Public life

Since 2009, the Seine-Saint-Denis County Council has been backing “la Culture et l’Art au Collège (CAC)”. This project is based to a large extent on the presence in class for several weeks (40h) of an artist or scientist whose mission is to engage the students in a process of research and creation. 

 

Tutor: Laëtitia Aourir-Mahdadi/ Science-Po, Paris

Project manager: Anna Mezey

 

Objectives: 
Observing politics makes us ask "What is our democracy?" One neat answer is: the government of those who are not fit to govern. Using current events in France and abroad as a starting point, this workshop gives pupils an introduction to democracy.

Workshop:
Defining democracy, politics, and citizenship. An overview of the origins of democracy and an introduction to key players in a democratic system at three levels: local, national, European.

Observing and deciphering political events by reading the main national newspapers: Le Monde, Libération, Le Figaro, Le Canard enchaîné and L’équipe.

Applying the main ideas. Forming “fake” political parties drawing on current events: “Ecoluigi”, “Nouveau Parti Socialiste”, “France Libre Indigène”, “Liberté, Fraternité, Nationalité française”.

Exhibition:
A selection of the ideas expressed by the pupils during the year was presented in the school. About thirty fluorescent A4 posters were put up in the corridors, in the canteen, etc.
“Democracy lets the people elect a representative for a while and then regret it.”
“Democracy is freedom of speech and movement. Being on an equal footing.”
“Democracy is for everything to do with politics: the president of the republic, the prime minister, etc. I don’t know whether that is the right definition. Actually, I'm not very interested in all that stuff."
“Democracy lets me go to school for nothing.”

 

Outings:
- MEETING WITH THE JOURNALISTS FROM “MEDIAPART” GAVE THE PUPILS A GLIMPSE OF AN UNFAMILIAR MILIEU (ON-LINE PRESS), AND MADE THEM THINK ABOUT THE ROLE - - JOURNALISTS PLAY IN A DEMOCRACY.
- EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, STRASBOURG. TOUR OF THE INSTITUTION AND MEETING WITH A CIVIL SERVANT.

Participating school: 
- Collège Madame-de-Sévigné, Gagny

LE COURS DES CHOSES

Avec la période de confinement, les démarches initiées en collège ont connu quelques changements, également quelques aménagements et surprises. Le moment est venu de présenter ce qui a été finalisé par les élèves, les enseignants et les intervenants. Cet espace de diffusion rapporte nombre de témoignages visuels, sous des formats à la fois fixes et animés, et invite les visiteurs à une découverte différenciée : en cela par projet identifié ou d’une manière plus aléatoire.