Since the start of the school year, Toujours ensemble has officially been welcoming teenagers in a space thought out, designed, and decorated just for them. After several months of work, the organization’s staff is proud to be able to offer this welcoming space to Verdun youth, while thinking about next steps. Indeed, beyond being a safe and fun gathering place, this space is above all the starting point of a large-scale project that the team has been working on for over a year: a vibrant environment where teenagers can develop a sense of belonging to their community.
Yannick Caron, youth worker for Toujours ensemble’s Parcours program, explains what stirred this desire to offer a space that Verdun and Île-des-Soeurs’ youth can make their own. “The pandemic, especially the lock-down, had a huge impact on our teens’ well-being,” he says. “Our team started thinking right away about how we could get them back into safe and relaxing space where they can socialize. The first step is this room that we’ve completely redone with them in mind. Eventually, we would like them to take this whole project over. But for now, we are extremely happy to be able to provide them with a gathering space that meets their needs.”
Joey Gutierrez Gosselin, who used to come to Toujours ensemble as a teenager and who is now a youth worker for Parcours Program, is full of enthusiasm for the project. “The space is already quite popular; teens come back to enjoy the facilities and do activities with us.” He adds: “After the holiday break, we would like to form a youth committee with the teenagers who would like to take part in managing the space. It will allow them to really take ownership of the project, to choose the activities they want to organize, to learn how to manage a budget and to experience a different kind of accomplishment. We [Toujours ensemble’s youth workers] will be there to support them!”
To know more about Toujours ensemble, you can visit their website.
Source Toujours ensemble
