CJPART – Social diversity and youth councils

According to the latest Youth Barometer (INJEP, 2022), in 2021, nearly one in two young people (48 %) volunteered their time with a charity or other organisation (political party, trade union, etc.). The health crisis has contributed to a significant rise in engagement. Involvement in a youth council is one form of engagement amongst many others. The CJPART project builds on the initial surveys we conducted on youth councils and aims to explore in greater depth the conditions under which young people whom we shall refer to as «atypical» become involved, in contrast to the norm observed in municipal youth councils (young people from families with high cultural capital who have more often followed general secondary education pathways or are currently studying at university). Belonging to an advantaged social background is not sufficient to fully grasp the current conditions of youth engagement, and young people with «atypical» profiles for youth councils may engage in forms of participation in which they feel a greater sense of legitimacy. The sense of illegitimacy felt by some within the community and in the bodies it establishes could explain their involvement in other organisations – such as voluntary associations – working in areas more closely linked to their own interests or their own «causes» as citizens. The remit, as well as the size and the way in which structures designed to facilitate youth participation are organised, influence the way in which young people get involved. Finally, the distance from institutions that characterises some young people may explain why they are unaware of, or keep their distance from, participatory bodies such as youth councils. Young people whose politicisation or interest in «politics» may stem, for example, from their social background or their own experiences and those of their family members (Lagier 2009) are likely to be more drawn to involvement in a structure that allows them unrestricted political expression. The question of the individual’s place within a structured framework such as a youth council is linked to the opportunities offered for expression and action on issues that affect young people personally, given their particular backgrounds and social circumstances (difficulties with integration, racism and discrimination, a lack of engaging youth organisations in rural areas). This research project focuses on young people with specific social characteristics who may be, or have been, members of youth councils, who may be involved in other ways or who may not be particularly involved, but who all live in a local authority where a youth council is currently being set up or is already enjoying some success. This focus enables us to understand how they perceive the scheme. The fieldwork for this qualitative study, conducted mainly through interviews, will take place in the South Region.