(Montreal) The young people who frequent the Auberges du Coeur have often cut ties with their families, but that does not mean that they will be alone during the holiday season.
“All the Auberges du Coeur will have a Christmas with the young people where they will give out gifts […] we’re going to take care of the young people, we’re going to be there for a dinner that’s going to be out of the ordinary, if we want to play games, do activities,” says the director of the Regroupement des Auberges du Coeur, Paule Dalphond.
Even if these festivities may seem trivial, according to her they are of great importance: “It’s a privileged moment when we take the time to say ‘I’m like everyone else, I have the right to celebrate Christmas the same as everyone”, and often the hostel becomes a family. »
While many young residents go through difficult ordeals, “they need this recognition, this support, to say that they are part of society, underlines Mr.me Dalphond. Every young person counts, they are important, and if we are not able to take that time with them to share moments, well who will? »
According to Mme Dalphond, the workers who prepare these festivities and spend Christmas and New Year’s Day with young people are nothing less than “magicians”, capable of making everything from nothing. “I look at the decorations that have been made in the Auberges du Coeur and I say to myself, there is genius inside that, but everyone participates in it. »
She also wants to emphasize the importance of community donations, whether in the form of food, clothing or gifts, to make the miracle possible.
A second family
The Auberges du Coeur, about thirty in all, welcome and support teenagers and young adults, from 12 to 35 years old. The Regroupement estimates that more than 80,000 young people have passed through it in 40 years.
The minors who find themselves there are often there on a temporary basis. “Often families are going to need a little respite, there’s just something that’s not working,” says Ms.me Dalphond. It is a much less complicated process than registering in a youth centre.
Teenagers usually spend the holidays with their families. Young adults are in a completely different situation: “These are often young people who no longer have contact with their family, who have very few friends, their social network is very small, so they will stay inside the hostel. They are often homeless or at risk of homelessness.