Education of bodies in the Chantiers de la Jeunesse (1940–1944): From discourse to reality

The Chantiers de la Jeunesse embodied Vichy’s plan to train a new generation of young people. Implemented in July 1940 by Pétain, their aim was to provide additional moral and physical education to French 20-year-olds living in the free zone. This ambition was reflected in the presence of various educational references, such as Hébert’s Méthode naturelle and Scout education, giving the Chantiers an innovative character through a form of pedagogical syncretism. The education of these young people’s bodies, central to the Vichy educational doctrine, took the form of outdoor camps, formative manual labor, and daily physical activities. However, according to the archives, these educational intentions came up against several realities: a lack of equipment, a shortage of instructors to supervise these activities, tiring work, and finally a form of hostility on the part of the young people mobilized to take part in these physical activities.