Newly elected members of the territorial youth council

On Thursday October 16 and Friday October 17, students from the island's elementary and middle schools voted to elect their new representatives to the territorial youth council. Ten children won a seat.

The CM2 pupils in their Sainte-Marie classroom in Colombier were shivering with anticipation on Friday October 17. These 24 schoolchildren - two are absent - are about to vote for the first time for the person who will represent them on the territorial youth council (CTJ). A big responsibility. The children listen with interest to the voting instructions given by elected representative David Blanchard and their teacher Cécile Tessier. "You need to take several pieces of paper to the polling booth, so that no one knows which names you're putting in the envelope," says the teacher, for example.

"The CTJ is partly renewed every year," says Bettina Cointre, elected member of the community and teacher at Sainte-Marie, who was also present on Friday. In 2025, that means 10 new members out of 19. Five candidates are campaigning in the Colombier school. But only two will win the election, as a CM2 pair will be elected in each elementary school. Except in Gustavia, which is entitled to three seats. The Collège Mireille Choisy also appoints three representatives in 5th grade. Their term of office is two years.

Fourth edition of the council
"A vote! "The young citizens take turns in front of the ballot box held by David Blanchard. Standing nearby, Bettina Cointre observes the electoral merry-go-round. This is the fourth CTJ," says the teacher. Since its creation in 2022, we've been able to implement a number of exciting projects. "These include board game afternoons, meetings with the elderly at EHPAD, the trampoline area in Saint-Jean...

It's already time to count the votes. The students count the number of envelopes and applaud each time a candidate receives a vote. Verdict: "Inès Soubdhan, with 19 votes, and Marley Poujol, with 22 votes," announces Bettina Cointre. The room explodes with joy. A few disappointed tears also flow, quickly dried up when Cécile Tessier explains the role of the deputy.

For Lorient elementary school, the elected representatives are Elliot Roblin and Louise Soubira. At the Gustavia school group, they are Zélie Vaque Li, Fabio Troncale and Théïs Avignon. Finally, at the Mireille Choisy middle school, the representatives are Noémie Bourgeois, Nathanaël Basset and Enzo Husson.