History of the MIJE association

The MIJE association, which is recognised as being of public utility, was founded in the Paris suburbs after the Second World War. Teachers from the Sarcelles secondary school and the Ezanville youth centre had an original idea: to take the school out of the school. They introduced new ideas about education into their thinking: the discovery of the world and of others, which also helped to shape minds and awaken curiosity. During the holidays, they organised the first school trips to Greece, the cradle of European culture. The success of these trips and the desire to increase their number among the greatest number of people led to the desire to structure the movement by transforming it. In 1958, these precursors naturally formed a non-profit association under the law of 1901 to provide an educational and cultural framework for these youth trips. This was the beginning of the adventure that still exists today: the MIJE, Maisons Internationales de la Jeunesse et des Étudiants.

Learn more about the creation of the MIJE association with Pierre Tessier, one of the founders in 1958. (Audio clip in French).