once biological and spiritual, individual and social.” (THERY, 1965)

Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture in Meaux (Paris metropolitan area) mid-60’s

Cross-sectoral work17

.

Since the 80’s, a succession of trans-sectoral policy measures and programmes have flourished in the distressed neighbourhoods of the French big cities :

Opérations « Anti-été chaud (1982),

Programmes Ville, Vie, Vacances (1995),

Programmes de réussite éducative (2005),

Contrats Urbains de Cohésion Sociale (2007)

Priority areas

Prévention18

Prévention spécialisée Prévention naturelle

Residential care Open-access facilities

Relation/Individual-based Group /Collective

Rescue/selectivity Education/Universalism

Educ

atio

n

Spéc

ialis

éeAnim

ation

socioculturelle

SOCIAL W

ORK

EDUCA

TION P

OPU

LAIR

E

(Social) youth (social) work ?

Youth work ?

Specialized Generalist

What is social Work ? 19

In many countries including France social work is a debated notion with contending views on the meaning areas it should cover.

“What is clear is that what social work is taken to be has as much been about whose definition is seen as legitimate rather than which definition (..).Social work has always been subject to competing claims of definition and practice.”

(ASQUITH, CLARK, 2005)

The primary focus of Travail social and intervention sociale seems to be placed on « at-risk » or « vulnerable» sections of the population whose integration and well-being are threatened or impaired.

Interstice « An intervening space, especially a very small one »

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Animateurs operate « In-between the formal education, cultural and social sectors » (LEBON, 2007)

“Youth work, youth workers […] are often positioned between professional borders, such as leisure, education and social work […] These interstitial spaces, the spaces between bordes, may consolidate practices.” (BATSLEER, DAVIES, 2010)

External and complementary ?21

In Defence of Youth Work website – June 2014

Interstitiality

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  ‘In the modern era, interstitiality, or the space between one boundary and the next, has become an urgent area of investigation. Existing within and between entities, interstices challenge conventional understandings of boundedness, inviting us to rethink the space between objects and ideas as an erupting site of transformation’.

( Interstitial : A Journal of Modern Culture and Events - Call for paper, 2012)

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REFERENCES23

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ASQUITH S. CLARK C. , WATERHOUSE L. (2005) The Role of the Social Worker in the XXIst Century- A literature Review, University of Edinburgh – Social Research, p.11

BATSLEER J. and DAVIES B. (2010) What is Youth Work ?, Learning Matters, p.44

BIER B. (2010) Politiques de jeunesse et politiques éducatives. Citoyenneté/éducation/altérité, INJEP, coll. « Débats Jeunesses »,

DAVIES B. ( 2008) A History of the Youth Service in England. volumes 1 and 2 available on National Youth Agency website

CHARTE DE L’EDUCATION POPULAIRE (2005), http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/politique-culturelle/populaire/pdf/charte-cnajep2005.pdf (access June 2014)

CAPUL M. LEMAY M. (1996) De l’éducation spécialisée, Ramonville St Agne, Erès

GILLET JC. (2006) L'Animation en questions, éditions Érès

REFERENCES24

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GILLET JC. (2010) Morceaux choisis sur l’animation 1972-1995, L’Harmattan, p.225-226

LONCLE P. (2003) L’action politique malgré les jeunes, L’Harmattan.

LEBON, F. (2007) Les animateurs socioculturels et de loisirs : morphologie d'un groupe professionnel (1982-2005), INJEP, 2007 p.10

LEBON F.(2009) « Animateur jeunesse : éducateur ou travailleur social ? », intervention aux rencontres nationales des professionnels et élus à la jeunesse Neuj’Pro 2009, à Vichy, le 16 octobre 2009

SEGRESTAN P. (2007) « L’animateur est-il un travailleur social ?…Non, et cest tant mieux ! », intervention aux journées d’études du Groupement des animateurs en gérontologie

SEGRESTAN P. (2011) « Quels devenirs pour l'animation sociale ? », Vie sociale ettraitements n°109, 2011

REFERENCES25

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TETARD Françoise (1984), « Politiques de la jeunesse (1944-1966) : paroles de la volonté, politiques de l’illusion » in Les Jeunes et les autres, vol. 2, PERCHERON Annick (dir), CRIV.

THERY Henri (1965), « L’animation des collectivités urbaines » in Recherche sociale 1, p.44

YOUTH PARTNERSHIP (2004) http://youth-partnership-eu.coe.int/export/sites/default/youth-partnership/TALE-Documentation/Documents/Phase_3/ELU_1/Socio_economic_scope_of_youth_work_-_part_4.pdf (access June 2014)