The Defence and Citizenship Day (JDC) in France.

The JDC (Defence and Citizenship Day) has become an essential element in the fight against illiteracy in France. It not only furnishes annual statistics for national, regional and local policy evaluation, but also identifies those young adults within a entire cohort (mostly 17-19) who need help with their literacy skills, so that they can be referred to by support organisations. It is difficult to assess very precisely the impact of post-JDC actions carried out by JDC partners. Neither the JDC tests nor the post-JDC actions are perfect, but through growing cooperation between the numerous stakeholders federated with the JDC the efficiency of each partner increases, and the global effort becomes more productive. The JDC impact is far more than literacy test results. It is also the discovery of other partners, the exchange of points of view and practices, the research into coordination of action to increase global effectiveness. The JDC experience shows that it is possible to investigate literacy problems, and to identify instances of illiteracy in a nationwide programme that is not principally literacy-oriented. This is a way to make public investment more efficient and to create support for synergies between organizations working in the literacy field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]