For three years, the collective share of the Culture pass, usually reserved for middle and high schools, has been extended to 135 Marseille nursery and elementary schools, often located in Rep or Rep+. Endowed with 600,000 euros per year, the experiment makes it possible to identify cultural gaps in the field and respond to them.
“The earlier the awareness of culture occurs, the better.“, insists Laurence Tison-Vuillaume, in post since March 2025. His day in Marseille began with an inventory of fixtures with the educational teams, the State, the City and cultural actors, before a meeting with elected officials for culture and education, then a visit “the essential“Maupetit bookstore, on the Canebiere. The book remains, according to her, “a story of the heart” you pass.
The rise of culture
In Marseille schools, the president proudly cites the radio and journalism workshops at Saint-Jérôme-des-Lilas, or the work around the orchestra at Busserine. Projects that illustrate an established dynamic, driven by living artistic practices. At the head, the theater, the most popular sector.
For Laurence Tison-Vuillaume, Marseille embodies this rise in power. The number of cultural actors mobilized there increased from 400 to 710. On a national scale, the Culture pass claims 5 million young people affected, 4.2 million students affected by the school component in 2024-2025 and 46,000 partners. In Paca, 90% of young people aged 18 use it.
According to the president and the educational teams, this experimentation also promotes fundamentals, concentration and teamwork. One way, according to her, “to further open students to the world.“
Breaking down the barriers
One question remains: does the Culture Pass really affect all young people? In Marseille, nearly 30% of beneficiaries live in priority neighborhoods, compared to 10% nationally, and one in two young people live in a remote area.
For the president, the challenge is to make visible “local cultural information“. Même si”culture with a capital C can be scary“, she admits, the role of the pass is to “break this barrier“.
Hence the importance of mediation, offers close to residents – from large institutions to neighborhood festivals – and recommendations between young people: “Look, go ahead! It’s for you.” she imitates. Lack of information, social representations, perceived price or mobility, however, remain obstacles. The cohort study planned by the end of the experiment will have to measure the real impact on this “génération pass Culture“.
