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1. Existence of a national strategy to increase young people's political and civil society participation

2. Scope and contents

3. Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy

4. Revisions/ Updates

Existence of a national strategy to increase young people's political and civil society participation

Strictly speaking, there is no new strategy to develop youths’ participation. However, the Government - and other public authorities – implement and consolidate programmes and schemes the purpose of which is to increase the civic participation of young people, by following the example of the strengthening of civic service and of the creation of the National universal service, which is one of the pivotal measures of the current Government’s youth policies. More generally, these two commitment schemes are in keeping with the “Civic Path” (« Parcours citoyen ») programme which constitutes a policy for youth participation and commitment.

The Civic Path / Parcours citoyen (See 5.7, Formal learning)

The Civic Path is a cross-disciplinary educational and civic programme that starts from the beginning of secondary education. Its purpose is to inform and raise students’ awareness of their rights and duties, but also to develop a culture of commitment in youths: of bénévolat and of volunteering. The National universal service scheme is a new stage in this “civic path”.

Scope and contents

Civic service (See Chapter 2 on Voluntary activities)

The Government also wishes to strengthen civic service, considered an instrument for commitment.

The civic service scheme is a volunteering scheme, the founding principles of which are accessibility, social diversity and general interest. Its aim is to create a culture of commitment.

In 2024, the "Ecological Civic Service" was launched with the aim of enabling 50,000 young people to engage in this theme by 2027.

Other schemes (See Chapter 2 on Voluntary activities) 

Act “no. 2017-86 of 27 January 2017 introduced several schemes encouraging youths’ commitment such as:

•  The recognition of student commitment, through the validation of skills and knowledge acquired through bénévole activities in higher education curriculums;
• The generalisation of civic reserve throughout life. Civic reserves concern all adults or individuals above the age of 16 who wish to carry out general interest projects”;
• The right for underaged individuals to take part in the creation of an association and its administration, under certain conditions.

Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy

The various national schemes for youth participation or engagement are steered and regulated by the Ministry of Sports, Youth and Voluntary organisations. However, the coordination and implementation of policies are also the responsibility of the directorates or agencies concerned (e.g. the Civic Service Agency).

The implementation and objectives of these schemes are analysed and evaluated in particular by the National Institute for Youth and Non-Formal Education (Institut National de la Jeunesse et de l’Éducation Populaire - INJEP). Participation (civic, commitment) is one of the central themes of the work of the INJEP, which has published a range of analyses on public policies relating to youth participation, changes and its challenges, as well as on participation and commitment schemes, including civic service.

In addition to the academic work of the INJEP and the statistics of ministerial departments, youth associations committed to participation, particularly civic participation, such as the FFJ (French Youth Forum) and the National Association of Children's and Young People's Councils, also produce resources (articles and reports) on this subject.

Revisions/Updates

Youth participation is not currently the subject of a specific strategy. It is mainly addressed and supported through engagement (See Chapter 2 on Voluntary activities) and citizenship education/training.