For a whole generation of children who grew up in the 1980s, the memory of the white and red posters of Block Parents evokes a feeling of security, a step back in a world where the worst dangers took the form of a gentleman who offered to get in his car in exchange for candy and razor blades in apples on Halloween.
Children knew that when they knocked on the door of a house marked with this sign, they would find a caring adult to help them if they were lost, chased, injured, or simply misplaced the key to the house. house on the way back home. They could even hope for a hot chocolate and some comforting cookies.
Over the decades, these posters have practically disappeared from the windows of Quebec homes, to the point where young adults and toddlers no longer know how to recognize this symbol. But the children of yesterday, who in turn have become parents, are reconnecting with the poster and trying to recreate this reassuring feeling of security in their respective neighborhoods.
Isabelle Chabot, 40, has vivid memories of the Block Parents poster. “It was a symbol of security,” she says with a hint of nostalgia in her voice. If we simplify, let’s say that I knew that there was no danger if there was this poster. »
A few years ago, she was surprised to discover that the organization still existed. Now a mother of two young children, she wanted to get involved. In 2021, after completing all the formalities – in particular, it must be proven that no one in the house has a criminal record – she in turn became a shelter.
“My oldest is five years old, he will gain autonomy, she explains. I found it interesting to show the children that it exists, that if they need to go to refuge, there are safe homes where they can ask for help. »
Together with the parents of the neighborhood committee, she presents the poster to the neighbors in different events with the hope of seeing the number of shelters increase in the streets of the neighborhood. Since September, the team will even present the poster in schools.
She notes that few children recognize the poster, but that several parents, challenged by it, show an interest in becoming a shelter in turn. “I believe there is a momentumbecause the generation that benefited from these services became parents in turn, and they [les parents] take over. »
Rediscover your neighborhood
Patricia Tardif, executive assistant and head of member services at Block Parents, agrees. She notes that “the phone rings more often” and that new parents want to take over. “The young families discovered that Block Parents still existed,” she says. The craze has come back in force for two years, and we are super happy. »
She herself, aged 46 — she is the same age as the organization — is an example of this transfer of a desire for mutual aid between generations. “My parents were a safe haven when I was young. I grew up, I had children, and that’s when I, having become a parent, wanted to contribute by becoming a member of Block Parents myself. »
The pandemic also played a role in this renewed interest, notes Patricia Tardif. Several seniors have removed their signs for fear of contracting COVID-19. But this forced downtime has allowed several others to rediscover their neighborhood and forge stronger ties with neighbors. The neighborhood has once again become, for some, a big family in which everyone helps each other and on which you can count in case of a problem.
Not to mention telework, which now allows workers to be present at home several days a week to answer the door when needed.
Barely 2,000 shelters
But the renewed interest of parents is not enough to restore the organization to its former visibility. The organization has no statistics, but it is estimated that at the end of the 1980s there were approximately 100,000 shelters in Quebec. Since then, their number has continued to dwindle.
In 2008, the date of the organization’s oldest annual report available on its website, there were 6,859 shelters across Quebec. In 2015, they were only 4,500. And in 2018, they fell below 2,500. For the year 2021, the organization counted 2,087 shelter homes, against 2,337 the previous year.
Despite these figures, Patricia Tardif is not discouraged and relies on the enthusiasm of volunteers and the opening of new neighborhood committees. She hopes that word of mouth will catch on and that the numbers for the next year will be on the rise.
After more than 40 years of service as a shelter, Francine Chartrand is what could be called the living memory of the organization. The 70-year-old lady will always remember the events that led her to pick up her poster in the 1980s.
“There was the disappearance of a little boy who was my neighbor, she says with still strong emotion. I said to myself that it was unimaginable that there was nothing to protect the children. I inquired at the neighborhood police station, who told me about Parents-Secours. It was pretty new at the time, so I took some information and it matched my values. Since then, I’ve been eating it, I love it so much! »
Year after year, she receives a few children, but also seniors, because since 1992, the organization has expanded its mission to welcome the oldest who may be disoriented or lost.
There was the disappearance of a little boy who was my neighbor. I said to myself that it was unimaginable that there was nothing to protect the children. I inquired at the neighborhood police station, who told me about Parents-Secours. It was pretty new at the time, so I took some information and it matched my values. Since then, I’ve been eating it, I love it so much!
Sometimes she spots them on the street and it is she who goes to them to offer them support. It also does prevention in schools and during neighborhood activities. “My busiest times are Halloween and moving,” she explains.
“On Halloween, we see young people who are afraid of having their bag of candy stolen by the older ones: these are not big cases, but for a child, a bag of candy is not nothing ! »
It is also not uncommon for a child to get lost in their new neighborhood following a move. In such cases, if the child knows his contact details, Mme Chartrand will simply call the parents to pick him up. If it’s a more serious case, like a child who has been chased by a car or who has left the family home following a fight between the parents, she will call the police.
Through the organization Parents-Secours, Francine Chartrand has witnessed the evolution of society and its young people. And she hopes that this relationship will continue for a long time. “As long as my health allows me, I will continue: me, the children, it’s my life. »