when learning citizenship goes through football

Little footballers will become big and citizens. The goalkeeper, Issam, is already elected to the club’s children’s council, like Manel, Yacine and Rayan. Recently, they have been involved in decisions that affect their team, such as training in their neighborhood stadium. Responsibilities summarized in a citizen’s booklet. Because if many master the dribble, this is less the case in democratic life: “I learned that you could vote when you were of age and that we were all citizens“.

Go straight to the point and mark the spirits, beyond the field, to encourage people to vote. 5,000 copies of the citizen’s booklet were distributed to mailboxes in this working-class district of La Duchère in Lyon (Rhône), where the abstention rate is around 70%. “These children are the decision-makers of tomorrow. They know they are the main players and the power is in their hands“, indicates Soundes Boudjay, deputy director of the association Lyon La Duchère.