This consists, in his own words, of working with residents to seek endogenous solutions to reverse the poverty spiral at the level of a neighbourhood or disadvantaged area. In parallel to his courses, he is undertaking a mandatory internship with the university’s institutional coordination office, where he is responsible for implementing HIV/AIDS prevention activities in an informal area of Stellenbosch.
Thibault’s experience allows him to gain a deep understanding of public health issues and to deconstruct many preconceived notions about South Africa. The concerns related to HIV/AIDS largely unite the new post-apartheid generation and indeed allow for a move beyond a too racial and Manichean view of the country. The university of Stellenbosch, which primarily educated wealthy white students during Apartheid, is thus not – as one might expect – immune to HIV. Fully satisfied with his undergrad studies, he decides to extend his stay with a gap year and continues to work in the same area. When it comes to choosing a master’s programme, he hesitates between the more international PSIA masters and the Master's in Territorial and Urban Strategies (STU), ultimately opting for the territorialised approach to public policies that it offers.
2010-2014: On the ground in Africa and South America
For his final internship, he joins the international relations department of the Paris City Hall (DGRI), where he is tasked with processing grant applications from organisations fighting HIV in Africa – a priority for the City of Paris in terms of international solidarity. He also participates in the start-up of a major project supporting decentralisation in Bamako and Ouagadougou, focusing on public health themes.
With his Sciences Po diploma in hand, a VIA position at the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) allows him to return to South Africa for two more years. He seizes the opportunity and discovers Johannesburg, which he tells me is very different from Cape Town, while remaining in touch with the academic world and research.
Back in France and keen to go abroad again, he undertakes a post-master’s at the French Institute of Urban Planning (now known as the Paris School of Urbanism), focusing on international expertise in Southern cities, before joining the French Development Agency (AFD) in Bogotá as an intern. As with his first experience in South Africa, he acquires a nuanced understanding of the field (instruction of a project in Barranquilla, located on the country’s northern coast) and of more socially-driven urban planning approaches as developed in Medellín. He continues working for a few months on a local contract for the agency and then participates in the organisation of an urban project management workshop in Cali, the third most populated city in Colombia.
Since 2015: On the ground in France
Upon returning to France, after a difficult period marked by several job opportunities abroad that did not materialise, he decides to broaden his job search and joins Couleurs d’Avenir, an operator specialising in regulating local living issues on behalf of social landlords and local authorities. Very quickly, he is offered the chance to get involved in a major project for the redevelopment of deteriorated properties led by the Ile-de-France Public Real Estate Agency (EPFIF). As a coordinator within a MOUS (Urban and Social Project Management) for the city of Clichy-sous-Bois, his role is to support residents in this change process alongside the operations for improving access (extension of the T4 tram) and urban renovation taking place in the area.
In a way, this is a return to his roots for Thibault, even if he acknowledges that this was not at all planned! By choosing to stay in France, he is aware that he is stepping away from the field of international urban development, which he does not rule out returning to one day.
His advice to urban affairs master’s students
Do not neglect personal development. Many graduates engaged in local or international development accept challenging working conditions in their early jobs at the expense of their personal growth and well-being. It is important to maintain a certain balance!
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