The Provence Youth Forum is the highlight of the TiDE! project – Inclusive Rural Territories for Sustainable Development in Europe – a set of actions and workshops that promote the networking of youth actors and the power of young people to act in the Luberon – Haute Provence territory. From December 2023 to December 2024, this project seeks to instill a constructive territorial dynamic around youth.
What is an open forum?
This is a process initiated by Harrison Owen. The Open Forum is an innovative method of collective intelligence animation. Participants determine their own work program based on the forum theme. Nothing is written in advance, ideas, desires, questions are welcome and contribute to the success of this day of exchanges.
40 young people from MFR Lambesc & MFR Bleone Durance, Local mission Luberon, association of young people from elsewhere, here and around the world – JAIM, as well as other high school, middle school and civic service students, joined by 17 actors and 4 facilitators from the Regional Federation MFR Provence, Luberon Regional Natural Park – PNRL, South Luberon territorial community – CoteLub, national union LIM, association TheThing, Tomato Blue – Information and communication agency dedicated to stakeholders in the ecological transition & finally the GAL Luberon Haute Provence – gathered around this open forum on the first day. Together, using various animation techniques, they defined 17 topics that are close to their hearts.
“My dream was to make a living from my business. At 18, I set up my own communications agency with 4 people. Our difficulty at the beginning was finding clients who could believe in our skills beyond our age. I continued my studies, in case I needed a plan B and to broaden my horizons. Today, my clients include EDF, SNCF, the Rugby World Cup, etc. I also set up another company to remove water from household products and thus no longer need products in plastic containers.
The question we must ask ourselves is: do I want to live my dreams? We must try, attempt, not be afraid of failure. Before succeeding, we hit a lot of walls but thanks to the walls, we learned. Whatever you want to do, it is by creating movement that you learn about yourself, you gain skills.
Ossian - 23 years old - young entrepreneur
The second day allowed – based on the 17 subjects – to define the main themes:
- Interactions – communication – quality of relationships
- Relationship of the young person to his environment / living-non-human / well-being
- Youth and local governance
- Mobility – transport
5 ambassadors from the youth group from the day before led open dialogue sessions with around fifteen local stakeholders in order to define and position themselves on concrete actions.
