A little over a year ago, DUO for a JOB set up shop at the Third place Learning & Becoming, in the heart of the rapidly changing La Duchère district in Lyon. A new stage for our association, motivated by a desire: to allow forever More young people To build a professional future thanks to intergenerational mentoring, and to ever more mentors with over 50 years to pass on their experience, all at the service of a strengthened social cohesion.
‍
Lyon, a particularly fertile field of action
Since our beginnings in Lyon, the observation has been clear: this approach responds to a real local need. According to INSEE, Lyon is the second largest city in France welcoming the largest number of newcomers, just behind Paris. In this context, our mission makes perfect sense: to offer our support program adapted to the specific challenges encountered by these young people looking for a sustainable socio-professional integration.
La Duchère, a neighborhood in full transformation, perfectly embodies this challenge. It is there, in a living and committed third place, that DUO for a JOB has chosen to anchor itself and to act. Our host, The House of Learning, has been aimed since 2017 at:”to support, in the general interest, the development of learning territories where associative, economic and public actors cooperate to solve together, through education, the challenges of a sustainable and resilient society”. Today, it federates a network of more than 250 structures in the territory of the Lyon metropolitan area.
40 accompaniments and a year marked by great awards
‍
These are 40 unique encounters between two people that everything seemed to separate and that mentoring brought together. Each young person monitored received personalized and individualized support to structure their job search, decipher the codes of the professional world, gain confidence and chart their own path on the job market. On the other side of the duo, committed mentors who offered much more than time: presence, listening, and the transmission of a precious life experience.
At present, there are already more than 75 mentors trained, and numerous volunteers on the various components of the program — legal, facilitation of exchange time between mentors, proofreading CVs and cover letters... A remarkable collective mobilization, which says a lot about the momentum that surrounds DUO for a JOB in Lyon.
‍
“40 young people supported in one year is 40 stories of renewed trust, of clarified projects, of new opportunities for young people.” Simon Trivero, director of the Lyon branch
‍
This first year was also marked by great external awards, which attest to the relevance and quality of our action on the territory: winners of the 3rd Inclusion & Diversity Prize during the Unique Challenge, distinction at the 2025 Gold Challenge Trophies in the CARSAT “Aging Well” category, and a remarkable passage on BFM Lyon which allowed us to make our approach known to a wider audience. These are all encouraging signs that intergenerational mentoring is resonating and convincing.
‍
‍
An adventure that is never built alone
And because DUO for a JOB is never built alone, this first year is above all a collective story. We have been able to count on a committed ecosystem in Lyon: local associations, public actors, partner companies... but also and of course on young people and mentors who trust us every week.
We want to go further: to continue to grow and to make a difference, we are looking for new mentors, community partners and local businesses who share our values of inclusion and solidarity. Together, we can offer even more opportunities to young people and strengthen the impact of mentoring in the Auvergne-RhĂ´ne-Alpes region.
‍