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1. Fostering equality and young people involvement through cultural activities

2. Combating discrimination and poverty through cultural activities

Fostering equality and young people involvement through cultural activities

Democratising participation in culture is a key principle of the Ministry of Culture's policies which, through partnerships and funding for associations, helps to reduce the cultural access inequalities facing young people in difficult social circumstances.

Culture and Justice

The Culture & Justice framework links access to cultural rights with artistic education, insertion and emancipation, and supports projects for people under judicial supervision and minors under the Youth Probation Service (Protection Judiciaire de la Jeunesse - PJJ), together with their families and justice professionals.

At territorial level, cooperation between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Culture rests on the long-standing Culture/Justice protocols, first signed in 1986, renewed in 1990 and 2009, and complemented by the 2012 Circular on cultural projects for people under judicial supervision and minors under judicial protection.

The measures carried out in this context also set out to promote citizenship and respect for oneself and others. A great many projects all over France, including in its overseas territories, on a variety of themes (such as films, the plastic arts or theatre for example) have been rolled out. Some examples include:

"Des Cinés, la vie !"

Since 2006, young people living in the Parisian area or overseas, in the company of PJJ - Judicial Youth Protection and film professionals get to attend workshops and watch a selection of short films on a given theme, talk about them and vote for the film of their choice. A ceremony is then organised at the Cinémathèque française so as to reward the director of the youngsters’ favourite short film. 

Alongside other stakeholders, the CNC - National Cinema Centre, the Passeurs d'images association, the Directorate of Judicial Protection of Youth of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Culture are involved in this project, which encourages the young participants to debate the societal issues and themes touched on in the films (relationships within the family, at work, with others, with one’s own body, adolescence, or violence for example).

Bulles en fureur

Since 1992, Bulles en fureur has been an annual national event organised by the PJJ in partnership with the Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image and the Ministry of Culture. To this end, the ‘Young Creators Award’ is being held, offering young people in the care of the youth justice system the opportunity to create original works inspired by the selected comic books. These creations can take various forms:

• Written works: comic books, poems, illustrated stories...
• Visual arts: calligraphy, sculptures, photographs, etc.
• Digital works: videos, multimedia montages, etc.

The purpose of this project is to:

• "(Re)acquaint youngsters with the enjoyment of reading;
• Develop reading and proficiency in the written and spoken language;
• Spark discussion around questions to do with health, citizenship and otherness;
• Encourage youngsters to share their opinion on a work, compare it with others, hone their critical thinking and make choices;
• Combat illiteracy.”

This national event is promoted by the inter-regional director of judicial protection, the International City of Comics and Image (CIBDI) of Angoulême and the Regional directorates of cultural affairs (DRAC) of the Ministry of Culture as well as library and bookseller networks.

Last edition was on February 2025.

Avenir en Scène

Avenir en Scène is a project created and developed by PJJ educational teams for young people followed by the justice system. It uses the performing arts to strengthen psychosocial skills, oral, written and bodily expression, and to support longer-term integration pathways. 

Its second edition took place in October 2025 in Occitanie, with support from the Ministry of Culture, the regional cultural directorate and local partners, confirming the place now given to live arts as a lever for inclusion and self-confidence.

Combating discrimination and poverty through cultural activities

A wide range of initiatives are therefore led by the Ministry, its local branches, public cultural institutions, associations and social structures, often in partnership with local authorities and private sponsors. These initiatives generally combine access, mediation, participation and accompaniment, with a strong focus on children, young people, people in vulnerable situations and people who are socially or territorially remote from cultural institutions.

Public initiatives (non-exhaustive list)

A day of holiday at Versailles (Une journée de vacances à Versailles)

Public heritage institutions continue to develop targeted access schemes for audiences that are less likely to go on holiday or visit major cultural sites. The Château de Versailles and the Emerige group have run “Une journée de vacances à Versailles” since 2016. The project offers 5,000 children from the Paris region, aged 6 to 13, a special day at Versailles each summer, with immersive and educational visits designed for children who do not go away on holiday. 

According to the Château de Versailles, more than 30,000 children had already taken part by the time of its latest presentation of the scheme.

"Community living" mission (Vivre ensemble)

Since 2004, the Ministry of Culture’s Mission “Vivre ensemble” has brought together 37 cultural institutions with the aim of reaching audiences who are little familiar with cultural venues and of making culture a tool against exclusion and discrimination. The institutions involved work through social relays such as volunteers, social workers, educators and facilitators, and offer free discovery sessions, awareness-raising activities, mediation, preparatory materials and adjusted pricing.

This mission achieves its aims by:

• Appointing a correspondent in each institution who forges personalised ties with these intermediaries,
• Hosting free discovery, awareness and training sessions,
• Carrying out appropriate mediation,
• Distributing visit preparatory and help guides,
• Adjusting rates.

Associative initiative

Culture du Coeur

Supported by public authorities and embedded in a dense national network, Culture du Cœur remains one of the main associative actors in this field. Its official partner page states that the association now works with 5,246 cultural and sports partners and that they offer nearly 600,000 invitations each year across the country. 

The association’s approach is based on two complementary networks: cultural and sports partners, on the one hand, and social and educational intermediaries (“relais”), on the other. Beyond access to tickets, it also promotes mediation, training, and collective activities that help strengthen confidence, expression and social participation among people in precarious situations.

Concerts de poche

With the support of the Ministry of National Education and the Regional Departments of Cultural Affairs (DRAC), the association Les Concerts de Poche develop itinerant concerts and participatory workshops as a tool for inclusion.