On this March 6th, 2025, "Le Projet Imagine" turns 15 !
Paris, March 6th, 2025
Editorial by Frédérique Bedos
On this March 6, 2025, "Le Projet Imagine" turns 15!
Born in 2010, this NGO has grown up alongside gen Z and Alpha. The latter are faced with immense, existential challenges, and this generates worries, anxieties and fears that are less and less bearable for these young people under construction…
Back in 2008, two observations literally grabbed me by the throat. On the one hand, the growing influence of the media in our daily lives, with its flood of information that is almost exclusively treated in an anxiety-provoking way, and on the other hand, the growing anxiety of citizens, especially young people. The logical connection struck me. The idea of founding an information NGO was born.
How can we expect a child to learn calmly at school if they feel tormented?
How can they be expected to project themselves enthusiastically into the future if they feel overwhelmed by problems that seem beyond their control and in the face of which they feel completely powerless?
If we don’t address this today, tomorrow’s adults and society are at risk.
- Just one example. In 2018, under the impetus of Greta Thunberg, barely 15 years old, a huge movement of commitment was born: “Fridays for Future“. In a very short time, it has mobilized millions of young people all over the world. Their aim: to challenge adults about their inaction on climate change.
- Not only had these young people risen up, they had also succeeded in organizing themselves to put the subject closest to their hearts on the public agenda.
- Despite this success, the adult’s response to this collective action has not been without scorn and contempt.
While the Covid 19 crisis has precipitated the end of this movement, it has also heightened the pressure to take back control of our ecological and climatic destiny. Once again, this was not lost on young people, who began to dream of the “World After”. What a disillusion! Not to mention the pathologies that have arisen as a result of successive confinements. Their mental health was seriously affected.
It must be said that the environmental issue is far from being the only one that concerns young people. I could mention, one by one, the many difficulties facing citizens in general and young people in particular, but there’s no point in making an inventory…
Let's get straight to the point and talk about today! Because, I have to admit, the timing intrigues me.
Because media excess, fake news and its consequences – the rapid spread of fear and anger – have long been blind spots, my team and I have had to work hard over the years to explain what “Le Projet Imagine” is and what it is for :
restore confidence (in oneself, in others, in the future) and thus promote the emergence of a culture of commitment, solidarity and peace.
Just when it seems that the mission of our NGO is finally being understood and shared, the shadow of obscurantism resurfaces in spectacular way. As for the degradation of political discourse, it seems to me to have reached its apogee in the thunderous way, on both sides of the Atlantic, of waving the specter of a 3rd World War!
These adults, who pride themselves so much on being rational, dare to trample on the lessons of history, international law and democratic values in order to put raw violence back on the table.
From now on, there can be little doubt that most of the resources that should be mobilized first and foremost for the common good, especially education and ecological transition, will be redirected towards the purchase of military equipment.
Imperialism, war economy and power relations… This is the answer that adults are sending to the faces of young people who are already so shaken up !
In the face of this madness, I think of our “Imagine Heroes”. As you know, the adjective that probably defines them best is: HUMBLES.
Let’s remember that the etymology of the word “humility” takes us back to the earth, to “humus“. So these men and women who are guided by the truth of their hearts never lose their footing and remain firmly anchored in reality. They, who are all too easily dismissed as “soft dreamers”, appear more consistent and balanced than these greedy, belligerent individuals. The young are watching us, and the time will come when they will judge us.
So yes, as you can imagine, on this anniversary, I'm not in the mood to celebrate.
Throughout these 15 years, my team and I have so often been amazed by our heroes of course, but also by the students and teachers who have placed their trust in us by embarking on the adventure of our educational programs.
- How could you not be delighted to hear these words from a little girl who took part in our “Imagine School Program” in a primary school in Lille? “We realised that there was a human warmth in everyone; we learned things about each other that we didn’t even know they thought!”
- And what can we say about the schoolchildren who exclaim: “It’s so much better when there’s more than one of us! There were all these heads to think and help each other. Everyone had a role to play, and it was cooperative on all sides. Like the hummingbird, we did our bit.”
- The teachers’ feedback is equally inspiring. Here’s just one example of the incredible Imagine dynamic set in motion in a middle-school class: “In the action phase, it was exceptional. It was like they were living their dreams! They had the incredible power to create something with their words and emotions. This is a testament to the power of opening up our practices and embracing new approaches. This is what moral and civic education is all about: opening up to the outside world, to their society and to teamwork.”
- I have to admit that when we discovered the projects set up by the pupils from a Bangladeshi slum who had attended our workshops, we were so impressed that we almost burst into tears! These incredible children, aged between 8 and 12, who live in great poverty, have taken on such meaningful topics as the sanitation of their living environment, the preservation of drinking water and the forced marriage of young girls.
These are just a few examples that show us that a world of gentleness and harmony, is possible.
Life is not a resource to be plundered, a simple management of interests, an Excel spreadsheet, a cynical haggle or a deal… Life is a mystery to be tasted, shared, embraced, cherished and IMAGINED… together… ”
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Founded in 2010 by journalist Frédérique Bedos, the NGO of information « Le Projet Imagine » aims to create a movement of citizen commitment with a view to a more inclusive and sustainable society.
Convinced that everyone can activate their power to make the world a better place, it raises public awareness through inspiring films and involves the public in action-oriented programs that are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals as defined by the United Nations.These programs are deployed in schools and increasingly in companies, cities and prisons.
Since 2017 « Le Projet Imagine » is officially recognized by the United Nations.
