A partnership to support Quebec’s youth and children
What is the Youth Success Project?
The Youth Success Project is a collective initiative steered by the Centraides of Quebec in partnership with the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation. Coordinated by Centraide of Greater Montreal, this project supports youth success by building the capacity of community agencies that help young people.
Launched in 2021, the project initially addressed the pandemic’s impacts—such as isolation, anxiety, motivation loss, and food insecurity—on young people and their families.
When the second phase started in 2024, the project scope broadened to include the entire social and academic journey from early childhood to adulthood.
Goals
Build the capacity of youth agencies to provide ongoing support to young people and their families.
Provide equitable support to young people across all Quebec regions.
Support regional collective action and develop impactful medium-term visions to avoid duplicating specific projects.
Scope and funding
The project has two phases:
2021-2024: Investment of $6.5 million, preceded by a $2.5-million emergency fund related to the pandemic.
2024-2027: Investment of $7.6 million, including approximately $2.5 million managed by Centraide of Greater Montreal for the metropolitan territory.
The Centraides of Quebec are using these investments to support youth agencies, regional initiatives, and collective efforts to promote young people’s academic perseverance, mental health, food security, and social inclusion.
An impact felt in every region
The Youth Success Project supports about ten initiatives that aim to improve young people’s success and well-being.
Below are some examples:
✏️ Academic perseverance: Parental support, summer learning camps, and support for school transitions.
🧠 Mental health: Local outreach with teens, psychological support, and distress prevention.
🛒 Food security: Collective cooking workshops and food assistance for families and young people at risk of homelessness.
👨🏻🦱 Youth centres: Spaces where staff welcome and listen to teens, who can express themselves and develop their independence, confidence, and community involvement
📣 Community engagement: Capacity building at agencies and the development of lasting regional partnerships.
Three projects supported in Greater Montreal
The Maison des familles de LaSalle (MFL) is an agency that welcomes, listens to, educates, and supports LaSalle families. It provides a warm and safe space that nurtures the well-being of families and the overall development of children aged 0 to 12.
The MFL runs a variety of original, creative, and educational activities to give children and their parents rewarding experiences. Its main services include workshops for parents and their children aged 0 to 12, stimulation workshops for young children, school readiness activities, as well as meet-ups to help families build a network and connect with each other.
The agency also runs a community drop-off day care centre that provides a space both for children to play and learn and for parents to get a much-needed break. This Monday-through-Thursday service supports families thanks to an environment that is adapted to the needs of children and their parents.
The MFL emphasizes participation, mutual help, and connection to recognize and help parents in their role as the primary educators of their children. These activities not only build parenting skills but also help families interact so that each child can develop as well as possible.
The MFL’s recognized expertise makes it a key stakeholder in supporting neighbourhood families, as it gives them a welcoming space where young and old alike can grow, learn, and develop together.
The Maison des enfants le Dauphin de Laval (MED) is a community agency that works with Laval families and their children aged 0 to 12. This centre is a place for them to succeed, find friendships, and thrive.
The MED stands out through its diverse activities and adapted approach for different age groups. It runs workshops for parents to help their children aged 0 to 5 develop their motor, cognitive, and social skills as they get ready to transition to school. The agency also organizes activities and workshops for children aged 6 to 12 using a unique approach that helps them develop a love of learning. Recognized by the Fédération québécoise des organismes communautaires Famille, this approach encourages children to learn, builds their relationship with their parent or a significant adult, and reinforces their self-esteem.
The agency is also known for its “Confidences à un Dauphin” service, which lets Laval children express their joys and fears and ask questions. Children at the 37 partner primary schools can drop off their letters in a special mail box. Counsellors at the MED oversee this completely anonymous program and answer the children’s letters with encouragement and tools to help them face their problems and to support their relationship with their parents. Every year, the MED receives and answers over 12,000 letters from Laval children.
L’Adomissile is the youth centre of La Maison des jeunes (MDJ) de Saint-Rémi in the MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville. There, young people can enjoy a variety of sports, arts, and social activities in a non-school context. In 2024-2025, nearly 250 young people went to the centre to develop their independence and discover new interests.
In this vast and highly rural territory that has struggled to keep students in school, L’Adomissile plays an essential role, particularly by providing homework assistance and helping students apply to CEGEP. To compensate for the lack of public transit, the agency bought two vehicles and made 1,280 trips to help young people access their activities.
Youths in this territory are also encouraged to join an advisory committee that influences the agency’s decisions, which allows them to develop their critical thinking, leadership skills, and ability to get involved in the community.
In addition to this space, L’Adomissile deploys a team of outreach workers in the 11 municipalities in the MRC to guide teens and young adults aged 12 to 24—and sometimes up to age 35—to the right resources. The team also promotes mediation with the family, the school, or other stakeholders and strives to reduce harm while making everyone aware of different problems.
It is no surprise that schools, municipal institutions, and the CISSS regularly consult the youth centre for its expertise on young people’s real experiences.
🤝 A lasting partnership
The Youth Success Project stems from a vision shared by the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation and the Centraides of Quebec that aims to let every child and young person in the province develop in a compassionate, supportive, and equitable environment.
