Laïcité, une histoire partagée

with the PJJ

From December 9, 2025, to February 2, 2026, the National School for Juvenile Justice Protection (ENPJJ) in Roubaix will host the exhibition and presentation Laïcité, une histoire partagée (Secularism: A Shared History) , the first part of an artistic and educational project centered on the values of secularism and cultural rights.

Developed as part of a artistic Support Mission (MiAA), this project brought together 62 young people supported by the Judicial Youth Protection teams, from various regions of the Hauts-de-France. From March through October 2025, they were invited to explore photography as a tool for observation, expression, and dialogue, closely tied to their experiences, perceptions, and questions about living together.

The workshops were led by photographers Sidonie Hadoux, Cédric Gerbehaye, Benoît Labourdette, and Charles Thiéfaine, organized by the Institut pour la photographie and the Hors-Cadre association, with support from the DRAC Hauts-de-France. Through a variety of techniques—portraits, staged scenes, and the use of light—the young participants explored what it means to have the freedom to believe, not to believe, and to coexist in a shared space.

The exhibition at ENPJJ showcases a selection of these photographic works. It presents a variety of perspectives that explore secularism as a lived and debated reality. This exhibition serves as an internal showcase for the school’s students as well as professionals in the field.

“Laïcité, une histoire partagée” is conceived as the first phase of a long-term project. A second phase, intended this time for a public presentation, will be unveiled in the fall of 2026, continuing the discussions on photography as a space for civic expression and the collective construction of perspective.