The summer vacation period usually coincides with the return of PhD students and professionals to their home countries. This definitive return is often overseen by associations such as Alé Viré in Martinique, Alé Vini in Guadeloupe, Réunionnais de Retour au Péi in Réunion and Guyane’Envol in Guyana.
These associations generally complement measures taken by local authorities to encourage the return of young graduates and professionals, who are seen as crucial forces in the development of overseas territories.
Mobility, integrated into vocational training, has always played an important role for people from overseas.
In 1963, the Office for Overseas Migration (Bumidom) was created to organize the emigration of thousands of overseas young people to mainland France.
Graffiti on the walls of Guadeloupe and Martinique in 1963 • ©CAP/FB/Alé viré
Subsequently, the National Agency for the Integration and Promotion of Foreign Workers (ANT) was established, which developed an organized channel that allowed trainees to improve their chances of accessing employment. consistent. This structure was then replaced by LADOM (The Overseas Agency for Mobility), whose aim is the economic, social and cultural development of the overseas territories.
Alongside the organized sectors, spontaneous mobility has developed over the years. It is the result of family or friendship solidarity, the collaboration of friends and, above all, the influence of people who have achieved professional success.
The return trend is currently being realized through associations. The term “return to the country” refers to the movement of people who choose to return to their country of origin. These actions are often targeted as the population ages and talented people leave their region in search of better job opportunities and a better quality of life.
Martinique: Association Alé Viré
Slogan of the Alé Viré Association of Martinique • ©Capture Facebook Alé Viré Association
Alé Viré is an association created by Senator Catherine Conconne with the aim of facilitating the return of Martiniquais wishing to return to their country. The main objectives of the association are to counteract the depopulation of Martinique and to promote the attractiveness of the territory. Alé Viré focuses specifically on promoting the return of Martiniquans to their land and their long-term economic and social integration, even after they have been gone for several years.
Senator Catherine Conconne is among those who want to reverse the churn trend. She is convinced that the skills of the Martinicans and the desire to return to the country are felt on a daily basis and that there is a need to create a framework to encourage the return of young people who have left the country to meet their needs To continue studying and to contribute to the fight against the country’s chronic depopulation.
Management team of the association “Alé viré” • ©Cap/FB/Alé viré
Alé Viré acts both as a think tank and as an action group. It covers a wide range of topics including employment, networking, education, family life, connection to the country and Martin identity.
The association recently organized a two-day return-to-the-country event aimed at informing and supporting those wishing to return to Martinique. The event included workshops, lectures and testimonials to educate as many people as possible about the importance of repopulating Martinique. She also put recruiters looking for specific profiles in contact with candidates during a ‘job dating’ event. More than 400 job offers were published in previous editions, which made many candidates who took part happy.
Reunion: Reunionese association back in the Péi
The first show dedicated to the Reunionese returning to the Péi. • ©Nakia Dany
The “Réunionnais de retour au péi” association, created in March 2020 during the lockdown, continued its launch, betting on digital technology and, where possible, offering outings for its members. The past year “Reunionese back to the péi” develops its objectives: to facilitate the return to Réunion by creating a network based on mutual aid and by improving the pool of skills acquired within the framework of mobility. And all this with recourse to his support network. The association is aimed at people who have returned or are planning to return to Reunion Island after a mobility course outside the department.
The second task is to organize friendly and professional events to create a network and participate in promoting the returning Reunionese as an asset to the area. The third mission is to connect locals of the territory who have experienced the return and those who also wish to prepare for the return.
To facilitate this exchange, a self-help group on Facebook called “Rézot” already allows discussions to be started.
Finally, the fourth and final mission is to develop tools! Therefore, the association is behind the initiative of a return laboratory, the aim of which is to investigate and implement solutions to improve return support together with various actors (institutions, associations…).
Guadeloupe: Association “Alé Vini”.
The “Alé Vini Guadeloupe” association, founded in December 2019, aims to combat the depopulation of the territory by encouraging the return of living forces to the country. It is above all a civic approach that wants to gather all the good will, skills and talents to formulate proposals and organize actions aimed at bringing back the living forces to the country.
There is a trend, a current social dynamic. “Alé Vini wants to start a movement of Guadeloupeans to Guadeloupe.
Since 2019, the association has been committed to placing the return to the country at the center of the institutional and political debate. Thanks to the daily exchanges with its members, “Alé Vini Guadeloupe” has built up a solid knowledge of the experiences and difficulties of returning to the country, which allows us to act as a source of proposals with institutional actors.
Guyana: Club: “Guyane’Envol”
Guyan’envol creators Cynthia Sagne and Steevie Kazal • ©Guyan’envol
Founded in 2019 by two young women, Cynthia Sagne and Steevie Kazal, Guyan’Envol is an association that supports young people in building their professional projects through individual and collective mentoring/sponsorship.
Its main objective is to promote mentoring among 15-25 year olds to help them define their educational and professional orientation project and to facilitate their professional integration in Guyana after obtaining a diploma (from bac+3).
Through our network we support young people who want to return to the region. We try to send them job descriptions and employment opportunities. We have also established a Guyanese diaspora network with mentors around the world and students. As soon as we have a need, we revitalize the network to give young people the opportunity to position themselves at the end of their studies. Our goal is to connect with students from the start, keep in touch and encourage them to come back more easily.
Steevie Kazal, one of the founders of Guyan’Envol
In addition to youth development, Guyan’Envol pursues other goals:
- Connecting individuals to promote exchange and collaboration for new initiatives in the educational, scientific, economic, cultural and social fields.
- Offer financial support to natural or legal persons as part of the implementation of association or entrepreneurial projects.
- Encourage private sponsorship to support entrepreneurship.
- Promoting the professional, social and cultural integration of young Guyanese.
State and municipal support
Associations and professional networks play a key role in supporting individuals to plan their return and integrate into the local economic and social fabric. They offer advice, training and networking opportunities
.Municipalities have also created incentives to encourage students to return to their area. Are we now moving towards the introduction of a passport-back-to-the-country system?
A bill to strengthen the principle of territorial continuity was approved unanimously (178 votes in favour) in the National Assembly on June 8, 2023.
©National Assembly Podium • ©AFP
Among other things, this draft law provides for assistance in purchasing airline tickets for professionals living in France who can justify taking up work or the promise of employment in overseas territories. Prerequisite for the granting of this aid is the use of the CIMMs.
Excerpt from the text of the law: “Aid is granted, under conditions established by decree, to active people living in mainland France whose centers of material and moral interests are in Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, in Saint-Martin, Saint -Martin, located in ‑Barthélemy, Saint‑Pierre‑et‑Miquelon, Wallis‑et‑Futuna, French Polynesia or New Caledonia. The purpose is to finance part of the tickets. …
This allowance applies to active people living in mainland France who can justify the creation of an activity or a promise of employment in the areas of activity defined by decree in the communes referred to in the first paragraph.