The cry of alarm coincides with the 27th Week of Quebec Youth Centers, held from October 14 to 20. The local organization adds its voice to those of the members of the Regroupement des maison des jeunesse du Québec (RMJQ).
The message is clear according to those in charge: “investing now in the working conditions of our professionals means investing in the well-being of all the teenagers who really need it.”
The MDJs adopt “a global approach”, in short, touching on several areas of intervention. This situation distinguishes them from other, more specialized organizations. However, it makes obtaining funding dedicated to the mission all the more “difficult”.
The 243 MDJ members of the RMHQ received, in 2023-2024, an average subsidy of $175,000 for their operations, while the actual needs amount to more than $691,000. More locally, the MDJ of Granby received mission funding of $194,765. We deplore that the shortfall of more than $515,000 per local organization (or $125 million in total) is simply “unacceptable”.
“The funding cited above, nearly $195,000, comes from our main funder, the provincial Ministry of Health and Social Services. We have other income, notably from Centraide and other organizations,” explains Marie-Ève Houle, director of the Granby Youth Center, also called La Barak.
Director of the Granby Youth Center, Marie-Ève Houle indicates that staff retention is a major issue at the local level. (Catherine Trudeau/La Voix de l’Est Archives)
It remains that increased funding would ensure the stability of teams by reducing the turnover rate and attracting stakeholders through adequate salary and working conditions.
According to a recent survey conducted among RMJQ members, nearly 50% of MDJs have experienced more difficulty than before in maintaining the stability of their team. And nearly 30% have failed to fill all positions posted in recent years. It is estimated that two out of three workers have less than three years of seniority at the provincial level. This was the case for around 50% of professionals in 2023.
At La Barak, the entertainment team has an average seniority of one year. Two full-time positions were created in the last year. The organization hopes that these people will stay for a long time.
“Turnover is the main issue. Stakeholders must create a meaningful bond that must last over time. The departures, one after the other, have real impacts,” underlines Ms. Houle, who has been in management for 19 years now.
Youth centers offer an environment of support, accompaniment and voluntary and egalitarian relationships, while promoting positive confrontation. (RMDJ)
The experts of the two
The MDJ of Granby has around 300 active young people in its fold. The service point recently established near the Joseph-Hermas-Leclerc school made it possible to reach 115 adolescents, some of whom are already active in La Barak. Not to mention visits to schools in the region. Note that the young people who attend are not counted among the active members.
The speakers are “teen experts”. The actions have impacts in all spheres of young people’s lives: physical and mental health, interpersonal relationships, identity development, inclusion, diversity, autonomy, civic participation, use of technologies and digital relationships and prevention of dropping out of school, to name just a few areas of intervention.
“MDJ is a protective factor, we talk about prevention. A young person who uses our facilities rubs shoulders with adults and can confide in a healthy and safe place. He develops friendships and relationships in leisure time, in the context of activities, in particular. It’s essential, an MDJ!”
The Youth Centers do not focus on a single issue, but on “all the living conditions of the young people they support”. Their global approach refuses to reduce young people to a sum of isolated problems, instead considering them as individuals in their own right, capable of finding individual and collective solutions to the difficulties encountered.
They offer an environment of support, accompaniment and voluntary and egalitarian relationships, while promoting positive confrontation.
A ton of activity
Last year, the vast majority of MDJ members of the RMJQ carried out activities related to physical and mental health (95%), interpersonal relationships (90.9%) and the development of identity, knowledge and self-confidence (90.9%).
In 2023-2024, La Barak organized 27 “on chat” workshops which aim for open exchanges between participants. These discussions around a defined theme allow teenagers to develop their critical sense, their listening skills and their openness to others.
The local MDJ also held 61 sports activities, eight workshops and activities with the community on realities that affect and concern them. Not to mention the 40 activities “toasted from both sides”, which are opportunities for informal exchanges and group gatherings allowing young people to break isolation, create links between them and promote their development and self-esteem.
“In a community, you need a Youth Center. It’s good for the community… for everyone,” concludes Marie-Ève Houle, obviously proud of the mission.
