Thanks to a program set up by the Center Lassalien and the City of Montreal, young people from the Saint-Michel neighborhood will soon be able to discover the professions of firefighter and police officer.
The initiative, which will initially take place at the Louis-Joseph-Papineau-Gymnasium, aims to support young people from all backgrounds who aspire to be police officers, firefighters or a career in other emergency professions. Participants are entitled to academic and social support.
“We want to enable young people from cultural and social diversity to enter these professions. We are breaking down systemic barriers and supporting young people and their families so that they can achieve their goal of entering these bodies,” explained Paul Evra, Director General of Center Lassalien, an organization in the Saint-Michel district.
Young people, selected in particular by cover letter, are entitled to support four days a week, after school or at weekends.
During this time, they have an educator by their side to provide academic support. Fitness courses with a professional are also on the programme. The youngsters will also be able to speak regularly with firefighters and police officers and go to their workplace.
Mr Evra recognizes that the program is challenging but believes the support will bear fruit. “It’s like an extracurricular activity, like being on the school football or soccer team,” he compared.
Several pitfalls remain for young people from all backgrounds who wish to become part of these professions, not all of which have the necessary support at home to succeed. Some people can’t eat their fill every day. These are the obstacles that Mr. Evra wants to tackle.
“We’re building a safety structure around these young people so they can focus on the academic aspect,” he explained.
“We were wondering why there aren’t as many people from diversity at the police level. The challenge is that there was already an infringement during the selection for CEGEP,” added Mr. Evra.
For the coming year, three cohorts of around twenty secondary school students can take part in the initiative. The City of Montreal will provide a financial contribution of $232,000 to enable the support program to run smoothly.
Last year, a first pilot project was tested with a limited number of students. This year it will be able to take on a larger scale. Both the city and the Lassalien Center would like it to be expanded to a larger number of schools in the future.
“This unique program will help ensure a mobilized and diversified succession within the SPVM and the emergency professions operating in Montreal, which will have a concrete impact on the safety of the city and the careers of young people,” explained Mayor of Montreal Valérie Plante , via press release.