Wrap a gift for the first time

It was a recent morning at Henri-Bourassa high school in Montreal-North. More precisely, in a small room in which we had arranged tables. And on the tables, there was …

Small cars, small trucks.

Books of all kinds.

Board games, puzzles, card games.

Doggies, lots and lots, lots of stuffed animals.

Barbies and other dolls. And dollhouses.

Fillies, dragons. Castles of fillies.

Baseball gloves, baseball helmets, swimming masks, balls.

Dancing ropes, knitting games and backpacks.

In short, there were endless babies on these tables.

It was therefore one recent morning, in a small room at Henri-Bourassa high school and for the fourth month of December in a row, at the initiative of teacher Mélanie Bergeron, that dozens of young people from the school could come “shopping” for gifts.

Not for them, no.

For their little brothers, for their little sisters.

Mélanie, a teacher at Henri-Bourassa for 21 years, had the idea when she did not know what to do with her children’s toys. She thought at the time to give them to her own students, before clicking: “Well no, my children are younger than my students, that will not work …”

Then Mélanie thought: but they have little brothers, little sisters.

This is how the idea born in Mélanie’s head germinated in reality for four years. She asked her network for toys that were no longer needed. His friends, and Facebook. The response has been overwhelming. “People know where it’s going, what it’s going to be used for,” says Mélanie. They like it, they feel useful. ”

“It’s not always easy for them. I come back to this sentence from Mélanie: Montreal-North is one of those neighborhoods that receive newcomers. We land where we can stay, not too expensive. Many immigrants arrive in the neighborhood and their children attend local schools, such as Henri-Bourassa.

There are even a few new toys on the tables. And toys that are not new are still beautiful, functional. By that I mean that no one will be embarrassed to give them away, these toys. The comment that comes up most often, in the mouths of young people invited to come and choose gifts, those who are in the program for young people who have school issues called PREVU: “Is it free?” Can I really take some? ”

In the room, during my visit, the young people looked studiously at the toys, I saw them mentally making the pairing: such and such a toy could be given to such and such a person …

The young people were quite restrained, buzzing around the tables. It took toys, it inspected them. It took them, it put them back in place. It was frankly beautiful to see.

They were pretty much image wise doing their shopping.

It was in the other adjoining room that things were going badly!

It was getting worse because in the other room it was the wrapping of the presents. Kids are invited to wrap their gifts themselves after shopping.

Hey there, how to say …

Sound of scotch tape being unrolled, rustling of gift wrap, giggles, loud voices: the scene was daunting. Everywhere, teenagers wrapping their presents, with touching awkwardness and awkwardness.

I think the boy I helped pack a doggie was named Jackim. Around us, a dozen teens were striping themselves with duct tape stubbornly wrapped around their fingers, in bursts of laughter and a few growls of frustration.

“Not easy to pack a doggie, eh, Jackim?”

– It’s my first time. ”

It’s the first time he’s wrapped a present, period.

“Who’s the stuffed dog for, Jackim?”

– For my cousin.

– Are you eager to give it to him?

– Oh yes. I’m going to ask my father to go to his place on the 25th. He’s going to be surprised!

– How old is your cousin?

– He is 4 years old. ”

All children “from an immigrant background”, to use the term. As said Amen Alfonse, with an unmistakable plume with its white beads at the end of the spectacular tree of small braids on its head.

“What did you take, said Amen?”

– For my brother, a remote control toy from Star Wars.

– What about your sister?

– Dolls. ”

Dit Amen’s parents were born in Congo. Said Amen and his brother were born in Angola. Their sister was born in Brazil. I would like to tell you that it is because the Alfonse family is very fond of tourism, but you can guess that it is a little more complicated than that …

“How long have you been in Quebec, Said Amen?”

– Since… ”

He thought for a second: “For four years. ”

“Daddy does what?

– He works in a factory that makes plastic bags.

– And mom ?

– She works in the hospital. She takes care of people in the hospital, things like that. ”

Later, teachers will tell me that the life stories of some children are staggering pitfalls. Immigration is not a straight line, let’s say. One of the students who were wrapping gifts was saved from drowning by his father, as they crossed a river on this trip that would take them to Quebec, ultimately …

And once he arrived here with his family, the father became a beneficiary attendant. Then the first wave of the pandemic struck. The father died in service, infected.

Life, sometimes, what an asshole, anyway.

“Are you proud to give gifts to your brother and sister, said Amen?”

– Oh yes!

– Why ?

– I feel happy: there are a lot of people who, at Christmas, cannot give gifts. Some parents don’t have the money. When I saw the gifts, I was happy and surprised! I find it too fun that they did that. They should continue! ”

I noted the words of Said Amen in the suddenly almost empty room when, in the corridor, other young people disembarked by the stairs. The next group to come and choose their gifts.

Mélanie Bergeron was at the door of the Salle aux Merveilles, with colleagues such as Isabelle Renaud, Marilyn Amireault and Philippe Pratte. The teens, excited as fleas, looked over Mélanie’s shoulder, let’s say we felt they were eager to go shopping …

Behind Mélanie sat a huge inflatable snowman.

At the entrance to the Hall of Wonders, she had instructions for the youngsters: “I would really like everyone to take a book, too, with the toys!” You can take gifts for a little sister, a little brother. A little cousin too, even… ”

Mélanie Bergeron settled down and, one by one, the students entered the room for a nice shopping spree.

I thought: there are good people everywhere.

And I thought, too: there are good people everywhere, especially among our teachers.