On the parade ground, flag raised and Marseillaise sung, the day begins in a solemn setting. “The objective is to immerse young people in a collective experience, to make them concretely understand the role of each person and to make them active participants in their day.“, explains Mr. Meli, deputy head of the National Service and Youth Center in Marseille, avenue de la Corse. Divided into several groups, the 115 participants then follow workshops and role-playing, between laser shooting, role-playing games and French tests.
Because since 2025, Defense and Citizenship Day has evolved. More immersive, more participatory, it aims to “strengthen the will to defend and transmit republican values“, in an international context considered more unstable. Concretely, young people no longer remain spectators, they must think, decide and cooperate.
“I didn’t think I would learn so much”
This is what struck Emma, 18 years old. “Honestly, I didn’t think I would learn this much. The role-playing games allowed me to understand things that I didn’t know at all, particularly about crisis situations and what certain actions are really for.“, she confides….
/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.basketusa.com%2Fmain%2F2026%2F05%2Fhaliburton-22-portrait.jpg "Back in training, Tyrese Haliburton suffers on defense")
