Recherches-actions Jeunes et Engagements – RAJE

Four Breton EPCI (EPCI: Loudéac Community, Auray Quiberon Terre Atlantique, Rennes Métropole, and the Community of Municipalities of South Bigouden) share the observation of the difficulty in engaging young people and supporting their commitments. They wish to address this issue through the implementation of experiments and partnerships with researchers. In response, the School of Public Health at Rennes, in cooperation with the research units Arènes, ESO, Experice, and Coop'Eskemm, a cooperative specializing in youth animation and study, proposes the "Youth and Engagements Research-Action" (RAJE) project. This project consists of two complementary components that allow for an in-depth exploration and understanding of this issue.

Firstly, RAJE involves a participatory research approach. It involves interdisciplinary cooperation between various fields such as sociology, political science, social geography, and urban planning. The objective is to conduct a comprehensive scientific study on youth engagement in their living spaces and analyze their relationship with local institutions. To do this, cross-research methods are employed, based on the specificities of each discipline. This interdisciplinary approach sheds light on the experiences of young people who are disconnected from institutions and enriches the reflection on their engagement in peri-urban and rural areas. Participation in the research entails active involvement and relies on significant contributions from various stakeholders, including young people, youth workers, local elected officials, and agents, throughout the research process.

The second component of the project involves conducting local experiments in four intercommunalities through close collaboration between local actors and researchers. These experiments are considered as research in action, aiming to find concrete solutions to identified problems by adapting approaches and interventions according to territorial specificities. In this process, Dewey's inquiry pedagogy is used to familiarize local actors with scientific methods in order to support them in revealing useful elements from their social and public experiences. These collaborative research-action initiatives contribute to developing the experimentation capacity of local actors and supporting them in their transformative endeavors. The facilitation by Coop'Eskemm of a space for training and cross-reflection between local actors, integrating researchers, will foster knowledge dialogue and hybridization.

Research data will be shared throughout the program to involve all stakeholders and promote continuous analysis. The actions will be sustained by the impact of research-action to strengthen the links between young people and local institutions. Researchers will publish articles, participate in conferences, and write a book to disseminate knowledge and encourage youth participation initiatives elsewhere. The project will maintain a close relationship with partners and share knowledge to transform local youth policies.