Off to youth empowerment income! Since October 1st, this experiment, carried out in Meurthe-et-Moselle, has been tested for the first time in France, for three years. The goal? Help some young people make ends meet. Le Parisien Étudiant explains everything to you.
Who is the youth empowerment income intended for?
The Youth Emancipation Income is intended for young people aged between 16 and 25 in the department of Meurthe-et-Moselle who are not entitled to other support but who nevertheless have little or no income, probably due to disintegration family. “We target those who are outside the system, a part of those who are unfortunately called dropouts,” Chaynesse Khirouni, president (Socialist Party) of the Meurthe-et-Moselle departmental council, told AFP.
Last November, the president estimated that this aid could concern around 300 young people in the department, mainly in “family breakdown, in a situation of wandering or in a period of transition”. According to the departmental advicein Meurthe-et-Moselle, “the poverty rate for young people under 30 is above 26%. 2,000 young people from Murthe-et-Mosellan do not work, study or undergo training. Access to housing, education, culture, healthcare, training and employment is complicated for many of them.”
What is it about?
This is a new financial aid of 500 euros per month. For Lionel Adam, departmental councilor responsible for the project voted on at the end of September, this impulse is “a lever, a support” for these young people. This financial aid is accompanied by the monitoring of young people, “the keystone of the system, which gives it its reason for being” indicates Lionel Adam. The support will be “progressive” and organized over two semesters. A first semester to “meet young people, create a bond of trust” and think about a project. The following six months should see the “concrete mobilization” of the beneficiary.
A charter will be signed between the department and the beneficiary to materialize the “mutual commitment” that this remuneration should represent. The community must “listen and support the steps taken by the young person”, when the latter undertakes to “respect the values of the Republic and its symbols”.
One million euros has been allocated to start the project. To organize the payment of this financial aid, two bodies have been created within the department: a steering committee that will follow the evaluation of the system, and a youth empowerment commission that will be responsible every month for studying the requests of potential beneficiaries .
For how long?
Beneficiaries will be able to receive this youth empowerment income for up to twelve months, “continuous or discontinuous”, to “take into account the vagaries of life”. This experience will last 18 months and is renewable once, indicates the department of Meurthe-et-Moselle.
Are there initiatives elsewhere?
Other communities, such as the Lyon metropolitan area and the Loire-Atlantique department, are experimenting with similar systems. In Lyon, the youth solidarity income (RSJ)an allowance of up to 420 euros per month paid by the metropolis to young people between 18 and 25 for a maximum of 24 months has existed for three years. In Loire-Atlantique, Youth incomealso granted to 18-25 year olds, it can reach up to 500 euros per month and can be paid for 4 renewable months.
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