Le Projet Clé

Ensuring academic success for youths with a roof and individualized support

The Fondation du Centre jeunesse de la Montérégie helps thousands of children who have been abandoned and are being followed under the Youth Protection Act. To do so, it focuses on three areas: education, healthcare and social integration.

What happens, though, when these young people reach age 18? For those who have grown up in a Youth Centre, attaining majority means the end of government support. The transition to adulthood often then turns into a lonely and difficult experience: opportunities for achievement are limited, and the pursuit of one’s studies is extremely rare.  That is why the Fondation du Centre jeunesse de la Montérégie wants to give them the tools to build a more solid future, and avoid the poverty and isolation that are never far away.

In the fall of 2015, it initiated the Projet Clé, which “aims to support youth who wish to continue with their postsecondary education”, by providing them with financial support for tuition fees, housing and meals, as well as offering to pair them with a mentor. Each participant receives $5,000 a year, and services are tailored to their needs in order to maximize their chances of success.

To be eligible for support, a young person has to be studying full-time in a postsecondary program, commit to getting at least a passing grade in each subject, and work part-time in order to take on some of the expenses. When it comes to housing, the Projet Clé agrees to be the signatory to the lease, then sublets to participants.

Since its creation, the Projet Clé has come to the aid of 50 youths from the Montérégie region; 26 of them have earned a degree. Many of those who have not obtained a degree have nonetheless stayed connected to their mentors, developed networks, and made a smooth transition towards autonomy. That may well not have happened had it not been for the support of the Fondation du Centre jeunesse de la Montérégie.

By enabling these young adults to pursue their postsecondary studies and integrate into society, while also providing them with support that helps them blossom, the Projet Clé recognizes their strengths, their willpower and their capacity to become independent and autonomous adults and citizens. It encourages them to find their way.

In 2020, Projet Clé was funded by the Fonds Fondation Famille Le Blanc at the Foundation of Greater Montréal.