History of the CLAJ Association "Clubs de Loisir et d’Action de la Jeunesse"

Born on the Côte d'Azur as part of the large independent movement following the liberation, the association known as 'CLAJ' begins with 'bandes de quartiers' that develop into the 'Jeunesse Camping' movement with the aim of getting away at lower cost during the holidays.

In the 1950s, the movement takes shape and sets up 'Relais International de la Jeunesse' centres in the South of France on the Cap d'Ail, Nice, Cap d'Antibes... where the waves on the sea are joined by waves of youths from all over France who come to visit.

In 1962, 55 groups and places to stay all over France group together under the name of 'Clubs de Loisirs et d'Action de la Jeunesse' (CLAJ) whose head offices are located in one of Paris' business districts.

For 10 years, in addition to organising holiday activities, CLAJ - Jeunesse Camping is involved to some extent in all the main events of the era: the Algerian war, the French rock 'n' roll or 'yéyé' phenomenon of the 1960s, the Vietnamese War, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, May 1968...

A rare bird in the world of large national organisations, they pursue a double vocation: that of the national youth movement and that of representing the groups and 'bandes de quartier'. Split between the spontaneity of youths and the desire to create a working-class youth movement, CLAJ reaches its peak and acknowledges the beginning of its decline in these times of technology-driven modernisation.

Today, a network of a dozen or so 'Relais International de la Jeunesse' centres remains, holiday houses and pleasant centres to meet friends and enjoy pleasant surroundings with openness towards the world and society's issues.