leisure centers must close and summer camps are canceled

The lack of animators is felt almost everywhere in France. In order to remedy this, the government has allowed the passage of the Bafa from the age of 16. However, the measure does not completely solve the problem. The structures are reluctant and want adult and qualified personnel, even if it means having to close leisure centers as in the agglomeration of Grand Périgueux.

Holidays could well turn into a nightmare for some children and parents for lack of holiday camps or leisure centres.
In the agglomeration community of Grand Périgueux, next August, for lack of animators, some leisure centers will be closed. “For the month of July, we have no staffing problems, on the other hand for the month of August, we have failures“, admits Liliane Gonthier, elected Grand Périgueux in charge of childhood.

A scenario that is multiplying everywhere in France. Leisure centers partially or completely close and some summer camps are canceled at the last moment. A headache for organizations and communities as well as for parents who sometimes struggle to find emergency solutions. However, the candidates are not necessarily lacking. But qualified personnel are scarce.

“We are in a climate of tension at the national level on the job“, noted Rozenn Merrien, on June 7, on the set of BFM Paris, pointing to a profession in “lack of attraction“. And this is confirmed by the figures. In their annual study, Hexopée, an organization representing professionals in the sector, and the Youth and Popular Education Cooperation Fund (Fonjep) noted that 76.1% of structures respondents had recruitment difficulties in 2022. Barely less than in 2021 (82.6%), a post-Covid year when recruiting facilitators was very complicated by the suspension of Bafa training during the pandemic.

In order to stem these recruitment problems, last October the government lowered the age of preparation of the Bafa to 16 years, against 17 years previously. The only problem: employers are reluctant to employ minors. “It’s not a lack of candidatessays Liliane Gonthier. We had 166 applications for leisure centers in Greater Périgueux, but it is the lack of graduates that is lacking.“As a result, the structures are in need of facilitators.

In the 14 leisure centers in the Greater Périgueux conurbation, 25 activity leaders are missing to be able to provide the service. Faced with recruitment difficulties, the agglomeration decided to close some of them. The Bassillac leisure center will not be able to accommodate children for three days in August, that of Chalagnac will close for 13 days while the Marsac-sur-l’Isle center will not be able to open during this month. “We preferred to make this decision early enough for the families to have time to look back“, explains Liliane Gonthier. Some children have been redirected to neighboring leisure centres.

“Currently, nearly 30,000 positions out of 350,000 are vacant nationally.“, noted David Cluzeau, general delegate of Hexopée, with Le Figaro. On social networks, and in particular Facebook groups dedicated to the profession, some do not understand this situation. “I hear everywhere that there is a shortage of animators and that certain colonies must be canceled for lack of fighters. But my daughter who is looking for a practical internship, even unpaid, finds herself without a project for this summer“, writes a user.

At Francas de Dordogne, which trains animators, out of about sixty registered at the Bafa, three quarters are under 17 years old. “They struggled to find internships, attests Matthieu Labrousse, the coordinator of Francas de Dordogne. It normally takes at least 14 days of practice in a collective reception of minors. We were confronted with a request from employers who, on the one hand, were looking for trained or adult people and, on the other, young people who are 16 years old have started their Bafa and could not find a field for practical training.“

If for this summer, failures are to be expected, the government indicates that it has taken the measure of the situation. “The ministry has brought together all the associations and local authorities in an animation sector committee in order to be able to reflect in France and find the levers to get out of this shortage of animators.“, assures Rozenn Merrien. In the meantime, some parents may have to manage as they can.