Anglo-French European Projectto promote youth’s access

to housing• From September 2013 to March 2015 •

The DIY project is the result of the cooperation between

three associations in France and Britain (the Amitiés d'Ar-

mor, the Youth Information Office and Point Europa) who work in

the areas of youth and housing. These three organizations with

experience of European projects wanted to work together on

a problem common to their territories: young people’s access

to independent housing.

In a context of youth insecurity due to a delayed entry into

working life, the problem of access to steady employment, the

lack of financial security, the lack of benefits (for young French

people aged less than 25 years) or the shortage of housing

available (for young British people), access to independent

housing is more and more difficult for some young people.

The question of access to housing is inseparable from that of

access to University or professional education, and access to

employment. Therefore, by addressing the question of housing, the

question of young people’s independence is also addressed.

Through different actions aimed at housing professionals and

young French and British people, the objective of the DIY

project is to bring new understanding and new responses

to the problem of young people’s access to independent

housing. The aim of this cross-border partnership is to innovate

by drawing inspiration from the practices of the neighbour.

This European project is situated within a specific context of

cross-border cooperation:

• First, in the European programme Interreg IV-a France Chan-

nel England, which aims to promote exchanges between the

two sides of the Channel. Under the Treaty of Lisbon (2009),

cross-border cooperation was established as an objective

in itself of European cohesion policy.

• Second, there are many ties between Finistère and Cor-

nwall: numerous cultural, geographical and linguistic similari-

ties, twinning schemes between towns and villages in the two

territories, and since 2008, a partnership has institutionalised

the relations between the two communities. The DIY project

reinforces this cooperation. ■

32

Sommaire

Introduction 3

• Project and partners 4FJT Kérélie - Les Amitiés d'Armor

Le Bureau Information Jeunesse (BIJ)

Point Europa

• Actions 6Study visits

Technical workshops

Cross-boarder training courses

• Project steering 10

• Testimonies 10

• The cross-boarder dimension 11

• …And after ? 11

• The Interreg programme 12

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Testimony

Ronan Elies, directeur du FJT Kérélie « LIt is the first time that Les Amitiés d'Armor participate to an european project. FJT Kéré-lie was strongly commited in this project.The assessment is widely positive:

• This project enabled to exchange ideas, projects and policies about youth housing with another european country. We face the same issues, but not always the same answers.

• The study visit reinforced the links between youth housing stakeholders in Brest, and al-lowed to study how to transpose cornish expe-rience in Brest.

• Last but not least, the DIY project was an op-portunity for young people to travel in England, to meet young english people and host them in Brest.

• To put it in a nutshell, this project enabled Kérélie's residents to broaden out. Traveling allows to make young people's projects evolve, allows to realize that traveling is not that complicated. Europe is what you want it to be, and not only administrative regulations. »

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The Foyer for Young Workers (FJT: Foyer de Jeunes Travailleurs) in Kérélie is part of the “Amitiés d’Armor” association, operating in Northern Finistère. The as-sociation intervenes in 5 areas :

• the elderly,• home support,• people with disabilities,• early childhood (day nurseries),• and young people with 3 Foyers for Young Workers

The mission of the FJT is to encourage the housing of young people aged 16 to 30 years, by providing support in various aspects of daily life: employment, training, re-creation, health, access to independent housing…

The residents in the FJT are diverse: • ¼ are students,• ¼ are job seekers,• ¼ are young people in training,• ¼ are young people on the path to inclusion. ■

FJT Kérélie - The Amitiés d’Armor

The Youth Information Office (BIJ: Bureau Infor-mation Jeunesse) is a not-for-profit association, which is part of the Youth Information network composed of more than 1500 information centres.The mission of the BIJ is to inform young people aged 16 to 35 years in all relevant areas (educa-tion, training, jobs, employment, sporting and cultural activities, housing, health, individual rights, international mobility, etc.).The Bij has significant experience in coordinating European projects and has been involved in the Interreg programme since 2011.The BIJ is the DIY project leader. ■

Bureau Information JeunesseBrest

Point Europa is a not-for-profit organization, located in South East Cornwall at Milbrook. It is specialized in adult education, support and information as well as activities for young people, notably through the esta-blishment of European mobility projects, the hosting and sending of European volunteers and help finding employment or training. ■

Point Europa

Associated partners throughout the project

PROJECT AND PARTNERS

Michèle Casu,directrice du BIJ « The DIY project enabled a long-term cooperation with our british partners. It is an ambitious project for youth and for youth policy ac-tors. We act concretely by propo-sing young people to gain technical skills and broaden out with inter-cultural meeting. »

BREST MÉTROPOLE ÉMETTEUR

BREST MÉTROPOLE ET VILLE ÉMETTEURS, lorsque les deux institutions parlent ensemble

BREST MÉTROPOLE PARTENAIRE

BREST MÉTROPOLE ET VILLE PARTENAIRES

ACTIONS

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Testimony of Valér ie Vincent Housing Advisorfor Finistère County Council, BMO social actions inclusionservice.

The study visit encouraged:

• The widening and the streng-thening of local partnerships, by allowing the identification and understanding of the fields of expertise and missions of the asso-ciated partners. This facilitates our current exchanges and sha-red work,

• The adoption of the idea of the English “skills passport” action to secure young people’s residen-tial pathways and the desire to develop a partnered action of the same type in BMO, by building on the existing schemes,

• The observation, on a different scale, of the porting and imple-mentation of social policies in ano-ther country also strengthens our professional identity and empha-sizes our desire to advertise and promote the social Actions and the public services and to commu-nicate the significance of their interventions and the interest of the cooperative dynamics. »

Two study visits took place, one in France (Brest) and the other in Cornwall (Kingsand-Truro-Bod-min).The objective of the professio-nals during these visits was to observe the neighbour’s profes-sional practices, and to question their own practices. The British "Foyers" were inspired by the first French foyers, however the contexts in the two countries are very different (funding, distribu-tion of competences, profile of the young people accommoda-ted). On each side of the Chan-nel, the issue of homelessness or poor housing for young people is crucial. ■

Study visits Visit of English professionalsto France

A delegation of English professionals visited Brest for two days in November 2013. Programme: visit of the Foyer for Young Workers in Kérélie, and presentation of the French concept of Foyers for Young Workers (Foyer for young workers in Kérélie and Kerdigemer), visit of the AGEHB (Association for the Coordina-tion and Management of Employment and Housing in Brittany), and presen-tation of the different schemes imple-mented by Brest métropole océane.

Points observed by the British professionals:

• The concept of diversity, both social and intergenerational (at the Kerdigemer Foyer for example)

• The provision of a space (apartment) for separated families at the AGEHB.

• The existence of "supported housing" in France: an intermediate stage between emer-gency housing and independent housing

• The existence of a space dedicated to the practice of do-it-yourself (premises of the Compagnons Bâtisseurs in Kérédern) to allow people wanting to do work on their homes to be trained and to practice different tech-niques.

Visit of French professionalsto England

A delegation of French professionals visited Cornwall in April 2014, for three days.Programme: visit of the two Foyers of the DCH group (associated partner of the project) in Bodmin and Re-druth. Reception at "Cornwall County Council" and presentation of the dif-ferent schemes implemented by the community.

Points observed by the French professionals:

• In England, better guidance towards exits, and a faster transition between entry into emergency housing and access to inde-pendent housing.

• The existence of a training course of about 60 hours on "skills for living" and the basic skills necessary for good tenancy of housing, validated by a certificate. This certificate facilitates access to private housing for the young people who have obtained it.

• the central role of shared accommodation in the paths of young English people towards independent housing, encouraged by more favourable benefits for shared housing. In France, there is a real demand for shared accommodation, notably when leaving FJT.

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The young French and British foyer residents and Point Europa members participated in a week of training in the neighbour country, also covering small “do-it-yourself” techniques. For some of them, this was their first ex-perience abroad.By taking part in a week-long skills acquisition course, the young French and British people acquired not only technical do-it-yourself skills and life skills. They also developed their inde-pendence, acquired linguistic, inter-cultural and social skills, and prac-tised peer learning and “learning by doing”. These essential concepts of non-formal education represent lear-ning that is valuable and applicable in many areas, and particularly in the context of training or job finding. Thus, international mobility develops self-confidence and cultural and per-sonal development, but can also en-courage social and professional inte-gration. The Youth Information Office and Point Europa are working in this direction by implementing various projects in which the young people are proactive, with the goal of pro-moting active citizenship.

Furthermore, the main objective of the Interreg programme is to encou-rage, within the Channel zone, the emergence of a sense of common ci-tizenship, of an identity unique to the area of cooperation and a sense of belonging to a cross-border zone. In our view, the intercultural encounter is the ideal breeding ground for the emergence of a European feeling, but also for other voluntary or internatio-nal commitments. ■

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Cross-border training courses

ACTIONS

On each side of the Channel, a programme of technical and in-formation workshops was esta-blished, with the goal of:

• Giving young people direct access to information concerning access to housing (public and private sec-tor, rights and duties of the tenant, moving into accommodation…) • Helping young people to ma-nage housing-related expenses (energy expenses, telecommuni-cation expenses…) • Enabling young people to ac-quire skills in small “do-it-your-self” work, to help them maintain the accommodation and live in good conditions.

These workshops took place in FJT Kérélie and on the premises of the Compagnons Bâtisseurs from January to July 2014, and were supervised by different par-tners and speakers: the ADIL, the Energence association, the Com-pagnons bâtisseurs, Brest métro-pole habitat, and the CLCV*. The Petits Débrouillards pro-duced videos during the works-hops with the young people, available on the project web site (diy-project.eu). ■

Technical workshops

The workshops proposed in France

• Introduction to painting • Introduction to plumbing and tiling • Introduction to electricity• Access to BMH housing • Moving into new accommodation and control of energy costs • Controlling your communication expenditure • Restoring second-hand furniture and learning to fix shelves, frames… on different surfaces• Cleaning your accommodation economically and ecologically

In England, the young people worked on:

• Introduction to painting (two sessions) • Introduction to electricity • How to control your energy costs • How to control your communication costs • Humidity and condensation: how to manage them• Gardening • Cooking with leftovers • Healthy eating on a small budget (two sessions) • How to make your own cleaning products

FILM

A film was made by the young people with the support of the Petits Débrouillards in order to collect their testimo-nies on their housing pathway.

The film is available on the multime-dia platform.

*Association Départementale d'Information sur le Logement et Consommation, Loge-ment et Cadre de Vie

Two web platformswere created:

• a coworking website: diy-project.eu

• a multimedia platform: diy.infini.fr

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1110

With significant experience in the ma-nagement and coordination of multi-national projects, the Bij assured the mission of project coordination, with regard to the implementation of the actions, the organization of the cross-border partnership and the organiza-tion of local partnerships.The cross-border dimension is an essential component of the project steering. Thus, the coordination of a Franco-British project involves taking into account a certain number of obs-tacles: different professional cultures, the time difference, and especially the language barrier. We used the Translation Service of the University to ensure the translation of the some-times technical content, notably for

the study visits and the steering com-mittees. In its role as project leader, the Bij also played the role of linguistic facilitator for the partners.Moreover, during the implemen-tation, other organizations were involved in the reflection on young people’s access to independent hou-sing, notably through the establish-ment of four steering committees who worked via videoconferencing with our British partners.

The associated organisations throu-ghout the project: • In France : the City of Brest, BMO, BMH, CG29, the Compagnons Bâtisseurs• In England : DCH, Shelter, Cornwall County Council

The DIY project is cross-border, since it is implemented in the context of the European programme Interreg France-Channel-England, aimed at encouraging cooperation between the border territories of the Chan-nel. For the initiators of the pro-ject, it involved from the outset the questioning of public policies on each side of the Channel concerning two major topics, namely European youth and their access to housing, and thus to independence. The pro-blems common to the two territo-ries concerned by the project (Finis-tère and Cornwall in England) led the actors to question the different responses of each country, in order to find, through the exchange, new concrete responses to test in each territory.With regard to the young people, we found that despite the attraction

exercised by Britain on the young French people (and vice versa) and a regular and cheap ferry link between Roscoff and Plymouth, the mobility of young people between the two countries is relatively under deve-loped. With a common support, the do-it-yourself workshops, links were forged between the young French and British people during the cross-border training courses. These links have been sustained despite the lan-guage barrier. For these young resi-dents who are often distanced from mobility, the meeting with their neighbours, the language stimula-tion and the intercultural exchange are often a trigger allowing them to re-engage in projects. The cross-bor-der cooperation also occurs through the exchanges between the young people. ■

Through its innovative aspects, the DIY project mobilized different actors in hou-sing and youth around their common problems, always in the light of the practices of our British neighbours. The various meetings enabled by the project promoted a better understanding between these actors, which allows us to envisage future collaborations. Work on a second DIY project based on an expanded partnership including the Local Mission, the Finistère County Council and Devon and Cornwall Housing (DCH) is currently being studied, and will notably include new experiments inspired by the first project, as well as the continuation of exchanges between young people and professionals. ■

AND AFTER…

PROJECT STEERING

Testimonies

Phil Martin, éducateurà Devon and Cornwall Housing « For our young people, the DIY project was an ex-cellent opportunity to meet young French people and work with them. We have all learned tech-niques, and the Compagnons Bâtisseurs demons-trated their capacity to train young people. After this course in France, I decided to set up a small workshop at the Foyer in Truro, with the help of some residents. This will enable them to acquire skills and knowledge that will be useful to them when they are ready to take up their independence. Our residents hope to be able to participate in another project of this type. »

Robyn Charlesworth« I didn't know that you had to fill in holes, dust and sand down, before papering or repainting a wall. I didn't know either that you had to use different drills depending on the type of wall. I learned how to fix a shelf. It will be useful when I have my own apartment. »

Jack Smale :« Being in another country allows you to gain perspective on how foyers and housing work in the United Kingdom. Being involved in the project allowed me to speak a little French. Staying at the Foyer for Young Workers in France and mee-ting the residents was a unique experience. »

THE CROSS-BORDER DIMENSION

The Interregprogramme

The European cross-border cooperation programme Interreg IV A France (Channel) - England covers a vast territory stretching from Cornwall to Norfolk on the English side, and from Finistère to Pas-de-Calais on the French side.These territories share a common maritime border: the En-glish Channel. Therefore, the Interreg programme IV A France (Channel) - England aims to encourage amongst its members the emergence:

• of an area of common citizenship, • of a shared identity for the area of cooperation,• of a sense of belonging to a cross-border area.

With a budget of 161 million Euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the program currently funds nearly 150 cooperation projects between France and England, which involve some 550 different organisations from both sides of the Channel. These projects deal with a wide range of cooperation topics supported by the programme: economic development, envi-ronment, culture, tourism, social inclusion, and even maritime cooperation.

The programme is managed by the Région Haute-Normandie. ■