United Way – L’Alliance Forges Ahead Following Encouraging Results

United Way – L’Alliance is a collective sponsorship project that brings together nonprofit organizations, businesses, local authorities and other players to support young people in educational priority establishments throughout their schooling. Its flagship “Défi Jeunesse” program is designed both to combat early school leaving and to empower participants to choose the career they want, with the end goal of securing long-term employment. The program includes classroom workshops on how to plan a career path, meetings with representatives from the business world, introductions to different professions and work placements.

During the 2018-2019 school year, more than 6,200 young people from 29 educational priority establishments took part in the program, receiving support from 33 nonprofits and 52 companies across eight regions. The results are encouraging: at the end of the year, 67% of program participants said that they were more interested in their educational and professional future, 75% said they had learned to adapt their attitude to the world of work, and 87% said they were satisfied with their work placement.

Total 100% engaged

Alongside Total Foundation’s support for this program, Patrick Pouyanné was appointed Chair of United Way – L’Alliance in June 2018. Last year, in the Hauts-de-Seine, Val d’Oise and Seine-Saint-Denis areas around Paris, Total employees signed up to talk about their own career paths and offer insight into their profession and the company. Six employees gave talks during sixth-grade and eighth-grade classroom workshops, while another eight took part in the Innov’ Days event, organized by the Entreprendre Pour Apprendre nonprofit in the offices of major companies. In addition, 59 ninth-grade students overseen by Crée Ton Avenir, another nonprofit, were able to complete their work placement at Total.