{"id":78392,"date":"2024-10-31T16:28:52","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T20:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/?p=78392"},"modified":"2024-11-06T14:48:27","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T19:48:27","slug":"benado-helped-me-feel-confident-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/en\/blog\/benado-helped-me-feel-confident-again\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBenado helped me feel confident again.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
At 26 years old, Magalie is now a manager at a furniture company, a position her younger self never thought possible, as her life path had not always been easy. Behind her confident smile is a story of personal challenges, relationship conflicts, and difficult teen years. Fortunately, thanks to Benado, a community agency supported by Centraide of Greater Montreal, Magalie found a new path away from the aggression that used to dominate her life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n
\n
<\/figure>
\n
\u201cIn my early teens, I was very shy. And when my body changed, everything turned upside down. I got into uncomfortable situations with boys who didn\u2019t always ask for consent, and nobody was there for me. Not even the teachers I turned to for help. This lack of support was so frustrating. I felt I was the only one who could stand up for myself, and I became very aggressive,\u201d explained Magalie as she looked back on these key moments in her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aggression quickly became her go-to defence mechanism, which created a lot of oppositional behaviour and led her to enforce her own brand of justice, to the point where she would deliberately provoke confrontations. \u201cI had a lot of pent-up frustration that I didn\u2019t know what to do with,\u201d she confided.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
That\u2019s when she started going to Benado, a community agency that works with youth in difficulty. After being enrolled in their \u201cAlternative justice\u201d program due to an accusation of bullying, the teen had to own up to her behaviour and find other ways to manage her anger. \u201cI started by making amends for my mistakes, but I didn\u2019t stop there, as the agency also introduced me to the PIVOT program.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
A program that transforms lives<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PIVOT, a program that helps and reintegrates young people who drop out, was a lifeline for Magalie. Through cooking and art workshops and practical skills such as bicycle repair, she discovered a whole new way to express herself without violence. \u201cI learned that I could be good at something as an individual and that I didn\u2019t have to fit the mould,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These activities helped Magalie find new self-confidence, regain control of her emotions, and put her life in a new direction. \u201cToday, I\u2019m a manager at a furniture company and one of the first women to hold this position in my department. I no longer put limits on what I can do. Benado also showed me that I can be useful in other ways and that I can help instead of hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What she remembers most from her experience at Benado is their generosity and mutual aid, as Magalie not only received support but also learned to give back. \u201cI have been volunteering since I was 17, particularly with Indigenous communities. Benado taught me the value of generosity, which is literally part of my everyday life now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\u201cI used to create a lot of problems in my life, but now my work involves managing the problems of others. That says a lot about how far I\u2019ve come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– Magalie <\/p>\n\n\n
\n
\n
M\u00e9lanie C\u00f4t\u00e9, the director of the \u201cDropout Alternatives Program\u201d at Benado, remembers Magalie\u2019s impressive progress. \u201cWhen she arrived, she was a completely different person who was full of frustration. Over time, she learned to channel her negative energy into something constructive. Today, she is the perfect embodiment of the solidarity and perseverance we try to instill in our young people.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Magalie.png\")
<\/figure>![\"S\u00e9parateur](\"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Separateur_corpo_1-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Benado-5-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n