Saint-Leonard | A wind of hope to sweep away delinquency

“We have to make them understand that there is something other than the street. » From podcast shows to a soccer tournament, in Saint-Léonard, activities of all kinds are organized by community stakeholders for young people in the neighborhood. Projects motivated by a desire to provide support, to prevent these young people from falling into crime.

At the Saint-Léonard Youth Center, coordinator Gabriela welcomes young people who come to enjoy a weekend afternoon playing on the Playstation, UNO, or just to chat with their friends.

This is where two young people from the neighborhood aged 14 and 16 used to go, who died two weeks earlier after shooting in the early hours towards two motorists, in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie¹. Their car was found embedded in a tree. Several elements suggest that one of them was affiliated with a gang.

An event which reflects an increase in crime that the Saint-Léonard district has been facing for several years. Following the assassination of a 15-year-old girl, Meriem Boundaoui, in 2021, the district announced the implementation of a plan to combat violence, in particular through the financing of community activities. The Press went to one of them.

” Come as you Are “

This friendly setting in which young people aged 10 to 24 meet is the result of the Évasion project of the DOD Basketball organization. It offers many varied activities for young people in Saint-Léonard, such as soccer or awareness workshops. “There are organized activities in the neighborhood, but there are many things that young people are not allowed to do there, such as talking the way they do. Here, it’s more: come as you are,” explains the coordinator.

Installed in their chairs, three young people try to remain still while barbers are busy creating layers, braids, and other cuts and hairstyles of all kinds. Like every Sunday, the room lent by the Saint-Léonard Youth Center turns into a barbershop, an activity for which Yani and Dany did not fail to sign up. “We came to get our hair cut, but also for the atmosphere. It keeps us busy,” says the first, aged 16.

Facilitate exchanges

Wandering from group to group, sometimes grabbing a table tennis racket, pivotal agent Benjamin Dixon is one of the pillars of the project.

In order to facilitate this exchange, DOD Basketball has its secret: speakers who resemble young people. This is what Yanis, 13, is happy about: “They are young adults, it’s easier to communicate with them, they look like us. They tell us about their journey and they tell us the mistakes not to make. »

Mazz runs several barbershops in Saint-Léonard; it is he who offers his services to the Evasion project. A partnership motivated by a desire to help young people in its community. “It’s hard to find someone who will listen to them, help them, that’s why we’re here, to show them that there are still beautiful people out there,” he describes.

For this original Leonardo, the image returned is important. “I want the world to know me for what I am capable of doing and to see me as an example, to say to themselves: “if he can do it, then so can I”. » Mazz does not hide the fact that his work has already inspired many young people, eager for advice.

Raise the taboos

But the mission of the Évasion project is also to help young people express themselves on subjects that are often taboo within the home or groups of friends. It was to address this problem that Saint-Léonard Youth Council member Albano Souhail had an idea: recording a podcast.

Several themes have already been addressed during this four-episode project, such as success, friendly, family and romantic relationships, or even possible solutions to get out of delinquency. “We really wanted to choose themes that are important for young people, something that they talk about among themselves,” explains Albano Souhail. For each episode, a member of the Youth Council is responsible for the entertainment, and a speaker from a Saint-Léonard organization comes to talk with the young people.

On this Sunday afternoon, entrepreneurship and the relationship with money will be at the heart of the discussion, an episode in which Yanis is impatient to participate.

Real risks

Walner is a speaker for DOD Basketball, but also coordinator of community work carried out by local youth; two very complementary hats according to him. “We create links with young people who do hours of community work with us. We encourage them to come to activities. Sometimes we even manage to find them a job. »

However, the outcome is not always so happy, the last few weeks could not be a better reminder of this. “These two young people [qui sont morts], we knew them well, they came to our activities, he testifies. We know they were intelligent. We tried to talk with them, to discuss everything and nothing, but of course there were certain things we might have missed. »

“I find it sad because [l’un des jeunes], I was supposed to see him on Thursday, the day he died, but he didn’t come. The next day I found out what had happened. »

For many, delinquency is also a way of fleeing home, where dialogue is sometimes broken with parents. With its project, it is a place of escape, secure and attentive, that DOD Basketball’s mission is to offer young people.

1. Read “Gunshots in Montreal: the two teenage suspects could have acted as part of an initiation”