Promoting academic engagement and preventing delinquency in Marseille-1
Context

 

Every year in France, over 80 000 young people drop out of the school system with no employment, training, or diploma. Based on the study by M. Muchielli,1 “82.5% of young people in situations of delinquency were problematic during their schooling: linked to comprehension, learning difficulties or behavioural problems and/or lack of assiduity in class.”

ACAY France is a stakeholder acting in favour of prevention of delinquency and early school leaving. Its programme in Marseille, Seconde Chance, aims to support students struggling at school, in order to avert delinquency, incarcerated minors, and recidivism.

In addition, ACAY has developed an annual training program in academic success in a SEGPA  class of 14–15 year-olds at the Collège Saint-Vincent de Paul in Marseille. This programme is designed for students struggling at school, or likely to start to have difficulties, and aims to show the young person their potential, restore their self-confidence, and guide them towards the definition of a motivating academic and professional project. Awareness-raising activities are undertaken simultaneously with 500 intermediate and high-school students in France, in order to curb school failure and share hopeful testimonies.  

In 2022/2023, the challenge of this project is to pursue the remobilisation activities of young people struggling at school while improving the evaluation of the impact of these programmes among students and pedagogical teams. In addition, students’ families are involved as partners, helping to spread the word to other establishments.

Completed activities

 

Setting up the guidance pathway “Agis sur ta vie” [Take Control of Your Life] with the young beneficiaries:

The guidance pathway “Agis sur ta vie” takes place at the Collège Saint Vincent de Paul in Marseille. The project is now underway, during the academic period of September 2022 to June 2023, with one hour per week in class or in individual interviews (3 to 4 individual interviews per student). This pathway is based on three axes:

1.  Presentation of life paths and correspondences with young Filipinos supported by the ACAY association in the Philippines.

2. Establishing tools enabling the students to identify their difficulties and strengths.

3. Guidance of students based on their interests, to help them choose an orientation once they’ve finished the SEGPA. The individualised monitoring of the students empowers the young people to make their own choices, enabling them to be successful and persevere in the face of any difficulties they might encounter and, in this way, avoid dropping out.

 

– Meetings with former students 

 Formers students and a young Filipino (2019–2022) share their experiences and testimonies with the young beneficiaries, during encounters in Marseille. 

 

– Raising awareness among families of beneficiary students

The ACAY system is presented to the families. A leaflet and video presentation about SEGPA are also made, to raise the awareness of the students’ families about the project and the impact of ACAY support among young people. An evening for sharing experiences is scheduled, with a young person from the Philippines and the former students of troisième SEGPA, in the presence of the students’ parents, to illustrate the project’s impact.

 

– Mobilise educational teams to establish mechanisms contributing to the academic success of their students

The ACAY project team participates in the pedagogical meeting at the start of the term and a report is undertaken with the reference teacher and the head of the section each quarter.
At the end of the year, an individualised report is made for each student upon completion of the “Agis sur ta vie” pathway.    

Results

 

– The students acquire psychosocial skills that will enable them to improve their behaviour, develop a life plan, and develop their potential.

– The students engage in solidarity activities that allow them to regain self-esteem and trigger awareness. 

– Families are informed about the ACAY guidance pathway and are involved in the academic and professional orientation of their child.

– Educational teams are involved in the project and develop activities to foster the remobilisation of students with respect to their schooling.

– The testimonies of former students from troisième SEGPA allows the students to imagine their own life plans.

Protection

Promoting academic engagement and preventing delinquency in Marseille

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  • France

    Marseille

  • Project status

    In progress

  • Duration

    2022-2023

  • Funding

    10 000 €

  • Beneficiaries

    15 SEGPA students aged 14-15

     

    Parents of the students

  • Partners

    ACAY Mission Philippines 

     

    Collège-Lycée Saint Vincent de Paul in Marseille          

  • Objectives

     

    Contribute to the promotion of academic success at Collège Saint-Vincent de Paul

     

    Remobilise young people in troisième SEGPA (students aged 14–15, in Sections of Adapted General Education and Professional Training) struggling at school and give their educational pathway new meaning   

     

    Involve families so that they are partners in the academic and professional success of their child 

     

    Mobilise educational teams to establish mechanisms contributing to the academic success of their students

     

    Encourage remobilisation through testimonies from peers, through the involvement of former students of troisième SEGPA