A new “Lift” for young people
Opened in June 2019, L’Ascenseur [the Lift] is a unique venue in Europe that brings together 20 community organisations and social enterprises promoting equal opportunity. Education, access to employment and the possibility of setting up a business are still largely dependent on young people’s social, geographical, ethnic or cultural origins. L’Ascenseur opened its doors in Paris to make a real difference. Its purpose: support young people who face various kinds of discrimination.
BNP PARIBAS: MAIN CORPORATE PHILANTHROPIST AND FOUNDING SPONSOR
Conceived by Article 1 and designed by Mozaïk RH, two leading organisations in the field of economic and social inclusion, the project was made possible thanks to the decisive support of various business lines at BNP Paribas, the main corporate philanthropist and founding sponsor. In addition to financial support and assistance, BNP Paribas mobilised some thirty managers from various subsidiaries to locate the premises, be lease guarantor, oversee the moving process, identify volunteers and also mobilise its partner network so it could contribute to the collective effort. And many additional employees have personally committed to helping young people with their personal and professional development. L’Ascenseur makes the work of the participating organisations and social enterprises stronger and more visible. Working together, and with contributions from the public and private sectors, they can promote their particular activities and expertise, have a bigger impact and offer a palette of solutions that maximises support for young people. L’Ascenseur members are helping 400,000 young people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain access to education, the world of work as well as sporting and cultural activities that all contribute to their social inclusion. L’Ascenseur is an ambitious endeavour. It unites a community of organisations in the social and solidarity economy (companies, foundations and government) who have decided to join forces to meet today’s social challenges and injustices.
20 community
organisations located in the 2,300 m² building 300 m² (300 m² of collective space, 250 workstations)
More than twenty years of commitment to the social inclusion of young people
BNP Paribas’ commitment to the creation of L’Ascenseur is a continuation of its advocacy for equal opportunity begun more than twenty years ago with the BNP Paribas Foundation and through ambitious programmes such as Projet Banlieues(1) and also those with long-standing partners such as AFEV(2), ADIE(3) and Simplon.co. Today, BNP Paribas has become a fully-fledged player in the ecosystem helping to promote the social inclusion of young people.
(1) The Projet Banlieues seeks to support community organisations that work in high-priority, disadvantaged neighbourhoods (Quartiers Prioritaires de la Politique de la Ville, QPVs) to promote education and social and professional integration
(2) Created in 1991, the Association de la Fondation Étudiante pour la Ville is the largest network of university students providing educational support in disadvantaged neighbourhoods
(3) The Association pour le Droit à l’Initiative Économique finances, advises and supports young entrepreneurs (some of whom have no capital or qualifications) to start and develop a business activity.