Non-use of International Mobility among Less Privileged Young People

If allowing young people with fewer opportunities to access international mobility outside the school system is an important political objective at the European and national level, it does not yet seem to have been reached in France. Based on a qualitative study conducted by INJEP, this article shows the obstacles – stemming from representations, norms or institutional mechanisms – present in social and professional integration structures which are frontline advisors in these young people’s mobility. These obstacles can lead to cases of “non-use” due to “non-proposition”, which is particularly regrettable given the significations this kind of experience can have for young people, who see them as an opportunity to shape themselves as autonomous beings, free to make their own choices and to decide which direction they will pursue.