Jeunesse Etudiante Chrétienne, more commonly called the JEC, is a worldwide francophone

Francophone

The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....

 group of young Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 students. This article concerns the history, structure and organisation of the JEC in France.

History

Created in 1929, as part of the Catholic social movement, the JEC was formed by students from the ACJF (Association Catholique de la Jeunesse Française) wishing to minister to other catholic students. The movement organised specialist branches. In 1935 the JEC,opposed Nazism and grew rapidly: in 1936, their first national convention had 4000 participants.

The JEC was a significant operator in the French resistance during WWII and continued to play a role in French political life until the 1960s. JEC members included numerous members of the resistance, politicians, media and university people, among them: Jacques Delors

Jacques Delors

Jacques Lucien Jean Delors is a French economist and politician, the eighth President of the European Commission and the first person to serve three terms in that office .-French Politics:...

, Pascal Lamy

Pascal Lamy

Pascal Lamy is the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, a French political advisor, a businessman, and a former European Commissioner for Trade...

, Joseph Fontanet

Joseph Fontanet

Joseph Fontanet was a French politician.He was first elected to Parliament in 1956 as MP for Savoie. In his 17 years in Parliament he held various cabinet positions including Health, Labour and Employment, and trade and industry. He succeeded Bernard Chenot, one of the first openly gay officials...

, Gilbert Dru, Pierre Alviset, René Rémond

René Rémond

-Biography:Born in Lons-le-Saunier, Rémond was the Secretary General of Jeunesses étudiantes Catholiques and a member of the International YCS Center of Documentation and Information in Paris, presently the International Secretariat of International Young Catholic Students The author of books on...

, André de Péretti, Patrick Viveret, Pierre Rosanvallon

Pierre Rosanvallon

Pierre Rosanvallon is a French intellectual and historian, named professor at the Collège de France in 2001. He holds there the chair in the modern and contemporary history of the political. His works are dedicated to the history of democracy, French political history, the role of the state and...

, Geneviève Latreille, Antoine Spire, Jean-Pierre Sueur

Jean-Pierre Sueur

Jean-Pierre Sueur is a member of the Senate of France, representing the Loiret department. He is a member of the Socialist Party.-References:*...

, Georges Montaron, Christophe Hondelatte

Christophe Hondelatte

Christophe Hondelatte is a French television and radio host.In 1984, Christophe Hondelatte graduated from the Institute of Political Studies of Bordeaux.....

, Claude-François Jullien, Roger-Henri Guerrand, Renaud Sainsaulieu

Renaud Sainsaulieu

Renaud Sainsaulieu was a French sociologist specializing in the sociology of organizations. He was noted for promoting sociology outside academia...

, Jean-Marie Vincent, Jean-Yves Le Drian

Jean-Yves Le Drian

Jean-Yves Le Drian is a socialist French politician born in Lorient, Morbihan.Le Drian is a member of the Socialist Party of France. He was a member of the French National Assembly for Morbihan from 1978 to 1993 and again from 1997 until June 2007...

, and Jacques Bugnicourt.

In the 1960s the JEC denounced torture and the French government's fighting against Algerian independence. This caused tensions with the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

in France. As a result, in 1965, the Church removed its mandate from the association. This engagement with the church lead to schism within the JEC, which lasted until the reconstruction in the 1980s.

Today

Today the JEC continues its evangelistic mission amongst its members. Their objectives are to make students more aware of their social responsibilities and to help them maintain their faith. The JEC encourages its members to work for social change in their own environement.