Thau Festival 2024: in the shadows, the chance given to young people to better integrate into the world of work

Ces jeunes adultes pourront assister gratuitement au festival et voir leurs productions Midi Libre – GUILLAUME CROS

À Mèze, moins d’une dizaine de jeunes adultes préparent l’entièreté des décors du festival de Thau se déroulant du 10 au 21 juillet. Un tremplin qui leur permet de s’intéresser aux métiers locaux de l’artisanat.

The sound of the drill resonates in the cooperative cellar of Mèze. Stanislas, 16 years old, and Brice, 20 years old, are at work and share wooden boards which will serve as decor for the Thau festival. The event takes place from July 10 to 21 in towns such as Loupian, Montbazin or Mèze. And behind these rhinestones and sequins, eight people aged 16 to 25 participate in local missions intended to produce and assemble the entire sets.

These initiatives are orchestrated by the local youth integration mission in the Thau basin, which allows young adults to try their hand at craft professions. "The idea is to talk either about discovery, or about deepening the project, or about getting back into life in society", summarizes Leila Limousi, in charge of the project. MLIJBT offers at least one project per month. For the Thau festival, workshop work lasts three weeks and dismantling two days.

Valuing the local

The eight neo-artisans are contracted as interns and receive nearly 500 euros per mission. The opportunity for some to align themselves with professional expectations, like Stanislas, who came "to pay for a driving license". For his part, Brice is Cameroonian and arrived in France eight months ago. His goal: “to find work through local missions. I am interested in public works and I am here to learn and move up a level.”

Leila Limousi confirms:”“we want to remobilize young people on a construction site in their area”. Most of the trainees come from surrounding municipalities. Many have experienced "professional breakups" particularly because of the Covid-19 crisis. "We support them and try to have autonomy in using the machines, this will allow them to gain confidence", she is convinced.

What about their professional future ?

In terms of training, the carpentry, painting and welding trades are highlighted. "I surprise myself by liking cutting wood and painting", laughs Marika with her friend Jade. The latter retorts: "Me, wood is not really my thing. But I hope it will give me opportunities for a job."

A professional integration to put into perspective nevertheless. "These projects are like seeds that we plant and which will make their projects germinate in the future", explains the MLIJBT representative. Employers in the Thau basin do not necessarily pay close attention to these initiatives. "For the CV it helps, but not too much for the boilermaking", assures Menelik, Mézois, who is currently looking for a job and is taking advantage of this mission to relieve himself financially and attend the festival for free.

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