In Sickness and In Health: Care and Complacency in Aid Efforts for Migrant Youth in Eastern France

Abstract

This thesis examines the perspectives of educators working with unaccompanied migrant minors (MNAs) in eastern France, focusing on how they perceive and navigate the care system and creates their own communities of care within the gaps of the bureaucratic French system. Through qualitative analysis, it explores how educators interpret the structural challenges MNAs face, including access to healthcare, social integration, and legal protections. By centering educators’ voices, this study highlights their role as intermediaries between MNAs and the French system that determines their access to essential services. It interrogates how these professionals negotiate institutional constraints, advocate for the well-being and growth of MNAs, and challenge policies that fail to account for the ever-changing needs of young migrants. Ultimately, this thesis underscores the necessity of a more inclusive, holistic framework that recognizes MNAs not just as legal subjects but as individuals with diverse care experiences that need a place and accompaniment in order to be cultivated