SOCIAL STUDY
Jeunes en mer, a socio-educational program under consideration
Jeunes en mer, a socio-educational program under consideration
A COMMITMENT TO YOUTH
One of the programs at the heart of the expeditions since the beginning of the Pacific adventure has been the Jeunes en Mer (Youth at Sea) socio-educational program. Since 2002, the sailboats have welcomed young people in fragile situations or experiencing social breakdown, offering them a space to learn to live together and chart a new course in life.
These breaks allow different worlds to coexist in a spartan space, where rationality prevails and every inch is designed for essentiality. In this environment devoid of distractions, the essence of travel and human relationships is rediscovered: it is the boat itself, with its rhythm and rules, that opens up new perspectives for these young people, who are sometimes deprived of structural reference points.
However, in order for this transformation to become more than just an individual experience and instead become a reproducible model, it is essential to measure its impact.
“Pacifique has transformed a sailboat into a veritable floating laboratory to understand how a sea expedition can help troubled teenagers rebuild their lives. Our hypothesis, as researchers in education and psychology, is that this boat will act as a magnifying glass, amplifying the phenomena we are studying. The research team will follow several groups of young people before departure, during the voyage, and after their return. The study will aim to better understand what this experience transforms: learning, emotions, sleep, and dreams, all while taking into account their daily interactions with crew members and the practical challenges on the boat that they will face.”
Dr. Céline Girardet,
Teaching Professor and Researcher in Educational Sciences, University of Geneva
ACADEMIC COLLABORATION
After more than 20 years of working with young people in difficulty, the Jeunes en mer socio-educational program is benefiting from a research program conducted in collaboration with the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Geneva, the Interfaculty Center for Affective Sciences at the University of Geneva, and the University of Toulouse – Jean Jaurès.
The project is based on a multidisciplinary approach with four main areas of focus:
- The regulation of learning.
- Emotional and interpersonal dynamics.
- The processes of referentialization (construction of meaning).
- The dynamics of emancipation.
Data will be collected before, during, and after the expeditions according to a rigorous protocol. Data will be collected through documentary analysis, observations (audio/video), semi-structured interviews, as well as portable peripheral and central physiological recordings and short experiments on tablets. The results will be published in a research report and scientific publications validating the impact of the program.
SCIENTIFIC PROJECT LEADERS
The scientific program is being carried out over several years as part of the expedition “Au Cœur de Nos Racines”. It is supervised by:
- Dre. Céline Girardet, lecturer and researcher at the University of Geneva
- Pr. Didier Grandjean, full professor at the University of Geneva
- Pr. Dominique Broussal, full professor at the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès
- Pr. Lucie Mottier Lopez, full professor at the University of Geneva