In Villeneuve-la-Garenne, the big winner for Europeans remains abstention, 65% of those registered turned away from the polls on June 9. In this town in Hauts-de-Seine, 15-29 year olds represent around 19% of the population. And these young people feel left behind by political issues.
The announcement of early legislative elections and the risk of seeing the far right come to power nevertheless created an electric shock. To relaunch the debate, a group of associations came together to discuss the upcoming electoral events with young people. The goal: to explain in a fun way how our institutions work.
On deck, we find the Belle Etoile association which supports high school students in their orientation, the Cité des chances which popularizes “democracy in working-class neighborhoods” and Droit dans les yeux which makes the law accessible to young people.
A fun evening of mobilization
It’s 6 p.m. and the sun is still beating down on Villeneuve-la-Garenne. On this first day of summer, the residents are out and about. On the one hand, we celebrate the music festival, on the other, we are active in the shadows. About a hundred meters from the large stage facing the town hall, volunteers are preparing the youth center, the Fabrik. This evening, around sixty young people from the city are invited to understand how elections work.
6:30 p.m. The evening begins with a big general reminder about voting. Armed with green cards for “information”, red for “intoxication”. The hands are raised, a confident blow, a hesitant blow. Young people are tested on issues such as the minimum age for voting or the duration of an MP’s mandate. Then comes a timed quiz. The questions are based on those from the previous game. The teenagers only have a few seconds to respond. A blind test on political punchlines in rap closes the event.
For Salomé, president of Droit dans les yeux, “ law is boring to learn, games allow you to learn in a fun and more effective way. » This is what Fatima, a senior high school student, will confirm a little later: “I really liked the games, we learned things. We’re not in a boring class.”.
Educating through collective action
“We start from the principle that if people don’t go to vote, it’s not because they are lazy. Rather, it is because they do not know politics and electoral issues. It must be explained, then they can decide to vote in conscience or not”, develops Salomé. Learning that must be done in collaboration with citizens.
« Citizenship education must be done by being an actor so that it is embodied in people’s lives. This is how we manage to capture young people: by speaking their languages, by having references that they understand. This is the best way to raise awareness about voting and democracy. », Continues Ouaefa, general director of Cité des chances.
Rare are the times when I have been asked to express myself and I have been made to understand that my words matter
Basically, today’s objective is well met. “ Compared to workshops where we had almost no people, this evening there were a lot of young people. If they’re here, it’s because they realize what’s happening right now », Analyzes Yacine, volunteer at Belle Etoile. “ They had things to say about the proposals of the different candidates. I think they will find out a little more and for those who can, they will put their ballots in the box on June 30 and July 7. We don’t release this word often. Rare are the times when I have been asked to speak and I have been made to understand that my words matter. »
“We are children like the others…”
8:30 p.m. This is the end of activities. Between two slices of pizza, young people talk about their visions of politics. “I have the impression that youth and especially working-class youth are not a priority for politicians. There is no focus on young people from working-class neighborhoods. And when there are, it is to stigmatize them”regrets Ouaefa.
We are very badly regarded by the political class. For them, the neighborhoods are just slums.
« We are very badly seen by the political class. For them, neighborhoods are just cailleras. Wake up, we are children like the others », lance Fatima.
Voices that matter
In the discussions, the concern of seeing the far right at the head of the country is very present. “ I realized the importance of voting. If I didn’t vote in the European elections, it’s because I was disappointed. We had to choose between the plague and cholera. I had doubts about my impact then I saw the RN at 30%. It shook me, it enlightened me », confides Marwan, a young participant.
For Yacine and the other volunteers, when it comes time to take stock, the objective has been achieved. “ The message we wanted to send to them was really that every voice counts. It is not because we sometimes hear certain speeches that do not encourage people to vote that we should do so. The real question is not who we are going to vote for; This is why we vote? »
Thidiane Louisfert
