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THE MILITARY ACADEMY
12.01.07
by Sophie des Deserts for Le Nouvel Observateur.
THE MILITARY ACADEMY
SEGO ( 1 ) WAS DREAMING OF IT. MAM ( 2) DID IT. SECOND CHANCE
RESIDENCES FOR
ADOLESCENTS WITH DIFFICULTIES. WITH MILITARY TEACHERS. THEIR SLOGAN,
YES,
CHIEF, YES, CHIEF.
The French flag floats in the mist. " Allons enfants de la patrie ..." ( 3 ) starts singing the lieutenant-colonel. A hundred
youngsters, perfectly dressed in black parkas, stand in line in front of him: straight hair, frizzy hair, shaved heads,
fragile girls and healthy guys. A French bataillon which is composed of blacks, whites and Arabs whose eyes are
really tired. It's 8 a.m, the air is freezing. After the hot cocoa, " La Marseillaise " ( 4 ) doesn't go down well. People
whisper in the rows: " Louder ". The little soldiers hold their head up and start singing again. No hesitation until the end.
The chief observes, looking satisfied: " Attention ". A crow passes by, a long silence: " At ease. And have a nice
day."
We rub our eyes, pinch ourselves, wonder if we're shooting a documentary about the national military service, in
this beautiful Montry castle which belonged to the baron de Reilhac...No, it's here, just near Euro Disney, that the state
is experimenting its new idea to save the youth: the " centre Défense seconde chance " ( = the " second chance Defense
centre " ). A military camp meant to make people feel enthusiastic about working...Ségolène was dreaming of it, MAM did
it. Little savages ( 5 ), those without qualifications and all those 18 years old without any diplomas and energy left are
warned. The army recruits during the days the Department of Defence trains the youth ( 6 ). 6 months in a boarding
school, a period renewable 3 times, the youngsters are fully taken care of and even paid 300 euros per month and 160
euros when the contract has expired. The experience is tempting...Some even think it's a challenge. " It's Koh Lanta
( 7 ) " , jokes a group of friends recruited last June. " And we were told we'd have a real job, a flat and even our driving
license..." They sign the contract.
Parents are relieved, children are often happy to leave. " Most of our youngsters come from weakened families, the
parents are divorced, unemployed, single mothers " sighs Joel Dehove, the centre's head, a former lieutenant-colonel who
can sing " La Marseillaise " so well. " They find a second chance here." The man looks calm and his voice is firm. He talks
to the young volunteers as if he was talking about sending his men to Kosovo: " Come on, guys, we'll get you out of
here." Aurore, aged 18, a blonde girl with big sad eyes, smiles. Her mother stays at home, her father is a cleaner, she didn't
have the courage to continue her horticulture course. " My parents told me: " Go, it's your last chance to find a job."
Jérôme, aged 21, from Nanterre: " Same for me. I was going round in circles between my mates and my video games."
Laura, aged 19, is a rebel with beautiful white skin: " I didn't get up anymore, my mother was screaming at me, I didn't
listen. I needed discipline." According to Johan, Montry is simply " the last chance." Too much time wasted, too much
stupid things in the housing project. The little West Indian from Colombes confesses, speaking as fast as a submachine gun .
" I'm holding on. But it's tough. Look at the way we're dressed! "
Everyone must be dressed like a mechanic and wear big military boots. Equality starts here, by throwing your Converse
shoes in a cupboard. The army supplies everything, including the shower gel and sports shoes for the 2 daily hours of sport...
" They want to change us " whispers a big fellow from the area nr 93 in Paris ( 8 ). Piercing as well as tattoos, make up and
long hair are forbidden...Boys and girls are asked not to go too near to each other. " We first work on behavior, explains Joel
Dehove. The problem with these youngsters is that they don't obey rules anymore. Companies tell us: if you teach them
how to behave and to accept authority, we can make something out of them." According to the colonel, the 4 first months
at the centre are crucial. It's a phase of assessment, training and careers advice. The day starts at 6 a.m, time to get
washed, to tidy up, to raise the flag, to go for a walk around the park...The lazy ones are condemned to community
service such as cleaning the gymnasium or the paths. " We quickly understand we must obey ", says a skinny dark-haired
Algerian girl. Those who work in the centre, mostly former military professionals and a few special needs teachers, don't let
them go. They know everything. Supervise everything. Repeat 10 to 20 times a day : your hands out of your pockets, hold
your shoulder straight, forget about slang..." " They think we're poodles ", grumbles a little dark-haired boy. His mate: They
want to change our behaviour as if we were riffraff ( 9 ) ." Others obey without complaining. " They repeat I must stop
smiling in a silly way ", sniggers a young girl with a bun in her hair from Neuilly-sur-Marne. Nesrine doesn't complain about
anything, neither about the pumps sessions nor about the evenings without T.V, but she finds the " classes rather light ".
A few hours of computer classes, of math and French are first of all meant to teach the basics to those who haven't
learned them...This morning, the lesson consists of writing a letter to introduce oneself. Hadama, drowned in his outfit,
leans hard on his pen. " So, I heard of a school for those who failed at school. I come from Senegal, I stopped school at
11." Beside him, a big blond boy falls asleep on his folder. He managed to write : " I have a wide experience of schools. I'm
not good at math and English." The young French teacher hired by the Department of Education kindly advises him to
emphasize the positive aspects. Someone raises his hand at the back of the class : " I've made mistakes during my youth
that enabled me to become mature..." The teacher smiles tenderly: " Most of them have dropped out of school at 12 or
14, a very small minority is illiterate. Here, in a group of 10 or 12, we can teach the basics again."
Behind the window, small groups walk in time singing as if they were in the legion : " We've been walking for 3 days..."
Some are going to a first aid lesson, others to play basketball. The " alpha section " attends a civics lesson. They're taught
that " smoking is bad for your heart, lungs and...neurons. It can lead to understanding difficulties, teaches a former
police officer. Have you understood, kids? " At the second chance centre, people are blunt, they focus on what's essential:
what's the purpose of a national health service card ( 10 ) , of a passport, of a pay slip. They learn about the Général de
Gaulle's life but most of all how to read the contents of a bag of concrete or an extinguisher's instructions for use.
After 4 months of disciplined lessons about life, volunteers must be able to choose a career. The old dreams during which
one wished to become a stylist, a singer or a cosmonaut are over...Back to Earth. " Our youngsters left school years ago,
insists Denis Oubre, a former Air Force member, who's in charge of the training. We tell them the truth. We suggest they
choose a career in prosperous markets that are recruiting staff: building and public works sector, catering, logistics,
security and gardening..." They start with a first training course, then, if everything goes well, another one. The Montry
centre only has 2 training courses to offer in the very centre, in order to become a watchman and to obtain a gardening
vocational training certificate. Aurore wishes to try this. This afternoon, the sad looking girl clears up the park's leaves.
Johan, the small tough guy from Colombes who dreams of becoming a special needs teacher, has applied for a logistics '
training course, " logistics ", a nice word he says. In a few weeks, if everything goes well, he'll be filling up cardboard
boxes in a warehouse. Laura, the rebel, did a 3 months long catering training course. Still not convinced, she wants to
work in a kindergarten. Impossible, replied the training course's director : " No employment here." However, she managed to
find a 2 months long training course in a youth centre...Here, the youngsters are repeated every day that they must remain
focused, put up with the constraints in order to have a better future, but that there's still a long way to go...
Depression in the evening as the lights go off. Still 3 days to go before being liberated for the weekend. And as weeks go
by, the group of friends decreases. Thefts, small marijuana traffics, being late, insolent...some are expelled. Others slam
the door. The head says 30 % go. According to the volunteers, they'd actually be much more. Marie - Cécile, one of the very
first to be recruited, held on 4 months. " Getting up at 6 a.m to do nothing apart from cleaning the estate, doing military
marches, staying to study when you don't have any homework. I don't see the point." Adamé clenched her teeth until
the 6 months were over in order to obtain a small salary. She's 19, her parents are Malian, she has a Sioux's look, this
former volunteer has a bitter memory of her stay at Montry. Adamé however represented the school 10 times in front of
journalists, company heads, and even this summer at garden party at the Elysée palace ( 11 ). " Everyone congratulated us
but, after spending 6 months there, I was still at square one. Phoney training, phoney training course, I have the feeling
they lock us up here in order to make the unemployment rate's statistics decrease." Other volunteers, fortunately, make
them really go down. After one hard year, 3 training course in a company, Fabien, a Haitian boy, has obtained a vocational
training certificate which focused on maintaining buildings, and found a job at la Défense ( 12 ). The mother who's still got
5 children to bring up is glad. " He hated studying. He's changed. Learning a job in a military way is a very good idea."
A 24000 EUROS REHABILITATION
Launched in September 2005 by Michèle Alliot-Marie, the Department of defence minister, operation second chance was first
aimed at 20 000 youngsters. Since the first boarding school opened in Montry, 10 centers have been created all over France.
But, until now, about 1000 youngsters have been enlisted. " The first years give really encouraging results " announces
Nathalie Mouillet, the communication manager at l' Epide, the organization chosen by the Department of Defence to develop
the project. " About 60 % of the volunteers would have found, once their training course was over, an apprenticeship contract,
a training course, a fixed-term contact or a permanent contract." Cost, financed by the social cohesion plan: 24 000 euros per
volunteer and per year.
TRANSLATOR'S EXTRA INFORMATION:
I've chosen to select certain facts in this article so that readers who're not from France understand this article better.
( 1 ) Ségolène Royal was previously the Department of Education's minister. She's currently running for president. She comes
from a military family.
( 2 ) Michèle Alliot-Marie is currently the Department of Defence minister.
( 3 ) " Allons enfants de la patrie " are the first words of La Marseillaise, France's national anthem.
( 4 ) La Marseillaise is France's national anthem.
( 5 ) The French version uses the expression " sauvageons " meaning " little savages " deliberately. Jean-Pierre Chevénement,
former Department of the Interior minister, caused a national outcry when he called poor youngsters " little savages " in the 80's.
( 6 ) The national military service is not compulsory anymore. Instead, all young men must attend a special day's training. The
army makes the most of it to try and recruit people.
( 7 ) Koh Lanta's a famous TV show which is set in heavenly surroundings.
( 8 ) The part of Paris between Nanterre and Bobigny which number is 93 is notorious for its poverty, violent schools and
poor results.
( 9 ) Nicolas Sarkozy, currently the Department of Interior minister and who's running for president, caused a national outcry
when he called some youngsters " racaille " meaning riffraff.
( 10 ) In French, this card is called " carte Vitale."
( 11 ) L'Elysée is the palace located in the centre of Paris and is the president's official home.
( 12 ) La Défense is a famous business district in Paris.
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TRANSLATOR'S NOTE: In France, boot camps or behavior modification programs such as WWASP's don't exist.
Instead, the government has gradually decided to open some " centres d'éducation fermés " ( = closed educational
centres ) in order to rehabilitate persistent young offenders. Those schools are located in remote areas in the
countryside. There are now 22 in France. Their opening is still very controversial. Nevertheless, several candidates
who are currently running for president have emphasized there should be more of them. The article, New Closed Educational
Centre Opens in Gévézé, talks about one of these centers which opened in Gévézé, just outside of Rennes, the capital
of Brittany, where I live. I read this article in the most famous local newspaper, Ouest-France. Gévézé is in the middle of
the countryside. The center can welcome up to 12 youngsters who're between 13 and 16 years old. It's the 22nd centre
in France. It's financed by the Department of Justice and managed by a Spanish association called Diagrama. Diagrama
already deals with more than 20 other centers in Spain.
Article translated by Anne-Marie Barré, Rennes, France |
