(english) Fundamentals – The principles of the french republic
Our interventions about the principles of the French Republic are fundamentally linked to the history and journey of our non-profit organization Expressions de France. Our organization, created after the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks, positions itself as a possible response to the disorientation of the population and the political disengagement of citizens, leading, notably, to alarming abstention rates and a lack of knowledge, or even rejection, of the french institutions.
Therefore, through our interventions, we support civics courses while enabling students to express and assert their ideas. Through our panelists, we provide a neutral presentation of the French Republic principles, supported by relevant legal analyses and feedbacks from professionals or higher education.
However, it is indeed an external intervention and not a academic course. Thus, our presentations serve as a tool to support the proposed interactive activities. Beyond teaching or raising awareness, our mission is to enable students to debate and build their thoughts. Present throughout the Paris area (Ile-de-France), and gradually expanding to other french provinces, we often encounter students who hesitate to speak due to successive devaluations or a sense of illegitimacy. We currently guide them by encouraging them to express their viewpoints through workshops or interesting debates. Topics often discussed include affirmative action, equality to opportunities, wearing the veil, wokism, and cancel culture, allowing us to address key concepts such as equality, freedom, secularism (“laïcité”), and so on.
Training young people in principles and concepts provide to these future adults, and voters, the appropriate tools for the proper application of their rights, understanding their duties, and critically analyzing the speeches they will encounter. It is also a moment of listening and consideration of their ideas, acting as a tool against the proeminent defeatist speeches, such as “It’s useless” or “Nobody care.” It is also an initiation into the art of eloquence, allowing them to gain self-confidence and learn to debate in a productive way that makes their voices heard.
In a nutshell, our interventions about the principles of the French Republic are a kind of education, but above all, a profitable moment of exchange leading to mutual learning about key concepts that are often misunderstood or unknown.
Pauline BIZET, panelist for Expressions de France
(Photo credits : Expressions de France)
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