The “1 jeune, 1 mentor” programme offers access to mentoring for young people aged 5-30, particularly those facing social, educational or labour market barriers, by connecting them with volunteer mentors who provide personalised guidance and support. Public funding and partnerships with civil society organisations enable a wide range of mentoring programmes, combining educational support, career orientation and professional integration.
Mentoring programme “1 youth, 1 mentor” in France
Abstract
The “1 jeune, 1 mentor” (one youth, one mentor) plan aims to expand access to mentoring in order to support children and young people in their educational pathways, career orientation and transition into the labour market. It is primarily targeted at young people facing various forms of vulnerability, including those living in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods, rural areas and overseas territories, young people with special needs, or those in or leaving the child protection system. The policy was introduced in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, which exacerbated risks of educational disengagement, social isolation and difficulties in labour market entry for many young people. It responds to the recognition that these challenges are often interconnected and require personalised, sustained support. The objectives are to improve young people’s social and professional integration, strengthen social cohesion, particularly through intergenerational links, and reduce inequalities in life trajectories. More broadly, the policy aims to promote equality of opportunity by ensuring that all young people, regardless of their background, can access the support needed to build their future. The initiative also seeks to scale up what was an existing but underdeveloped practice by structuring and expanding mentoring nationwide. The French State plays a central role in providing strategic direction and funding, while relying on civil society organisations to deliver programmes on the ground. This partnership approach is complemented by an increasing use of research and evaluation to adjust the policy and strengthen its effectiveness over time. This programme is part of the broader “1 jeune, 1 solution” (one young, one solution) plan, launched in the summer of 2020 under the "France Relance" recovery strategy, which aimed to offer every young person, regardless of their situation, access to a job, training, volunteering or tailored support towards employment.
Mentoring Programme “1 Youth, 1 Mentor” in France
Country: France
City: Not applicable
EU member state: Yes
Geographic scale: Country
City size: Not applicable
Date launched: 2021
Current status: Ongoing
Policy pillar(s): Education, Labour Market
Target group(s): Children, Youth, People with a migrant background, Low-income households, Unemployed or underemployed individuals
Funding and budget:
Total budget: EUR 25 000 000 (annually)
Funding sources: National government, EU funding, Private funds
EU funds/programmes: Recovery and Resilience Plan
The "1 jeune, 1 mentor" plan was introduced in response to persistent inequalities in educational pathways, career guidance and labour market access among children and young people in France. While mentoring is based on a simple principle, i.e. the regular support of a young person by a trusted adult volunteer, its deployment responds to complex challenges linked to unequal access to social capital, information, networks and personalised guidance. These disadvantages are particularly acute for young people from modest backgrounds, those living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and others facing social, educational or geographic barriers. The policy also responds to the recognition that transitions through school, higher education and employment are increasingly demanding and difficult to navigate, especially for those with limited family or institutional support. At the same time, mentoring remained relatively little known among young people, suggesting a gap between needs and access.
The plan prioritises tackling inequality of opportunity across childhood and youth by expanding access to individualised support for young people aged 5 to 30. It is particularly targeted towards children and youth from less advantaged backgrounds or those facing difficulties in school, orientation or labour market insertion, while remaining open more broadly to young people who may benefit from mentoring. The initiative is based on the view that personalised relationships can play a decisive role in helping young people build confidence, clarify their goals and navigate key life transitions. By making mentoring a national priority, and designating it as a Grande cause nationale (National Priority Cause) in 2023, the French government wanted to put mentoring in the limelight and make people more aware of it.
The plan is led by the French Ministry of Sports, Youth and Voluntary Life, in cooperation with other ministries and relies on a broad ecosystem of mentoring organisations that deliver mentoring programmes. Public funding is allocated through successive national calls for projects, which have supported nearly a hundred associations since 2021 to implement and expand mentoring programmes. This model mobilises a diverse set of actors, including established and newer associations, schools, universities, employment services, child protection services, refugee support organisations and corporate partners. It also depends on the recruitment and engagement of large numbers of volunteer mentors, aged 16 and more, students, working professionals and retirees, who provide the mentoring relationship at the core of the programme.
Supported associations provide mentoring through two broad models structure delivery : one focused more strongly on schooling and educational support (though mentoring is broader than that), often targeting younger and socially disadvantaged minors, and another centred on transition to higher education or employment, more often aimed at young adults. Operationally, mentoring follows a structured cycle that includes recruiting mentors and mentees, training mentors, matching pairs, monitoring the mentoring relationship and closing the accompaniment. Associations use a variety of recruitment channels, often relying on local partners to identify and reach target groups. Mentors are typically offered some form of training, although duration and format vary significantly across organisations. Matching is generally carried out by mentoring coordinators, primarily on the basis of the young person’s needs, expectations and, where relevant, geographic proximity or sectoral interests. Once the pair is established, the relationship may take place in person, remotely or in hybrid form, with intensity and duration varying according to the profile of the young person and the objectives of the programme. To support scaling-up, a dedicated online platform helps connecting young people and volunteer mentors with mentoring organisations, facilitating access to programmes nationwide. The cost per young person varies significantly across programmes, averaging around EUR 700, while national public funding covers approximately half of programme budgets (around 73% including all public sources). Ensuring various sources of funding is key to secure long-term sustainability of the plan.
The programme has been supported by a structured evaluation framework coordinated by the Institut national de la jeunesse et de l’éducation populaire (National Institute of Youth and Non formal Education – INJEP), which mobilised academic, administrative and civil society expertise through a dedicated scientific board. The evaluation was conducted over a two-year period using a mixed-methods approach structured around three pillars: surveys and fieldwork with supported organisations to assess implementation conditions ; quantitative and qualitative surveys of mentor-mentee pairs to analyse experiences and perceived effects; and a randomised controlled evaluation to measure the causal impact of a specific mentoring programme. Findings highlight a rapid scaling-up of mentoring, from around 30 000 young people supported annually before 2020 to over 100 000 in 2021, followed by stabilisation at around 150 000 beneficiaries per year since 2022. The evaluation also points to the relatively low cost of mentoring and confirms that the programme has broadly reached its priority target groups, particularly school-age youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, while identifying gaps, such as the underrepresentation of young people in rural areas.
Identify population groups facing the greatest barriers. The programme highlights the strong need for individualised, sustained support among young people facing social, educational or labour market barriers. Mentoring can effectively complement existing policies by providing guidance, confidence and access to networks that are often unevenly distributed.
Leverage cross-sectoral and multi-level partnerships. The initiative demonstrates the importance of strong coordination across government levels and sectors, as well as the central role of civil society organisations in delivery. A dynamic and well-structured associative ecosystem can significantly enhance outreach, flexibility and innovation in programme implementation.
Continuously improve targeting and inclusiveness. Despite strong overall results, the programme shows that reaching the most “invisible” or hardest-to-reach young people remains a challenge. Additional efforts are needed to improve awareness, strengthen outreach in underserved areas (e.g. rural contexts), and ensure that those most in need can access support.
Mentoring Programme “1 youth, 1 mentor” (website): Être accompagné par un mentor pour réussir - 1 Jeune 1 Mentor
Mentoring Programme “1 youth, 1 mentor” evaluation (PDF) : INJEP
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