We believe that youth have the power to drive change and make a massive impact in communities around the world. Unfortunately, without the right opportunity or support, youth are often held back from reaching their full potential.
It’s our mission to empower youth through training on digital literacy and the social and emotional skills needed to help them find their place in the professional world.
This is why we’re proud to work with Article 1. A key driver for social mobility across France, the organization promotes equal access to opportunities for youth.
History of Article 1
In 2004 and 2005, Boris Walbaum and Benjamin Blavier created the Frateli and Passeport Avenir associations to tackle social inequality by helping provide access to higher education. However, both associations’ actions were geographically limited.
Their ambition to scale led them to unite forces, and in 2017, Frateli and Passeport Avenir merged to create Article 1, now co-chaired by the two founders.
Article 1 refers to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Unfortunately, this ideology has not always been attainable for all citizens. When it comes to higher education, young people from working-class backgrounds often discover higher education courses in the final years of their studies or even in the first post-baccalaureate year. They often struggle with the self-confidence, soft skills, and social networks needed to succeed.
Article 1
Article 1 aims to raise support for France’s youth as early as possible by making numerous interventions in during grade school.
Mentorship is a top priority for Article 1. The organization aims to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, most of whom are scholarship students, throughout their higher education studies until they enter the world of work.
Their goal is to enable young people to cross cultural, social, territorial, and financial boundaries with the support of a mentor. Article 1 mentees are paired with mentors with a similar background to accompany them to workplace activities. Article 1’s program Jobready is a platform to help young people identify their soft skills and raise awareness of the importance of skill development.
“With this merger, we want to change scale to create more social mobility and transform our country. We want to multiply our impact on the fronts of guidance, success in education and access to the most qualified jobs so that only potential, work and aspirations count. ” – Benjamin Blavier and Boris Walbaum, Co-founders of Article 1
Think Human Foundation & Article 1
Think Human Foundation joined forces with Article 1 in 2021 to help bring their values and support to as many young people as possible. Webhelpers are excited to become mentors and lead group workshops for students to support them as they prepare for the professional world.
The project’s goal is to onboard 20 long-term mentors to the program to support hundreds of young adults.
Our initatives
Charity but not only…
International Youth Day with Dignity for Children
