Once more, as the summer is coming, “sensitive” neighborhoods in
disadvantaged suburbs are going to be again in the current events. For the
wrong reasons.
Indeed many signs suggest that their inhabitants will be among the main
victims of the deepening of the crisis. Because, even assuming (fragile,
assumption) that the financial crisis will go away, unemployment will get
worse in France, for at least one year or two. In particular for young
people, primarily those in the suburbs, the most fragile, most threatened,
even if more and more are graduates. In addition, funding from state and
local councils will be initially concentrated in the communes with fewer
companies in their territory and under direct taxes, so the communes where
these neighborhoods are.
In spite of all the efforts undertaken by elected representatives from all
sides, specific administrations and some NGO, all tremendously dedicated and
competent, these suburbanites will already feel forgotten; they are becoming
less and less interested in public life, from which they expect nothing:
they abstained themselves more than others from the European elections. All
this makes us fear a rise of their frustration, their exasperation. And
public opinion will be particularly sensitive to it: the taking of
executives as hostages in the factories, or attacks of supermarkets by
farmers or producers of milk is less shocking than a few burned cars in the
neighborhoods in disinherison.
It’s about time to think and speak differently about this part of France.
To understand that there is in it a significant part of the French vitality.
First, economic vitality because all experiments carried out today, at a too
small scale, demonstrate that helping a young suburban create his own
business, by advising him in order to define a project, establish a market
study, set up a financing plan, and obtain a bank loan, costs about 3000
euros, less than one third of the cost for the same unemployed young person
each year. And with this money, he is no longer dependent on social welfare,
but he creates wealth and jobs for others.
Then, cultural vitality, because all studies show that a big part of today’s
music, literature and painting (and not only street arts) find their roots
in the suburbs and that, even, most of the new words, in France, originate
there.
Educational vitality, also, because the energy these young people bring in
order to succeed in their studies is unparalleled. And that they carry an
exceptional creativity in scientific and technical matters.
Finally demographic vitality , the only way to finance retirements and
budget deficits: it is the young people from the neighborhoods who, the day
after tomorrow will pay, by their taxes and their contributions, the
maintenance of public services and the retirements of those who do not want
them.
It’ about time to change scale. Not launching a nth suburb plan. Too much
has been done. But to simplify what exists, and to give maximum political
priority to these young people, whom nobody trusts enough so far, and to
these neighborhoods, where one never thinks of installing a university, a
research laboratory, a public service.
Their success will be that of all.