In the North, these educators save people from dropping out of school

Théo*, a fourth grade student in a middle school in Maubeuge (North), has not been coming to class since the end of spring. The last educational commission ended with a slammed door. The college called the family but never got a response. “I went to his house twice, without results. The third time, I was finally able to chat with him,” says Jessica Serapiglia, educator at the Future Youth Association (AJA) and “social liaison actor in a school environment” (Alses). After the Christmas holidays, Théo returned to class. A small victory.

Jessica recreates the link between school and families when it is weak, or even non-existent, which also means knocking on doors. As an Alses, the specialized educator intervenes in the street but also in families and colleges. This mission, created in 1996, only exists in the Nord department.

The four public colleges in Maubeuge suffer from significant absenteeism and school dropouts, but also from violence, harassment and addiction. Like patient spiders, the Alses weave a web around the young people to prevent them from getting lost.

Relationship of trust

“No, on the phone, I have neither the father nor the mother. Yes, she’s been gone all week. » Sakina Laidouni, education assistant in one of the Maubeuge colleges, puts down the phone from school life. “By meeting the families, Jessica helps us a lot,” she admits.

Many parents, suspicious, refuse dialogue. “College reminds them of bad childhood memories,” said a senior education advisor. Contact with the institution also awakens the fear that the child will be placed.

For years, in the city’s priority neighborhoods, educators have maintained relationships of trust with residents affected by unemployment and precariousness. “It’s a delicate balance. We must be present without being intrusive, because nothing prevents them from refusing to see us,” confides Antoine Denis, educator. This special place makes it possible to intervene in the event of a crisis.

The hybrid position of the Alses, who are not mandated by child welfare, nor by justice, nor by National Education, opens the doors of homes to them. On the college side, Jessica makes educational staff aware of the difficult family situations experienced by disruptive students.

Offer a new framework

From the association premises to the playground, via the street and the family home, the Alses have a global perspective on the lives of young people that others do not have. Parents and teachers oppose each other while street educators ignore incidents in schools. The Alses then become a reference.

At college, Jessica’s office, which opens onto the entrance hall, is a regular place of passage. “Teenagers have seen their mothers cry in front of me and trust me, so they give me theirs too,” she explains. She collects stories of harassment or addiction, then asks educational staff and families to work together.

Around 39% of Maubeugeois under 25 are unemployed, compared to 21% nationally. Educators do everything they can to defy the statistics and succeed, one day, in finding a path and a job for the young people they follow.

This February afternoon, Antoine and his AJA colleague, Belkacem Makraf, leave the square of one of the colleges behind the wheel of the association van. They are going hiking with five students identified for their risk of dropping out. During the outing, against a backdrop of laughter and slipping in the mud, tongues loosen. For their part, educators teach a framework: speak well, don’t make fun, don’t spit, leave the cell phone in your pocket, have self-confidence, surpass yourself.

At the end of the day, Antoine and Belkacem walk the streets of Épinette, one of the city’s priority districts. An essential approach. They create relationships, the keys to their action. Between the college and families, but also with traders, associations, social centers, sports clubs. So many places where their young people will find help, friendships or the internship that will allow them to move forward.

* The first name has been changed.