Unis-Cité

Unis-Cité is a French non-profit association (association loi de 1901) founded in 1994 and widely recognized as the pioneer of civic service (Service Civique) for young people in France. It was created by three French students at ESSEC — Marie Trellu-Kane, Julie Chénot and Anne-Claire Pache — together with Lisbeth Shepherd, a young American Yale graduate. Inspired by international youth service programmes such as City Year in the United States, they designed a new form of voluntary national civic service: a full-time commitment of at least six months during which young people from diverse backgrounds serve the community together while gaining experience, skills and a sense of engagement. The association began its operations in 1995 in the Île-de-France region, recruiting its first 24 volunteers for a nine-month period. Over the following decade, supported by companies and local authorities but without regular state funding, Unis-Cité worked on two fronts: refining and implementing its youth civic service model, and advocating the idea of civic service to French political and business leaders and the general public. The concept gained public recognition in 2005 when President Jacques Chirac launched the Service Civil Volontaire, and was further strengthened in 2010 when Parliament adopted the law creating the modern Service Civique, with Unis-Cité as a privileged partner of the State and local authorities in its deployment. Today Unis-Cité is present in more than 100 sites across metropolitan France and Réunion. It mobilizes young people for two main types of civic service missions: large national missions addressing major societal causes, and local projects responding to priority social needs. The association is also active in advocacy, training, mentoring and impact measurement, and it regularly publishes reports and position papers. Its volunteers are aged 16 to 25 (or up to 30 for those with disabilities), commit between 25 and 35 hours per week for 6 to 12 months, and receive an indemnity of about €600 per month. Unis-Cité remains a non-profit, non-listed organization, and in 2026 it entered a new chapter as its co-founder stepped down from the presidency.

Unis-Cité was born from the meeting of four young women in 1994: Lisbeth Shepherd, a 23-year-old American Yale graduate, and Marie Trellu-Kane, Julie Chénot and Anne-Claire Pache, all finishing their studies at ESSEC business school in France. Inspired by the concept of civil service developed in the United States by the association City Year (founded in 1988), which had served as a model for President Bill Clinton's AmeriCorps federal programme launched in 1993, they decided to experiment with a new form of voluntary national civic service in France. They chose the name "Unis-Cité" meaning "Tous unis dans la Cité" (all united in the city) and the colour orange for its energy. The statutes of Unis-Cité, a non-profit association under the French law of 1901, were filed with the prefecture in 1994. The association truly began its action in 1995 in the Île-de-France region, recruiting its first 24 young volunteers for a nine-month period. Between 1995 and 2005, supported by companies and local authorities but without regular state funding, Unis-Cité worked on two fronts: developing and implementing its youth civic service model, and spreading the idea of civic service among French decision-makers — particularly in politics and business — and the general public. In 2005, following the riots in French suburbs, President Jacques Chirac launched the Service Civil Volontaire (SCV). This first step in public recognition of the scheme gave young volunteers a legal status and social coverage, and brought funding for SCV operators. Like other organizations, Unis-Cité worked with state services for effective implementation. However, due to insufficient state funding, the SCV quickly plateaued at 2,500 engaged young people, far from the 50,000 announced by the head of state. In 2009, President Nicolas Sarkozy decided to create a "real civic service" and entrusted the task to Martin Hirsch, appointed High Commissioner for Active Solidarity against Poverty. The law was adopted by Parliament on 9 March 2010 almost unanimously. It improved and strengthened the 2005 text, notably by simplifying the administrative management of volunteers; it also provided funding to effectively mobilize 10,000 young people in the first year and set a timetable for scaling up. During this period, Unis-Cité grew from 180 young people annually in ten French cities to 1,300 young people in thirty cities. Between 2011 and 2014, the number of young people in service each year rose to 35,000 nationally and to 1,850 at Unis-Cité. In early 2015, President François Hollande, who had already taken measures to develop civic service since his election, announced after the January attacks against Charlie Hebdo and the Hyper Cacher store his desire to make it "universal" — accessible to all young people who wish to commit, as Unis-Cité had requested for twenty years. At the 20th anniversary of Unis-Cité, the head of state specified that the service would not be mandatory, but that "what will be mandatory is that the State provides a civic service to all those who want it." The objective was then to reach 250,000 volunteers in 2016. Since 2006, Unis-Cité has collaborated with sociologist Valérie Becquet, professor at the University of Cergy-Pontoise, the ESSEC Social Entrepreneurship Chair and the EHESP in Rennes, to conduct an annual survey of its volunteers. Three questionnaires are given to young people at the beginning and end of their civic service and six months later, to understand their reasons for engaging, their evolution during service and their subsequent paths. The surveys show high satisfaction: 93% say they are very (62%) or fairly (31%) satisfied with their service; 89% think the civic service had a positive or rather positive effect on them; 49% feel they gained personal maturity; 81% say they developed their adaptability. At the end of their service, 82% of volunteers say they have a clearer idea of their professional project, of whom 72% consider it is thanks to the civic service. Finally, between four and eight years after their service (survey conducted at the end of 2014), 60% have a job, 36% are in training and 14% are looking for a job. Today Unis-Cité is present in more than 100 sites in metropolitan France and Réunion. It mobilizes young people for two types of civic service missions: large national missions addressing major societal causes, and local projects responding to priority social needs. The association is a privileged partner of the State and local authorities in deploying the Service Civique, and it regularly conducts advocacy actions, convinced that civic service should be part of the life path of all young people, wherever they come from and whatever their future plans. In February 2026, the co-founder left the presidency, opening a new chapter, and Thierry Sibieude was appointed President of the Orientation and Supervisory Council.

• 2026

  Co-founder leaves the presidency; Thierry Sibieude appointed President of the Orientation and Supervisory Council.

• 2015

  President François Hollande announces the goal of universal civic service at Unis-Cité's 20th anniversary.

• 2011

  Unis-Cité grows to 1,300 young people annually in thirty cities; national numbers reach 35,000 by 2014.

• 2010

  Parliament adopts the law creating the modern Service Civique on 9 March, with Unis-Cité as a key partner.

• 2005

  President Jacques Chirac launches the Service Civil Volontaire (SCV), giving legal status to young volunteers.

• 1995

  Association begins operations in Île-de-France, recruiting its first 24 volunteers for nine months.

• 1994

  Statutes of Unis-Cité filed as a non-profit association (loi 1901) by four co-founders.

Pioneer and expert of youth civic service in France, a privileged partner of the State and local authorities, advocating quality civic service for all young people.

• Service Civique missions

  Full-time voluntary civic service of 6 to 12 months, 25-35 hours per week, with a monthly indemnity of about €600.

• National civic service missions

  Missions addressing major societal causes at national scale.

• Local civic service projects

  Projects responding to priority social needs in local communities.

• European Civic Service

  Civic service opportunities with a European dimension.

• Mentoring

  Mentoring programmes for young people.

• Training

  Training courses for volunteers and partners.

1. 1Fais ton service civique avec Unis-Citéuniscite.fr
2. 2Histoire de l'association Unis-Cité - Service civique Unis-Citéuniscite.fr
3. 3[CP] La co-fondatrice d’Unis-Cité quitte sa présidence - l’association pionnière du Service Civique ouvre un nouveau chapitre de son histoireuniscite.fr
4. 4Unis-Cité - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Unis-Cité - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org