Fédération vaudoise des jeunesses campagnardes

The Fédération vaudoise des jeunesses campagnardes (FVJC), often shortened to La Fédé, is a Swiss umbrella organisation that brings together the rural youth societies (jeunesses campagnardes) of the canton of Vaud. It was founded on 24 May 1919, when twenty-seven youth societies met at the Café Noverraz in Lausanne; the surveyor Albert Jaton of Morges became its first president. Its stated purpose was to coordinate the young rural forces of Vaud, to unite the cantonal youth societies and to address patriotic, economic, social and sporting questions linked to agriculture, viticulture and mountain life, while fostering the material, intellectual, moral and physical development of its members. The FVJC is structured around a Central Bureau (executive, five members), a Central Committee (legislative, including four regional committees known as comités de giron) and a series of commissions responsible for sports and events such as skiing, rally, archives, jury, shooting, IT, media, technique and theatre. Around 110 volunteers keep the federation running. Its annual cycle begins with the delegates' assembly on the third Sunday of January, followed by a ski camp in February, a biennial theatre competition in April, a rally over the Pentecost weekend, four giron festivals in June–August (each with about 1,000 athletes) and a cantonal shooting event in September with some 1,400 shooters. Every five years the four girons combine into a large cantonal festival; the 2019 centenary celebration at Savigny drew around 115,000 people. Sporting traditions are central to the FVJC identity. Disciplines at a giron festival include athletics, cross-country, tug-of-war, wrestling, football and volleyball. The federation's signature wrestling style is called lutte Cherpillod, named after world champion Armand Cherpillod. Shooting was added in 1929, the ski camp in 1943, cross-country in 1952, the rally in 1956, six-a-side football in 1972, women's volleyball in 1994 and the theatre competition in 1996; snowboard has been part of the ski camp since 2000. The four current girons are Nord, Broye, Centre and Pied du Jura, a structure that emerged from earlier regional divisions created between 1931 and 1958. The FVJC remains a private, non-profit federation rather than a commercial company, but it operates as a strong regional brand with its own events, publications, merchandise and sponsorship programme. Its website offers news, results, records, an agenda, press releases and a portal for members, and it actively seeks sponsors. In 2023 a four-part television series titled Jeunesses!, directed by Céline Pernet and Daniel Wyss and co-produced by Climage and RTS, brought the world of Vaud's rural youth societies to a wider audience.

The Fédération vaudoise des jeunesses campagnardes was founded on 24 May 1919, when twenty-seven rural youth societies from the canton of Vaud gathered at the Café Noverraz in Lausanne. Albert Jaton, a surveyor from Morges, was elected its first president. The founders were motivated in part by a desire to limit rural exodus, and they set out a broad mandate: to coordinate the young rural forces by uniting the Vaud youth societies, to engage with patriotic, economic, social and sporting questions that could advance the agricultural, wine-growing and mountain cause, and to promote the material, intellectual, moral and physical development of members and the wider community. During the 1920s and 1930s the federation expanded its activities and began to organise itself regionally. Shooting was introduced in 1929. The first giron, the Giron du Nord, was created on 27 July 1930 with twelve societies; the Giron du Pied du Jura followed in 1932 and the Giron du Centre in 1933. The Giron du Gros-de-Vaud was formed in 1942 and the Giron de la Venoge in 1943, but both were later dissolved. The Giron de la Broye, created in 1958, completed the four-region structure that still exists today: Nord, Broye, Centre and Pied du Jura. An earlier attempt to divide the federation into campagnard, viticole and montagnard girons was quickly abandoned. New disciplines and events were added over the decades: the ski camp in 1943, cross-country in 1952, the rally in 1956, six-a-side football in 1972, women's volleyball in 1994 and the theatre competition in 1996. A snowboard event has been part of the ski camp since 2000. The federation's wrestling style, lutte Cherpillod, honours Armand Cherpillod, a world champion wrestler who gave the sport to the federation. Tug-of-war and wrestling remain the flagship events of the giron festivals. In 2019 the FVJC celebrated its 100th anniversary. The cantonal festival organised at Savigny that year attracted around 115,000 people, a testament to the federation's enduring place in Vaud rural life. In 2023 a four-part television series titled Jeunesses!, directed by Céline Pernet and Daniel Wyss and co-produced by Climage and RTS, was devoted to the canton's rural youth societies, bringing the FVJC's world to a broader public. The federation continues to operate as a volunteer-driven association, with around 110 volunteers serving in its bureau, committees and commissions, and it maintains an active programme of sports, cultural events, publications and sponsorship partnerships.

• Twenty-seven Vaud youth societies found the FVJC at the Café Noverraz in Lausanne; Albert Jaton becomes first president.

• Shooting is introduced as a federation sport.

• Giron du Nord is created with twelve societies.

• Giron du Nord formally established (as per Wikipedia list).

• Giron du Pied du Jura is created.

• Giron du Centre is created.

• Giron du Gros-de-Vaud is created (later dissolved).

• Giron de la Venoge is created (later dissolved); ski camp is introduced.

• Cross-country is added to the federation's sports.

• The rally is introduced.

• Giron de la Broye is created, completing today's four-giron structure.

• Six-a-side football is introduced.

• Women's volleyball is introduced.

• The theatre competition is introduced.

• Snowboard becomes part of the ski camp.

• FVJC centenary; cantonal festival at Savigny attracts around 115,000 people.

• Four-part TV series 'Jeunesses!' is broadcast, co-produced by Climage and RTS.

A century-old umbrella federation and regional community brand for rural youth in Vaud, combining sport, tradition and volunteerism.

• Annual delegates' assembly

  Held on the third Sunday of January, marking the start of the federated year; each youth society is represented by two delegates.

• Ski camp

  Held in February; includes snowboard since 2000.

• Theatre competition

  Biennial competition held in April.

• Rally

  Held over the Pentecost weekend; includes a motorised rally, humorous games, a questionnaire, a dictation and a pedestrian rally.

• Giron festivals

  Four regional festivals held in June–August, each with about 1,000 athletes; sports include athletics, cross-country, tug-of-war, wrestling, football and volleyball.

• Cantonal festival

  Held every five years, combining the four girons into one large event.

• Cantonal shooting event

  Held in September with around 1,400 shooters.

• Lutte Cherpillod

  The federation's signature wrestling style, named after world champion Armand Cherpillod.

1. 1Fédération vaudoise des jeunesses campagnardes – official websitefvjc.ch
2. 2Fédération vaudoise des jeunesses campagnardes – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Fédération vaudoise des jeunesses campagnardes – Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org