They left their corporate jobs in Paris and moved to Calcutta to mentor young adults who are facing exclusion. Meet Charlotte and Alexis Chouteau.

Talking about their decision, Charlotte shares, "After we got married last year, we decided to take a break from our high-paced corporate life and work with the youth. We found out about Life Project 4 Youth (LP4Y) and signed up with the NGO. We were asked to oversee one of the centres in Calcutta."

Charlotte was working as a sales representative in a company that produces cheese, while Alexis was a senior consultant in an IT firm. It has been a dramatic change for the couple - both in their late 20s - who moved from their apartment in Paris to a two-room accommodation at the youth centre in Hossenpur, beside the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in south Calcutta. The NGO has seven centres in India and two of them are in Calcutta. The couple has connected with Calcutta as the city "exudes positive vibes and people are welcoming".

Nurture interests

In France, it was Charlotte's daily routine to interact with distributors, supermarkets and department stores to promote cheese products. "Now I teach young people from 17 to 22 years of age. Besides English, I teach them how to bake and sell their products, hone their entrepreneurial skills. When they arrive at the centre, they do not have a clear idea of what they want from life, we help them nurture their interests," says Charlotte.

Alexis' focus was the retail and fashion industry in France and now he teaches youngsters computer skills as well as road safety. "The young people we coach at the centre are our inspiration and motivate us. They have the will power to face all adversities and improve their lives,'' he says.

While Alexis has taken a year's sabbatical from his company to volunteer in Calcutta, Charlotte has resigned and plans to use this one-year experience to focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR).

They discovered LP4Y after reading a book by one of the volunteers who spent three years in the slums of Manila. According to Alexis, "The heart of pedagogy is to empower young adults who are facing exclusion. We provide support to help them towards social and professional inclusion. We not only provide coaching but also a weekly allowance that helps them take care of their basic needs such as food and clothes. The only criterion for acceptance in LP4Y is commitment and motivation from these youth."

Build trust

Most of the youngsters are school dropouts; either the girls are married off early or the parents do not have the money to pay for education and need them to earn a living. "When they join the centre, they lack confidence and trust. They are not used to a safe space where they can articulate their feelings. It is a new experience for them. Over the months, they gain confidence as we encourage them to participate in many activities. They learn about teamwork, leadership skills, communication, and also professional behaviour through internships," says Charlotte.

Interestingly, the youth also find acceptance in the community through the one-year programme.