Conference on the emancipation of young people in French Guiana: three days to consider the passage to adulthood

A conference devoted to young people in French Guiana

The «Emancipation of young people in French Guyana. Penser les leviers traditionnels et institutionnels du passage à l'âge adulte» will take place on Tuesday 16, Wednesday 17 and Friday 19 June 2026. Free and open to all, this interdisciplinary event is organised by KAPOK - Observatoire des jeunesses guyanaises.

This meeting has the support of the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (CTG), in particular through its Youth Mission. It is a continuation of the KAPOK programme, which will be launched in 2021 to provide a better understanding of the lives of young people aged between 12 and 30 in French Guiana.

In an area with a high proportion of young people and social and territorial inequalities, KAPOK acts as a resource centre. It also serves as a tool for analysis and coordination between players.

Its aim is to support young people's autonomy, accompany public policies and encourage innovative local initiatives.

Meetings in Cayenne, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and Saint-Georges

The main conferences will take place on 16 and 17 June 2026 at the University of Guyana, on the Troubiran campus, in Amphi A.

On Friday 19 June 2026, the conference will continue in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and Saint-Georges. This organisation will bring the discussions closer to the realities experienced in several of French Guyana's territories.

Over the three days, researchers, professionals, practitioners and young people will be taking part in plenary sessions and themed workshops.

Discussions will focus on youth policies, pathways to integration, rites of passage to adulthood, health issues, discrimination, forms of commitment and the dynamics of emancipation.

A first day focusing on youth policies

Tuesday 16 June will begin at the University of Guyana with a coffee reception and introductory remarks at 8.00 am. At 9.00am, the first plenary session will focus on young people, those involved and youth policies.

M. Lemoine, lecturer in education and training at the University of Limoges, will talk about what situations of vulnerability say about young people and those who work with them.

Julien Joanny, sociologist, project manager at La Critic and associate researcher at MINEA, will be presenting a paper on the paths taken by young people, the practices of those involved and the face of popular education in French Guiana.

In the afternoon, the «Pathways & Breakaways» plenary session will look at autonomy trajectories. E. Maunaye, senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Rennes and CNRS delegate at the University of the West Indies, will talk about pathways to independent housing.

G. Beriet, historian and lecturer at the University of Guyana, will talk about the issues of interaction and representation between professionals and pregnant and parenting teenagers.

Workshops on commitment, health and discrimination

On 16 June, four themed workshops will provide an opportunity to deepen the debate. The first will focus on young people, the region and participation in local life.

The second workshop will look at our relationship with living things. It will look at traditional practices, environmental issues and the representations and commitments of young people.

The third workshop will deal with young people's health. It will look at prevention and support approaches in a context where social, family and geographical issues intersect.

The fourth workshop will focus on discrimination. It will look at the obstacles linked to age, gender, origin or other factors, as well as possible forms of support.

Rites of passage to adulthood at the heart of 17 June

On Wednesday 17 June, the third plenary session will be devoted to the rites of passage into adulthood. It will focus on the social, cultural and traditional dimensions of becoming an adult.

Sébastien Chapellon, clinical psychologist and lecturer at the University of Guyana, will give a talk on the rites of social puberty, traditional methods of emancipation and subjectivation.

C. Ly, a linguist and lecturer at the University of California at Merced, will discuss rites of passage through traditional Hmong marriage.

M-A. Tareau, who has a doctorate in ethnobotany and is a researcher in health anthropology at Guyana's university hospital, will talk about the Businengue people's ritual of becoming a woman through the gi pangi ritual.

J. Lachance, head of HDR research in sociology at CRÉDATS in Pau, and M. Sierra Jimenez, a doctorate in geography and associate researcher at the INRAE ETTIS research unit, will discuss the support provided for emancipation rites in French Guiana.

The closing lecture will be given by A. Qribi, senior lecturer in education and training at INSPE Guyane. It will focus on the psychosocial effects of the separation of indigenous pupils from their families.

Integration, culture and protection for young people

The workshops on 17 June will look at popular education, training, integration, autonomy, emancipation, cultural affirmation and young people at risk.

These workshops will provide an opportunity to look at the various sectors, the prospects for young people, support systems and the place of culture in the expression of values.

They will also make it possible to analyse pathways marked by breakdown or violence. The aim will be to gain a better understanding of how to protect young people and take comprehensive action.

A regional day on 19 June

On Friday 19 June, the conference will continue in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, at Kamalaguli Connect, Campus Connecté. Discussions will focus on vulnerabilities, social puberty rites, traditional Hmong marriage and the gi pangi rite.

Two workshops will be held. The first will look at the educational alliance and the prevention of school drop-outs, based on the example of the Cité éducative in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.

The second workshop will look at how to work together with teenagers, particularly when situations of vulnerability create tensions between players or with families.

In Saint-Georges, at the Cité Scolaire de Saint-Georges, the presentations will focus on employment integration policies, access to independent housing, popular education in French Guiana and support for emancipation rites.

Two workshops will also be held. They will deal with popular education in a cross-border dynamic and the paths taken by young people from the interior in the face of obstacles linked to schooling and socio-professional integration.

An event supported by several players

This symposium brings together KAPOK, the association La Critic, the MINEA research unit and the CTG's youth mission. It also involves a number of partners and venues in French Guiana.

The organising committee includes Nadine Beaudi Golitin for the CTG, Sébastien Chapellon for MINEA, Julien Joanny for La Critic/MINEA, Audrey Allemand, Sophie Gallino, Maudeline Louis-Aimé and Anélis Wejuku for La Critic.

Chrystelle Lima and Isabelle Marez, from Manioc, are also members of the organising committee. The contacts listed are colloque2026.kapok@gmail.com, the website https://jeunesguyane26.sciencesconf.org, and +594 694 04 19 29 and +594 694 13 63 36.

Le detailed conference programme details all the events, workshops and venues. It enables participants to plan their visit according to their interests and their region.

The symposium on the emancipation of young people in French Guiana will highlight the social, cultural and institutional issues associated with the passage to adulthood. With the participation of researchers, practitioners and young people, these meetings will provide an essential forum for exchanging ideas and gaining a better understanding of the realities in French Guiana. Interested parties can consult the detailed programme and take part free of charge in the various days organised in French Guiana.