Putting Seine-Saint-Denis in the same league as impoverished areas of Mexico, Uganda and South Sudan is raising eyebrows.

As in other parts of the world, Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker wants to launch programmes teaching mediation and conflict resolution techniques and entrepreneurship to young people.

Seine-Saint-Denis, north east of Paris, is the department with the highest levels of poverty in metropolitan France.

It is known for high-rise housing estates where many immigrants from former colonies were housed in the 1960s.

The charity鈥檚 aims include reducing clashes between young people and institutions, and training them to set up their own businesses in in demand areas of work.

Whitaker said at last month鈥檚 Paris Peace Forum: 鈥淲orking with young people has given me so much hope."

'The young people are amazing'

The actor, who starred in films such as 2006 hit The Last King of Scotland and in the recent Godfather of Harlem series, went to the Paris suburb of La Courneuve in mid- November with Seine-Saint- Denis president St茅phane Roussel. Mr Roussel tweeted that he had 鈥渆xciting exchanges with Forest Whitaker, who understands that the youth and diversity of Seine-Saint-Denis are a wealth; that a large part of the solutions to the ills of our societies are here鈥�.

Whitaker, 60, also met the mayor of Clichy-sous-Bois, where the gritty 2019 drama Les Mis茅rables was shot. During a previous visit there, the actor said he was moved by the poverty and decided to try to help.

A spokesperson from the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI), which the star set up in 2012, said: 鈥淗e grew up in Los Angeles in an area that had been bypassed by development in ways that are not dissimilar to Seine-Saint- Denis. Their energy must be rekindled 鈥� but from the inside. We must adopt an empowerment- based approach, consisting of training and supporting young people and individuals from other groups so they can become assets that their communities can count on to bring positive change.鈥�

The foundation says it aims to get some programmes under way next year and is 鈥渞eaching out to local authorities and non-governmental organisations鈥� to find out what the needs are and how it can help.

BNP Paribas is to be a key partner in the project.

Whitaker鈥檚 initiative had mostly good press in France, but the left-wing 尝颈产茅谤补迟颈辞苍 newspaper was critical of the choice of Seine-Saint-Denis and of French politicians who have backed the initiative.

It said the star鈥檚 charity might be more useful elsewhere, 鈥渨here conflicts are more prevalent鈥�, adding: 鈥淭hey [politicians] often say that we should not 鈥榮tigmatise鈥� Seine-Saint-Denis but they themselves 鈥榮tigmatise鈥� the department by placing it on the map of world distress.鈥�

The WPDI said the high numbers of unemployed youths and school drop-outs meant it was comparable to troubled urban neighbourhoods where it has worked in the US, South Africa and Mexico.

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