Fabienne Audette, Chief Executive Officer of the Fondation des enfants de la DPJ, Linda Thurston, President of the User Committee, Youth section, at CISSS de la Gaspésie, Michelle Frenette, Youth Protection Director at CISSS de la Gaspésie and Sylvie Desrosiers, Youth Program Director at CISSS de la Gaspésie.
Living in Gaspésie means you get to enjoy breathtaking scenery. It also means that you need to deal with a geographical situation that proves to be a daily challenge, especially for youths in care who are transitioning to adulthood. Whether going to work, school or accessing essential services, these youths often have a long commute, without accessible public transit.
The Gaspésie integrated health and social services centre (CISSS de la Gaspésie) set up the Moi, mes souliers project after consulting youths in the care of the DYP aged 15 to 17 about their needs and the obstacles they encounter along the way. The aim of the project was to improve the mobility of youths transitioning to adulthood, which is a key issue for the vast Gaspésie region. For 2024–2025, the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ is delighted to support this project with $20,000 in funding.
Since I just finished Grade 11, I decided to take a few months for myself, so I can go work and save enough money to be self-sufficient in the coming year. It’s very tough for me, to have to earn enough money in just a few months to be able to pay for my car and my driver’s licence. Thank you for letting me lighten this burden, which I have been carrying for quite a while now.
Thanks to the Fondation’s financial support, youths in the care of the DYP who need a means of transport to get to school or work can benefit from financial assistance to pay for driving classes or purchase a four-season electric bike. These means of transport would allow them to move around more easily and independently, thus improving their access to education and employment.
By financing access to driving lessons or an electric bike, we give these youths invaluable resources to gain self-sufficiency and independence. We truly believe that mobility is a key factor in their personal, professional and social development.
By facilitating the youths’ mobility, we help them to become more self-sufficient so they can live independently. This project shows that by rallying around a common goal, we can give youths a springboard to a more accessible and fulfilling future.
This project was funded as part of the 2024 call for proposals, through which the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ supports innovative projects that help youths in care transitioning to adulthood, in Montreal and various regions of Quebec.