Get Political: democracy driven by young people in rural areas
The GET Political project (No. 101183575), funded by the Erasmus+ KA3 programme ‘Support for Policy Development and Cooperation – European Youth Together (2021–2027)’, brings together several European partner organisations around a common objective: to strengthen young people’s active political participation through non-formal education. The Foyer Rural CEPAGE, a rural community centre based in Puget-Théniers in the Alpes-Maritimes, is one of the partners in this transnational consortium. As part of this initiative, it organised ‘political discussion workshops’ with groups of young people in several municipalities in the Haut-Var and the Pays de la Roudoule.
Politics in rural areas: a taboo subject?
Two sessions took place in January and February 2025 in Guillaumes and Puget-Théniers. In total, around ten young people aged between 15 and 27 took part — French nationals, but also young people from Armenia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Hungary and Chechnya. This geographical and cultural diversity greatly enriched the discussions. The political discussion workshops follow a non-formal education methodology structured in several stages: an introductory phase using open-ended questions, an exploration of political and electoral systems, and a creative reflection in which the young people devise alternatives based on their own experiences.
What the young people said
The value of political discussion workshops lies in the freedom of speech they offer. In response to the question ‘How would you describe politics in a single word?’, the answers were as varied as they were revealing: chaos, manipulation, propaganda, responsibility, inequality, legitimate violence. These words reflect a genuine mistrust of institutions, but also a political awareness far more acute than one might imagine in an isolated rural setting.
When asked which politicians they recognised, the participants named Trump, Macron, Marine Le Pen, Viktor Orbán, Ramzan Kadyrov — and their village mayor. This juxtaposition of the very global and the very local says a great deal about how these young people perceive power. The question ‘Do you think leaders care about young people your age?’ received an almost unanimously negative response. ‘They never come to see us. They don’t speak to us in our language.’ Another participant pointed out that around 70 per cent of French people believe their government does not meet citizens’ expectations.
Yet these young people are by no means lacking in political creativity. Among their proposals for a better world are: tackling corruption, abolishing borders, lowering the voting age, introducing more referendums, enshrining the right to abortion in the constitution, and taking urgent action on the environment. Some of these proposals tie in with very topical parliamentary debates.
These same young people have continued to be involved in the project, which has enabled them, thanks to European funding, to visit various local, regional and national institutions in France and in Athens, Greece. As a result, many of the negative perceptions of politics have shifted thanks to the European Union’s direct involvement in the participants’ non-formal education. Many felt a sense of responsibility to make a real impact through politics and to get involved in their communities, whether formally or informally. Thus, the strength of this project lies not only in its ability to get to the heart of the matter when working with these particularly vulnerable groups, but also in its ability to bring about a genuine shift in the thinking of young people in rural areas, with a view to encouraging them to become actively involved in politics at all levels.
Education through debate
Political discussion workshops embody a learning approach that formal education often struggles to replicate: starting from young people’s own perspectives, challenging them with open-ended questions, and allowing them to form their own views. The facilitator does not simply impart fixed knowledge — they create a space for collective reflection. This method forms part of a wider programme, comprising the production of political Peddy Papers in local and European institutions, the development of a Guide to Political and Electoral Systems, and the publication of a Methodology Handbook for the Political Peddy Paper, which documents and disseminates the practices developed throughout the project.
A European project, a local reality
Get Political reminds us that civic engagement is not learnt solely within institutions: it also takes root in the multi-purpose halls of rural community centres, around a table, when we finally give a voice to those who feel overlooked in major decision-making.
The Foyer Rural CEPAGE is a partner in the GET Political project — Igniting Youth Active Participation in Political and Electoral Processes through Political Literacy and Knowledge (Erasmus+ KA3, ref. 101183575, 2024–2026).