“The prevention battalions,” this is the name of the new social mediation system that has been implemented in 47 neighborhoods across France, including two in Nice: Ariane and Les Moulins.
Last Friday, the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, his deputy Anthony Borrรฉ, and the Minister Delegate for the City, Nadia Hai, came to present and then sign this new system in the Ariane neighborhood.
This new system, the “prevention battalions,” complements the nighttime social mediation project that Christian Estrosi had already implemented in early 2021. It allows for the establishment of social mediation and specialized prevention to support young people aged 12-25 in their social integration, particularly through education, employment, and training, while preventing acts of violence and delinquency. This system is deployed during non-conventional hours, in the evenings and on weekends.
Nadia Hai, Minister Delegate for the City (center left), Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice (center right), and Jennifer Salles-Barbosa, Deputy Mayor of Nice in charge of solidarity (right). Friday, February 18, 2022.
After taking the time to visit the residents of Ariane as well as the carnival-goers present as part of the neighborhood carnival, in his speech presenting the system, the mayor of Nice wanted to thank Karim Ben Ahmed, municipal councilor and president of the ADAM association, which will lead the implementation of the “prevention battalions” in the Ariane and Les Moulins sectors, who “represents the face of these neighborhoods in the noble sense of the term, where diversity is a richness.”
The mayor of Nice had expressed his desire for the urban and social renewal of the most fragile territories, particularly by improving the tranquility and quality of life of their inhabitants, a point on which Nadia Hai elaborated at length during her speech before signing the system.
“The attractiveness of a neighborhood also lies in its tranquility because the first victims of insecurity are the residents who live there,” she declared, “believing a lot in this mediation offer that we propose to young people who often find themselves losing direction, lacking perspective.”
“Our goal of saving the youth of the neighborhoods cannot ultimately be achieved without a collective effort between the State and local communities. This is why I am here today in Nice, to commend the action undertaken by local elected officials and to show how the State knows how to contribute to the magnitude of the phenomena of delinquency and various trafficking,” Nadia Hai, Minister Delegate for the City.
