Youth : Our future ou No future ?

If there’s one recent image of our youth that will live long in the memory, it’s that of the endless queues at food banks during Covid years. According to a survey carried out by DREES (Direction de la Recherche, des Etudes, de l’Evaluation et des Statistiques) prior to Covid, 1,400,000 young people aged 18-24 (i.e. 26%) live below the poverty line in France. These figures cover a reality also known as “NEETS” (for “Neither in Employment nor in Education or Training”), which affects one in eight young people in France. Although the situation of NEETS is highly heterogeneous, particularly according to the level of qualification, difficulties in accessing housing, stable employment or making ends meet are far from affecting only the most precarious fringe of young people, whose political involvement is also in sharp decline. Even among the most highly educated, living in major urban centers, there has been a shift in the order of priorities. While employment remains central, the need for free time and flexibility is asserting itself more clearly; with the first generation to come to grips with the very implications of global warming, we are also seeing the emergence of eco-anxiety, which also alters entrepreneurial inclinations. How can we help our young people and restore brighter prospects for their future?