The Centre-Val de Loire Regional Centre for Youth Information (CRIJ – Centre Val de Loire)

The Centre-Val de Loire Regional Centre for Youth Information (CRIJ – Centre Val de Loire) is a regional association founded in 1989, member of the national youth information network. Youth information is a public service mission, defined by a national regulatory framework. It targets mostly young people and it aims to inform them about all topics that may have an impact on their daily life. The key topics identified are: studies, daily life, culture, jobs, employment, accommodation, health, holidays, continuing education, leisure, projects and initiatives, sports, Europe and international. The CRIJs’ activities cover the following aspects: • To welcome and to inform young people about specific topics by providing free, equal and anonymous access to the structure and its resources. The CRIJ works closely with different professional associations. Those associations contribute in information workshops that focus on topics that specifically concern young people. Each week, the CRIJ offers public workshops and animations that target the public of university students as well as high school students. These animations are possible as the CRIJ cooperates with teachers and educators who help to adapt the information for the public. Finally, being an active actor in youth information, the CRIJ participates each year in numerous information events (forums, conferences, etc) where it has its own stand to inform young people and to answer their questions. • To ensure the development of the regional youth information network. The CRIJ coordinates a network of more than 60 youth information local structures situated in all parts of the region Centre Val de Loire. To ensure the development of this network, the CRIJ coordinates meetings for common reflection, discussion and work elaboration. On top of that, the CRIJ is encouraging common actions of the network with various partners. • To elaborate and to display regional information resources, in order to complete the information provided by the National Youth Information and Documentation Centre. These information resources represent a key tool for the whole regional network and ensure that every structure has a common base of expertise. • To ensure the training of youth professionals, in particular of the members of the regional youth information network. Each year, the CRIJ offers free training sessions for the members of the regional network. The topics of the trainings are various but all related to the subject of working with young people. European and international mobility is one of the main topics the CRIJ informs young people about. Regarding the geographical characteristics of our region, it is considered as very an important issue to raise awareness on international and European mobility. In fact, the region faces a very low European and international mobility of its population, and in particular, of young people. This observation was highlighted in a by a diagnostic on youth international mobility, elaborated by the CRIJ and its local partners, in 2016.