While we have largely talked about school perseverance, let’s take the time to recognize the resilience of young people and the work of the people who support their educational journey. We are thinking of parents, teachers and all support staff in education. Among these people, perhaps less well known, are community dropout organizations (OCLD).
More than 900 employees and 2,200 volunteers support young people in difficulty aged 6 to 24 every day. They come to the aid of those who struggle to find fulfillment at school, who distance themselves from it or who are at odds with the school environment. School difficulties can arise from all kinds of conditions beyond the control of young people: learning difficulties, personal or family problems or even mental health problems that affect their academic success, despite their perseverance.
OCLDs are living environments where it is good to learn. They act as a complement to the school network by offering different types of educational support, motivational activities, project-based learning, distance education and support for families. So many activities and help to promote the perseverance and educational success of young people in difficulty. Our interventions are fun, non-repressive and rely on the strengths and levers of the young person as well as those of his family in an open and inclusive living environment.
And when things go wrong in community organizations?
Since the start of the pandemic, dropout groups have redoubled their efforts in the field. To the best of their abilities, OCLDs have remained open and have constantly reinvented their activities, taken steps to reach young people and respond to emerging needs as well as those exacerbated by the pandemic.
Yet the government is largely neglecting the funding of these community organizations. The great financial precariousness of the OCLDs has become so untenable that many of them have to cut back on their activities in support of young people. In some communities, the organization is at risk of closure, at a time when young people need it more than ever. With the overwork of the teaching staff and the shortage of professionals in tutoring, let us collectively note that the Quebec school net is still crumbling and that we cannot let this crisis continue.
Cries from the heart are no longer enough… we go out into the street.
For more than 30 years now, independent community action organizations in the fight against dropping out have been supporting young people and contributing concretely to making Quebec society fairer and more inclusive. We call on your solidarity and listening.
This week, autonomous community action groups will take to the streets to claim recognition for their work with the most vulnerable people. With the objective of improving the living conditions of the population and reducing growing socio-economic inequalities, adequate funding for independent community action should be a priority for our government.
We need the support of our whole society for our young people, our collective future depends on it.
Veronique Thibault, President of the Regroupement of Quebec Community Organizations for the Fight against Dropping Out (ROCLD)
Executive director of the community organization Pro-Jeunes-Est, located in Rimouski.