given thAt repeAt SuSpenSionS often LeAD
to StuDentS Dropping out of SchooL, in 1999, The YMCas of Québec and its partners, the national Crime prevention Centre, Centraide of greater Montreal and the Commission scolaire de Montréal, created alternative suspension, a program to provide youth who have been temporarily suspended from school with the opportunity to transform their suspensions into a positive experience that fosters their personal development and autonomy. The program currently provides services to 116 high schools and reached over 1,400 youth in 2010. The program is so successful that it has been implemented throughout the rest of Canada. a pilot project has even been launched in france.
JASmine AnD JuLien: Awinning teAm
Like numerous high school students, Jasmine had lost interest in school. An increasing number of absences were noted in her file and it had a serious impact on her academic performance. Caught in a vicious cycle, Jasmine was on her way to dropping out of school.
This was all before she met Julien, her YMCA youth worker at the Du Parc Y centre. Julien believes in the success of youth and in the talents that lie within each individual. “Julien made me see things differently,” states Jasmine. “My goal was to help her regain her self-confidence. The key is to have a real dialogue with youth by taking into consideration their entire personality, not just their academic record,” confirms Julien, who always engages with youth in a positive and supportive manner.
The Alternative Suspension program is divided between catching up on schoolwork, group workshops, and individual meetings. “Thanks to this experience, I now realize that I can do more than I ever thought I could. I am able to succeed,” says Jasmine. Her attitude towards school has already changed. She began smiling again and her improved grades motivate her to continue with her efforts.
Jasmine is even starting to think about her future. She has signed up to do humanitarian volunteer work, and would like to one day work in aesthetics or in administration. Anything is possible...
1School House Hype: Two Years Later, Brooks K., Schiraldi V., Ziedenberg J., Washington, DC: Justice Policy Institute and the Children’s Law Center, 2000.
The YMCA’s educational program implemented at the start of the 1900s led to the creation of Sir George Williams University in 1926, which later became Concordia University in 1973.
The YMCAs of Québec - 11
“I LEARNED more About
mySeLf.” Jasmine
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