the reasons for the shortage of Bafa holders

Asked about the lack of facilitators penalizing certain holiday camps or childcare centers this summer, the Secretary of State for Youth, Sarah el Haïry said on Tuesday August 2 on Europe 1 that “this is the first time in ten years that we have lost 10,000 Bafa issues” and “that there is a vocations crisis“. A statement that needs to be contextualized.

The latest data available in this area to the National Institute for Youth and Popular Education (INJEP) are for 2020. That year, 30,970 diplomas were issued, while there had been 42,924. in 2019. It is therefore in fact nearly 12,000 fewer graduates in one year. The decline affects men in the same proportions as women and indeed it is the most significant decline for ten years, even if this decline has been continuous since 2016.

The drastic drop between 2019 and 2020 is partly explained by the confinements and restrictions in the health context of Covid-19. Many young people simply could not follow, in 2020 and then in 2021, training or internships. “Over the past two years, 17,000 young people have not been able to take Bafa training due to the pandemic” had indicated on July 2 on franceinfo Laurent Bruni, the director general of the French Union of holiday centers (UFCV). The professionals and young people concerned also point to the sometimes quite low compensation received by the animators who often have to carry out long working days.

Finally, the training is expensive since the Bafa includes a general training session, a deepening session and a practical internship. The cost of training, which this year benefited from one-off aid, “varies between 500 and 900 euros depending on whether you are internal or external” specified Laurent Bruno on franceinfo on July 2.

The government had, from November 2021 to January 2022, organized “Assises de l’animation”. A plan emerged with 25 measures. The Secretary of State in charge of youth indicated that she would receive the actors of the sector again next September.