Concordia Journal Home > Archives > March 19, 2009 issue >

Youth Fusion making a difference in Montreal high schools  

By Russ Cooper

Addressing drop out rates, delinquency, political disengagement and violence, Youth Fusion has connected students from Concordia with students from James Lyng and Pierre-Dupuy, two of Montreal's most disadvantaged high schools.

The goal is to motivate high school students towards actively being a part of their community and become socially conscious, responsible and creative citizens.

"We did a lot of research and we found students in top-ranked schools had many opportunities presented to them, while bottom-ranked ones didn't," says Gabriel Bran Lopez, Youth Fusion's Founder and General Manager.

"We found that when opportunities aren't available, there's no sense of belonging in the schools. So why would you go everyday? What we're trying to do is create a sense of community and a reason to get involved. It's not about grades; it's about a place to belong.

"We're trying to teach them they have a voice."

Until May 25, five Concordia students will become mentors at James Lyng and two will go to Pierre-Dupuy, "to teach high school students they do have the power to make a difference." The mentors will help initiate various activities such as a young entrepreneurs club, student governments, school newspapers, environmental green teams, a science fair and an end-of-year musical concert. So far, the Concordia interns have recruited 120 students from Lyng and Dupuy.

"We're going beyond just being there for a couple days or hours. The interns are there roughly 15 hours-a-week for three months. The best part is that we're not only empowering high school students, but also Concordia students."

But more than just getting involved, organizers hope to teach practical skills that can improve self-confidence.

"We'll figure out how to write grants, how to give a speech, how to write an article, those kinds of things," says Lopez. "Those are great skills but it's also just so they can say, 'wow I can do it.'

Lopez himself demonstrates the distance that self-confidence can take you. His experience as an organizer, public speaker and his communications degree led him to be one of four finalists in the Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister competition.

Recently, interns and students from Lyng went to Laval’s Récréathèque for a casual afternoon of bowling with no other goal than to have a good time and bond.

"It really helped foster a sense of mentoring and to reinforce they're not just there for an afternoon," he says.

Lopez says the interest shown in the program has been remarkable. Organizers received tons of applications from Concordia students, taking more than three weeks to sift through them all.

The high school program, in its inaugural year, has received significant support from many organizations throughout the community and Concordia.

"Without the help of Concordia's administration and the cooperation of the Social Development Society of the borough of Ville Marie, none of this would be possible. I am extremely grateful for their involvement and their positive support," he says.

In the future, organizers are looking to expand the program beyond the island of Montreal and into other high schools in northern Quebec.

"I'm not saying this project will solve the drop out rate, but hopefully it will contribute positively to it."