It is designed for young people aged 16 to 25 facing severe precarity, social disconnection, and substance use or addiction. TAPAJ offers immediate, daily-paid work opportunities that require no qualifications or long-term commitment: providing a tailored response to those excluded from traditional employment or support systems due to complex social, educational, and health challenges.
The program follows a gradual, three-phase model: increasing both the number of work hours and the intensity of support; acting as a set of stepping stones for young people who are not yet ready for standard employability pathways. This progressive approach facilitates their return to activity while building a foundation for integrated medical, psychological, and social support.
Thanks to its global, person-centered approach, TAPAJ avoids segmenting life domains. It helps remove the barriers to social and professional inclusion by addressing needs in a coordinated, systemic way.
“L’aller vers” – proactive outreach, is one of the foundational pillars of the TAPAJ program. Working with young people who often distance themselves from adults and institutions, this approach involves meeting them where they are: in their own environment, with active listening and a non-judgmental attitude.
Once trust is built through this essential “getting-to-know-you” phase, the approach enables the translation of urgent, day-to-day needs into concrete harm reduction responses. This person-centered method is key to initiating engagement and fostering long-term support.
TAPAJ is always implemented by care and support addiction centers for people who use drugs. In France, that serve as the main entry points for reaching young people struggling with substance use.
These centers operate in close coordination with local partners across the territory.
While TAPAJ serves multiple objectives based on the needs of each young person and the local network, it is above all a tool for social harm reduction. Its primary aim is to engage young people; often unaware of the risks linked to their consumption, earlier and more effectively in the care pathway.
Built on a non-judgmental approach, this harm reduction work begins on the job site itself, especially through side-by-side conversations during daily activities, providing a unique setting to foster trust, awareness, and support.
During Phase 1, each work platform; brings together a group of TAPAJeurs and one social worker who works alongside them throughout the task. This shared experience, rooted in a less hierarchical dynamic, creates a unique space for natural, informal exchanges.
This is known as the “side-by-side approach“: a method grounded in collaboration rather than formal meetings. It takes place in the act of doing, not in offices, but through shared work in the field. Proximity, joint effort, and a defined time frame (usually four hours) create the conditions for meaningful connection and engagement.
The social worker’s role is to use the work environment as a space of mediation: creating opportunities for both group discussions and one-on-one exchanges. Over time, this format may encourage some TAPAJ participants to open up about more personal aspects of their lives. These moments are not the goal in themselves, but rather starting points for deeper engagement and follow-up.
A central pillar of TAPAJ is ensuring low-threshold model, to remain inclusive of young people who are excluded from traditional support systems.
‣ No prerequisites to enter the program
‣ Fast and simple enrollment
‣ Minimal administrative requirements
‣ No obligation to commit over time during Phase 1
‣ Work opportunities that require no prior experience or qualifications
This flexible approach allows participants to gradually engage at their own pace. The daily work experience becomes a stepping stone toward building a sense of routine, personal motivation, and short- to long-term goals. Over time, this can lead to more structured, global support in Phases 2 and 3 of the program.
One of TAPAJ’s central goals is to create new pathways for addressing health, mental health, and addiction issues among young people who rarely request help — despite often having significant needs. Social psychology has long shown the wide gap between knowledge and actual behavioral change, and even between the intention to change and real action.
Rather than trying to convince a person that change is necessary, TAPAJ focuses on working through the ambivalence that naturally arises in the felt experience of shared work. Through immediate action: daily paid activities carried out alongside a social worker; young people are gently invited to recognize their inner contradictions.
The objective is no longer to persuade, but to create opportunities for change to emerge from within, grounded in the relational and experiential dynamics of the work setting.
TAPAJ is designed to activate and value the work potential of young people facing severe marginalization. From the very first hours of participation, they are offered real employment contracts and receive official pay slips; reinforcing their role as workers and restoring their place in society.
By engaging in this structured yet flexible work, participants begin to develop both hard and soft skills, rediscover professional norms, and rebuild self-esteem. This process is a powerful driver of personal revalorization.
Grounded in principles of empowerment and contingency management, TAPAJ leverages the immediate and tangible outcomes of daily work to foster a sense of capability and motivation. The result: young people gain greater agency over their present lives and begin to envision a future with renewed possibilities.
One of the main objectives of TAPAJ is to identify new ways to integrate health, mental health, and addiction care into the support process for individuals who may not express a direct need but have significant underlying requirements. Social psychology has demonstrated a considerable gap between knowing and changing and even between intending to change and actual behavior change.
In this context, the goal is no longer to convince the participant of the benefits of change but rather to work on the ambivalences that arise from their lived experiences. Through the immediate engagement provided by TAPAJ, participants are given the opportunity to confront and reflect on these internal contradictions, helping to pave the way for gradual transformation.
