84

This article describes the ongoing experience with the setting for the protection of minors which is in place in the Massé Trévidy Foundation (in the department of Finistère). A certain assumption underlies the reforms which have been undertaken, i.e., that the behavior of the youth who overwhelm our organizations and the emergence of the new catch-all category “non-integrable” suggest that the proposed responses are inadequate, and call into question our organizations’ capacity to institute change. Stating the problem and being aware of its uniqueness assumes the idea of organizational models, centered on life stages, open to possibilities and capable of accepting whatever cannot be circumscribed. The concept of a setting, and the quality of the regulations, are reminiscent of an image of the organization as a network, understood more in terms of the interactions which it authorizes than by the assertion of a specialized activity, centered on an establishment or a service. Owing to the development of a Long-term Contract on Aims and Means, the involvement of the parties concerned, and above all the youth and their families, too often left out, were thought through. An approach emphasizing participation, partnership and humanism contributes to socio-cultural integration, reinforces its legitimacy and position, and contributes to making the social intervention based on multiple engagements more coherent.