Wednesday night
meetingsThe Conference Olivaint : more than a century of service to youth
The
Conférence Olivaint is an independent youth association, founded in 1875 under
the guidance of Jesuit Fathers, to honour the memory of Father Olivaint. Back
then it served the only purpose of motivating young students to take charitative
action. Some years later, the goals of the association were altered to another
field which, even today, remains the driving force : interest for public life.
Between the two World
Wars, the Olivaint became a meeting point for people as different politically
as Georges Bidault, Pierre Mendès France and Robert Schuman...
In 1968, Hervé de Charette
(who would later become Foreign Minister) served as the President of the Alumni
while Laurent Fabius (Prime Minister from 1984 to 1986 and current Minister
of Finance) served as President of the "Branche Jeunes". Under their
leadership the Conference abandoned its formal ties with the Catholic community.
Throughout time Conférence Olivaint has played a role in the exchange between
the present leaders and Youth. It has been a melting pot for discussion for
Young Europeans well before the birth of the European Community with the annual
summer sessions of Conférence Olivaint members and foreign guests held at Port-Clos
in the Var which more recently has evolved into the Summer University. Conférence
Olivaint contributes to today's "fad word", globalisation through
our relationship with our six foreign partners.
Today the Conférence Olivaint comprising approximately 50 members between 20 and 30 years old, each of whom shares a profound interest for public life and politics. It serves the purpose of political education for French students from the Grandes Ecoles and Universités as well as their foreign counterparts who are sejourning in France and offers a wide array of opportunities to participate. The range of activities encompasses weekly meetings, work in Commissions as well as educational trips within France and abroad, a Summer University and a Symposia. In one way or another, each of these programs is related to past or present events.
Wednesday night
meetings
Traditionally,
the Conférence’s core activity is its weekly meetings. Every Wednesday, from
October until June, our association invites a prominent member of the French
or International political, economic or intellectual scene
TAKE
A LOOK AT THE LAST GUEST SPEAKERS OF THE CONFERENCE OLIVAINT ...
The meeting, in a Parisian reception hall, lasts for about two hours. Access is limited to members and their guests. In order to maintain the private character of the discussions, journalists are not admitted. At the outset of each reception, at 8 p.m., two contradictory presentations are given by members of the association. Usually, they cover the topic subsequently addressed by the guest speaker. At 8.30 p.m., the association’s President welcomes the audience. Afterwards, another member introduces the guest, who then stears the debate by giving a 20 minute presentation on a topic of his choice. Usually, the topic is related to the speaker’s function or a current issue.
Following the presentation, the President opens discussion to the floor. Being debates rather than lectures, these meetings provide unique opportunities for an exchange of arguments with experts in various fields of public life. Conférence Olivaint hosts a unique opportunity whereupon the young and career professionnals can learn from each other.
Membership
in the Conférence Olivaint
Membership in the Conférence Olivaint usually oscillates around a 100, it may never exceed a total of 150 members. Most members are still students although some have already entered the professional world. The great majority of them has received an education at one of the Grandes Écoles. Membership in the Conférence’s ´Branche Jeune´ is limited to three years where upon a successful selection process the candidate may join the alumni association. Due to this time limit, one third of the association’s members is "renewed" annually with new members joining at any moment during the year.
In order to become a member some prerequisites need to be fulfilled. Having attended some Wednesday night meetings a prospective candidate contacts the member in charge of co-optation. A meeting will be set up. During this meeting representatives from the committee "le bureau" will judge the candidate’s motivation, his political interest as well as his commitment to respect the Olivaint´s main values, tolerance and courtesy.
THE CONFERENCE OLIVAINT’S ACTIVITIES
Our
travels
Every year, the Branche Jeune of the Conférence Olivaint organises two trips. One to a French region (Gers in the South-West of France in 1998/99, Corsica this year) and one week abroad during the Easter holidays under the patronage of the French Foreign Ministry (Israel in1997/98, the Unites States of America in 1998/9 and Great Britain in 2000/01). These trips provide our members with opportunities to get better acquainted to the way French institutions work on a regional basis, to discover other countries´ political systems and meet with foreign leaders.
The Commissions
They play a decisive role in the life of our association. The commissions are installed as the result of single member’s initiatives. They function independently from the bureau. There usually are 6 commissions: Politics, Economy, International Affairs, Religion and Politics, Legislation and Constitutional Reforms, Oratory training. Each of the Commission gathers about 15 members addressing topics related to public life. The Commissions offer a framework for analysis and discussion in their fields of specialisation. They meet twice a month, sometimes inviting a guest speaker. In June they publish and present in the results of the work that has been accomplished throughout the year.
Oratory
training sessions
The Conférence Olivaint also offers its members training in public speaking. Not only by presenting the guest or performing an oratory "joute" but specific meetings are set aside. Under the guidance of the barrister Maître Olivier Schnerb, Olivaint´s members often take the opportunity to speak in front of other members of the association. M. Schnerb provides personalised comments on the performance of each member as well as useful advise on good handling of public speaking.
The
Symposium and the Summer University
Every
year, the Olivaint organises a symposium and invites various guests to discuss
a given topic.
This year, the subject will be " Politic as a drug ? " and will take
place at the Assemblée
Nationale, on the 22th march 2003.
In 2002, our symposium was organised at the Assemblée Nationale and covered
the topic of "Environment and Politics". The last two year's themes
have been "Humour and Politics"and "Art and Politics."
The
Summer University is the the final event of the year.
The third Summer Academy 2002 was organised in Paris and monitored by the Conférence
Olivaint de France.
The attendees were coming from numbers of countries in Europe but also in the
world. A Final
Declaration was
set up from conferences and works and a new partnership was built, which
name is POLITEIA, including all the association
abroad :
· Conférence Olivaint de France
· Studentenforum im Tönissteiner Kreis e.V. of Germany
·
Conferencia Mariano Otero of Mexico
· Conférence Olivaint de Belgique (1)
· Foro Generacion del 78 of Spain
· Union Méditerranéenne, Italian branch
· European Centre of Youth Cooperation of Warsaw University of Poland
· Pro Democracy Association of Romania
· Hungarian Political Science Association - Youth Section of Hungary
· European Circle of Croatia
· Euroidea of Bulgaria
Last
year’s Summer University was located at the castle of Blackensee on the outskirts
of Berlin. Our
hosts were the Studentenforum im Tönissteiner Kreis. Between the 19th and
25th of August students from the Studentforum, Conférence Olivaint,
Conférence Olivaint Belgique, Foro Generacion del 78, the Polish ZSP and the
Oxford Union. The participants met with local political figures and discuss
several topics concerning the theme "The United States of Europe - Formation
of Post-national Identity on the Continent of the Nation State." In 1998
a bilateral summer academy between Conférence Olivaint and the Oxford Union
was held at Oxford.
The
Newspaper
The Olivaint publishes an internal newspaper entitled `Le Monde Selon l´Olivaint´. Here, members have the opportunity to write articles, mostly related to their work in the commissions. The opinions voiced in the newspaper are free and only engage their authors. This publication serves as a tie between members and is under the authority of the Rédacteur en chef.
The
Olivaint abroad
The Conférence Olivaint has for many years developed and cultured strong ties with foreign universities and associations. Among them :
The
Conférence Olivaint de Belgique
:
It was created 50 years ago and has the same framework as the Conférence Olivaint in France. Exchanges between the two associations have developed over the past three years, in 1997 we paid a visit to Brussels. Conférence Olivaint's annual trip this August is to Cuba.
The
Conférence Mariano Otero in Mexico :
Membership in the Conférence Olivaint in France offers de facto a membership in this youth association for political education. This Conférence was founded a few years ago in Mexico thanks to the initiative of one of our former members. The Olivaint’s trip to Mexico in 1994 provided an opportunity for a reinforced co-operation and partnership with our Mexican friends.
The
Oxford Union Society
:
"One of the last remaining bastions of freedom of speech in the Western World." Harold Macmillan, Former British Prime Minister.
Several agreements have been signed, the first in 1991 with this prestigious association. In June 1998, the Olivaint’s Summer University took place in Oxford and meetings with members of the Oxford Union Society were organised. With this year's Conférence Olivaint's foreign visit to London and Oxford more debating is to come.
The Studentenforum
im Tönissteiner Kreis
:
The Young branch of the Tönissteiner Kreis (TSK), the Studentforum was founded in November 1999 under the auspices of the TSK and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft. In May 2000 a bilateral agreement between Conférence Olivaint (Jeunes et Anciens) and the TSK and the Studentforum was signed in Paris. The TSK is a network that supports students who aspire to private and public service international careers permitting an exchange of experience and contacts. The TSK aim is to replenish a shortage of young Germans in international posts due to the post-war era.
The
International Student Committed of Saint Gallen
:
Ties with this association helped the Conférence Olivaint develop its contacts on the other bank of the Rhine river. Every year, some of our members happily participate in the symposium organised in Saint Gallen.
Foro
Generacion del 78
:
Founded in 1998 the society is based on the same principles as Conférence Olivaint. This year we welcome their Vice-President to the Conférence as he is an Erasmus law student. Plans are afoot for our first bilateral agreement.
Among our past members of the Conférence ...
ATTALI Jacques
(Senior Member of the Council of
State, former advisor to President MITTERRAND)
d’AUBERT
François
(former Minister, Member of Parliament)
BARNIER
Michel
(former Minister and MP, EU Commissioner
for Regional Policy and Institutional Reform)
BELORGEY
Jean-Michel
(Senior Member of the Council of
State)
BLANCKAERT
Christian
(Mayor, Chief Executive Officer of
Hermès-Sellier)
BON
Michel
(Chief Executive Officer of France
Télécom)
BOURLANGES
Jean-Louis
(University Professor, Member of
the European Parliament)
CASANOVA
Jean-Claude
(Economist, University Professor)
CHARASSE
Michel
(former Minister, Senator)
de CHARETTE Hervé
(former Foreign Affairs Minister,
Member of Parliament)
CHEVALIER
Alain
(former Chief Executive Officer of
Moët et Chandon and Balmain)
CHEVENEMENT
Jean-Pierre
(Minister of Interior)
DENIAU
Jean-François
(former Minister)
FABIUS
Laurent
(former Prime Minister, former President
of the Assemblée Nationale, Finance Minister)
HADAS-LEBEL
Raphaël
(Senior Member of the Council of
State, University Professor)
HUPPERT Elisabeth
(former Minister, Member of Parliament)
JAFFRE
Jérôme
(Chief Executive Officer of SOFRES)
JEANCOURT-GALIGNANI
Antoine
(Chief Executive Officer of Assurances Générales
de France)
JEANNENEY
Jean-Noël
(former Minister, Historian)
LORENTZ
Francis
(University Professor)
MAUS
Didier
(University Professor)
MITTERRAND Frédéric
(Historian and TV show Producer)
OCKRENT
Christine
(Journalist)
ORSENNA Erik
(Writer, Journalist)
PERBEN Dominique
(former Minister, Member of Parliament)
PFLIMLIN Etienne
(Chief Executive Officer of Crédit
Mutuel bank - CIC)
VAUZELLE Michel
(former Minister, President of Regional
Council, Member of Parliament)