“Our inner fors”, a project to free the speech of teenagers from pain

If teenagers in pain found their words? This is the goal of the project “Our inner forces”, led by La Minoterie at the hospital of La Chartreuse with the support of Francetelevisions.

“I suggest you make a writing game: I will give you a theme, you have two minutes to find all the words related to it” explained playwright Antonio Carmona. Facing him, this Monday afternoon, the six teenagers immediately leaned into their notebooks.

Alex, Louane and Gray are not at school but at the Adosoins unit of La Chartreuse, in Dijon. They participated in an expression project, called “Our inner fors”, organized by the association La Minoterie, which runs from November to June 2023. Thirteen teenagers, aged 14 to 18, will discover theatrical expression .

I’m here to introduce them to writing-games, writing-pleasure, writing-joy!

Antonio Carmona, playwright for young people

Antonio Carmona was the first to intervene: “I work with them on autofiction. They have to write freely and I insist that they break away from school and not worry about spelling.” This is a real challenge for these young people in severe psychological suffering, who are often absent from school. The young author, former animator, trained in the art of clowning, dreams of discovering them “writing-game, writing-pleasure, writing-joy”.

After the 8 hour workshop, writing and speaking are free. Gray explained “It feels good to escape through writing. I want to but I’m not very comfortable with it.”

Although volunteering is required, project participation is an important part of care. Emilie Longueville, Adosoins’ expert service teacher, has already noticed the changes: “There were those who didn’t want to read their writings in front of others, went to the workshop backwards. Now, they all participated. They all found a passage they were proud of while pride was complicated for them!”

I know that, in everyday life, writing consoles.

Antonio Carmona, author of children’s theater

Louane, very shy, volunteered to participate in this workshop: “It’s good that we’re allowed to write and express ourselves. When I left here, it got a little better!” he admitted shyly.

At the end of the session, Antonio Carmona from Nîmes read some excerpts from his plays, published by Editions théâtrales. He shares his universe, he who speaks “of sad or taboo subjects by trying to put a touch of humor and brightness.”

This week, he collects the notebooks of the thirteen participants to “organize” them and clean them on the computer. He will return at the end of January to discuss this with the youth.

“Our inner strength” teenagers are accompanied until June 2023. The texts will be formatted and published in the form of a collection. They will also be shown and voiced with the participation of their authors: “In March, we planned a scenographic installation that would take extracts from their texts, designed by the young people together with the Lower floor collective” explained Inti Beziade-Queille, development manager at La Minoterie youth performance hall.

In June, the amateur theater troupe for teenagers, led by director Marion Chobert, will perform excerpts on stage: “NWe are convinced that their texts have a universal scope. If these young people cannot make the scene, for many reasons, it is important that their peers say what is in their hearts” complete Inti Beziade-Queille.

The association project la Minoterie is part of twenty-eight initiatives supported by the Engagement Media Foundation for young people, born at the end of 2019, of which the Francetélévisions group is a part.

All these associations intervene to promote oral and written expression or editorial production. They offer young people in vulnerable situations, ages 14 to 35, the opportunity to develop eloquence, to tame words or make videos.

In 2020-2021, 5,100 young people took part in programs supported across France.

One core principle guides the Foundation’s support: help young people in vulnerable situations regain their voice and master their expression.

They are the citizens of tomorrow and the public service mission of Francetélévisions, our mission, is precisely to give voice to the citizens.