Since the beginning of the school year, an initiative to combat early school leaving has been spreading across Quebec. By the end of the school year, more than 3,100 young Quebecers will benefit from this unique approach, first proven in English Canada.
In the communal kitchen of the YMCA Saint-Roch, young people are in a good mood preparing a recipe that will make them happy: a Putin.
Exaucée Mbilizi, 16, loves these cooking workshops. This student from Quebec City’s Vanier School is also one of the first to enroll in the Passport to my Success program, which has been offered by the YMCA for more than two years.
Exaucée’s family, of Congolese origin, moved to Quebec City in January 2020 in the middle of winter. This support program made all the difference in her new life.
“It changed everything for me”
“It changed everything for me. When we arrived in Quebec, it wasn’t easy at first. We had to make do, find winter clothes and everything. The program has helped me on the family side, it has helped me personally and it also helps me a lot at school,” says Exaucée, eyes shining.
Her enthusiasm was contagious as her sister and two brothers now participate in the program.
Olivier Martin, YMCA Saint Roch
This is an approach based on four types of support (see below). “We support young people where they are struggling,” says Olivier Martin, director of family and community support at the YMCA Saint-Roch.
“We really provide a safe environment for a lot of young people,” adds Évelyne Quimper, coordinator of youth programs for academic success. “It allows them to connect with an adult they trust. […]. We have some that are here five nights a week,” she said.
Fifteen Regions of Quebec
This unique initiative began over 20 years ago in Regent Park, a very underprivileged neighborhood in Toronto. Since then, the program has expanded to include all Canadian provinces.
In Québec, it has been offered in fifteen regions since the beginning of the school year, thanks to financial support from the Ministry of Education.
This program was “selected for the quality of its intervention with students from disadvantaged backgrounds, for its contribution to increasing the graduation rate of disadvantaged students, as well as increasing the enrollment of these constituencies in education,” the ministry said.
What is the Passport to Success program?
This initiative is based on four forms of support:
SCHOOL
Learn learn
- Presence of tutors and volunteers after school to help students study
INDIVIDUALLY
Achieve personal goals
- Accompaniment of each young person by a youth worker
SOCIAL
find your way
- Varied activities that allow you to discover new interests and explore careers
FINANCES
fill the gap
- Scholarship for post-secondary education and financial support when needed (e.g. school meal vouchers, public transport)
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