Description of organisation

The Federation of MJC in Ile-de-France region (FRMJC-IdF) runs a network of 77 autonomous local MJC associations. MJC means "Maisons des Jeunes et de la Culture" that can be literally translated as "Youth and Cultural Houses".
What is a MJC? A MJC is a place in which everybody is welcome. In every MJC we love to think that no matter who you are, where you come from, how old are you, you can always walk through the door and find someone to have a chat with, take a coffee, read a comic, but also learn to dance, help children to make their homework, do some gardening, attend a play, debate about societal issues and many other things.
The "popular education" movement was created in France by the Resistance during the Second World War. After the atrocities of Fascism and Nazism, a lot of French people came together to prevent these horrors to start again. The French government played a major role in the creation of MJC in 1948. That’s the reason why MJC are autonomous local associations, while maintaining strong relationships with public authorities in a co-managing working system.
As part of the popular education movement, the aim at the creation of MJC was to provide learning spaces of citizenship where young people could recognize theirs attitudes, develop their personality and prepare to become active and responsible citizens. Today, MJC are open to people of all ages and promote inter-generational knowledge exchanges.
The existence of MJC relies on strong values as:
DEMOCRACY >> In MJC every day is about democracy. MJC promote innovative teaching methods based on debate culture and respect of different points of view.
SECULARISM >> In a plural, open society where people follow many different religious and non-religious ways of life, MJC provide a space where everybody can meet on equal terms, highlighted in republican values.
SOCIAL JUSTICE >> In a world where rich people get richer and poor people get poorer, MJC want everybody to recognise these inequalities and act to reduce them in order to build a fairer society.
SOLIDARITY >> MJC defend participation, collective actions and mutual support against competition and individualism.
OPENING UP TO THE WORLD >> Opening up to the world is the best way to fight ignorance and better understand complexity and contradictions of our societies.
CULTURAL RIGHTS >> MJC affirm that everyone can choose his/her own culture and has the right to express it and promote it in an individual or collective way. No culture is superior to another.
All these values are learned not in a “theoretical” way but in a “learning by doing” way. People are invited to get involved in their environment issues and to carry on activities that encourage their initiative, taking of responsibility and citizenship practise. MJC are recognized as leaders in educational methods based on practise and sharing.
Which are the regular activities of FRMJC-IdF? With the help of its partners, FRMJC-IdF helps MJC member associations to exchange information, issues and good practises. It develops interactions with others Ile-de-France associations and networks. Its purpose is to support our members to better apprehend the issues of democracy, culture and popular education and to contribute to geographical, political and social transformations of Ile-de-France territories.