Doctoral student at the University of Montpellier in Political Sciences, Maïlys Papeil is involved in issues of participatory and deliberative democracy. His research focuses on the issue of youth participation in public institutions.
In a context of political disengagement of citizens and the rise of protests, it is a question of studying the new initiatives of French actors to include young people in the democratic debate and their reality on the ground. His research work on youth for 5 years takes into account the rise of abstention, the rise of protest movements and the increase in spaces for participation and the abandonment of young people along the way.
In a context of political disengagement of citizens and the rise of protests, a questioning of the functioning of the democratic system is necessary. The data highlight the difficulty of expressing one's needs other than through protest: problems need to be dealt with more quickly, more concretely than through voting. A state of the existing possible paths for discussing with political leaders from local to international levels indicates that:
- At the territorial level, only the youth council is reserved for citizens aged 9 to 16, so no tool/space for dialogue for those over 16
- At the regional level, the youth assembly/forum (16-30 years old) within which the difficulty of continuity over time is emerging, coupled with the CESE – Economic, Social and Environmental Council, a space for consultation of civil society with obligation of representation of young people via CNAJEP
- At the national level: representation of young people in bodies (ministries, family council) as well as in the Youth Policy Orientation Council – COJ, with representatives from all ministries, national unions, territories; all levels are represented
- At the European level :
o CNAJEP, which comes from popular education, is the flagship representative of French youth in Europe – via the Provox ambassadors – and at the UN
o UN Youth Forum: organized by territorial groups (Europe, Africa, etc.)
and Youth Councils at European level on themes such as ecology,
European rights, security, etc.
o A youth representative sits on the Security Council on behalf of young people
There are a multitude of spaces but little knowledge about the existence of these networks and few links between them, which implies the limit of action. Often the initiators do not know the different levels of the participatory/decision-making spaces. Also, young people often abandon along the way, avenues to justify this behavior:
- A lot of frustration
- Do not feel listened to or supported
- They take the step towards the institution, not reciprocally
- and often, the proposed projects do not fit with institutional projects
But there are spaces where it works well (notably abroad) – there is nevertheless a cultural reality to take into account which means that the political/decision-making space is either perceived as a partner or an opposing force.
“We were and still are a group of young people who wanted to act together in our territory. We created an association – JAIM (Jeunes d'Ailleurs d'Ici et du Monde) which allowed us to lead projects in the territory (e.g. open stages) and subsequently European projects. We travelled, met people, exchanged, and today we know how to set up and manage projects. These are skills that will serve us throughout our lives and we are proud to have done it ourselves.”
Lou - 22 years old - vice-president of the JAIM association
Provox
Provox is a network and project managed by the European Youth Forum (or Conseil National de la Jeunesse in France), aiming to encourage the participation of young people in debates and decision-making processes at different levels: local, national and European. The project is an integral part of the EU Dialogue with Youth, also called Structured Dialogue. Provox's objectives include:
- Giving young people a voice so they can influence policies that affect them
- Create spaces in which young people can interact with decision-makers and actively participate in the development of public policies
- Strengthening the participation of young people, especially those far removed from traditional structures
The work of the young people of the territory is brought to the national level during the Provox festival and then this speech is then brought by French representatives to the actors of the 27 countries of the European Union by young delegates. This speech is transformed by the Council of Europe which then chooses priorities and determines a text of recommendations of the European Union for the public authorities in the territories.
This whole process can be a valuable support for young people in a territory,
rural in particular. Building on these recommendations, young people's ideas
can find a more attentive ear from local stakeholders.
