Carrefour jeunesse-emploi du Sud-Ouest de Montréal (CJESO)

Summary of organization/program

Our mission is to help improve the living conditions of young people between the ages of 16 and 35 who live in Southwest Montréal by guiding them towards finding a job or going back to school, starting up a new business or carrying out a project that is dear to their heart. The CJESO is, first and foremost, a place where young people between the ages of 16 and 35 from the Southwest area can get help preparing to reintegrate the job market (job search, resuming education, internship or career and business exploration). Participation in the CJESO’s activities is strictly voluntary. The needs and aspirations of each participant is heard and respected throughout the process.

Youth in Action Project gives you the opportunity to develop your full potential. It is designed to meet the needs of young people facing problems that are preventing them from integrating the job market. The program provides young people with intensive guidance using an approach that corresponds to their own reality.


Contact information

   

 3181 Saint-Jacques Street, office 100, Montréal, Québec H4C 1G7

 Phone: 514-934-2242; Fax: 514 934-2264


Geographic region

Local


Participants

  • Youth aged 16-35 years old. 
  • The CJESO offers services in the Southwest borough—this includes the neighbourhoods of Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Émard/Côte-Saint-Paul and Griffintown (postal codes starting with H3J, H3K, H4C, H4E and H3C).

History/Background Information

In 1997, community, education and economic development of South-West Montreal came together around the South West Youth Forum to address issues of education, employment and social life of young people. In the rest of this Forum, the following year, local stakeholders have decided to work to develop alocal strategy for youth and employment to support the efforts of social and economic integration of youth and young adults in the Southwest. In 1998, a committee was formed to develop this strategy

The Coalition’s economic and social Southwest (RESO) a community economic development corporation that works to the economic and social revitalization of neighborhoods southwest of Montreal, has actively participated in this exercise. The discussions and work, between others, led to the creation of the Carrefour jeunesse-emploi South West Montreal (CJESO). All partners have agreed to the RESO to take responsibility and make a separate, connected to the environment and the needs of youth and young adults. At the time of the creation of CJESO, community partners have agreed that it should act as a catalyst for local strategy for youth and employment and should be complementary to what is already in the middle. The CJESO has opened its doors January 18, 2001 with a mandate to implement the strategy in collaboration with local partners. Since then, the local strategy for youth employment and is updated every four years by the CJESO, always in collaboration with community partners. The latest version is available on this site.

  • Established: 2001

Dominant Media Forms


Objectives

Our mission is to help improve the lives of youth and young adults aged 16 to 35 years in the southwest of Montreal by supporting them in their journey to work or returning to school, or in starting a business or a project dear to their heart. CJESO The service is a grouping of economic and social Southwest (RESO).This is a result of the consultation exercise around the local strategy for youth and employment in 1998 as the actors of school, community, labor and health RESO gave the mandate to develop a crossroads Youth Employment in the colors of the environment. CJESO The first wants a venue for young adults 16 to 35 years in the South West who wish to undertake a process of preparation and integration into the labor market (search employment, return to school, internships or entrepreneurial exploration). Entry and participation in CJESO are only on a voluntary basis. The home also involves notions of listening and respect the needs and aspirations expressed by the individual.


Statement of Principles

The approach, focusing on personal development, aims to give everyone the power to choose and act knowingly. One of the first conditions to exercise that power is all about access to information. The person will be able to make informed decisions to the extent that it will have clearly defined objectives, it will hold relevant information and she will master the content. To achieve this, the team based on the principles of community action: empowering the individual, community and collective. In the spirit of community action, which recognizes the expertise of community partners and where ‘it encourages complementarity and collaboration, participants in the various steps taken, may be referred to community resources or elsewhere in Montreal. For many participants, it is a reference to help them improve their living conditions and health. This approach requires detailed knowledge of available resources, people who work and services offered there.


Strategies

The mission of CJESO focuses on three main areas of work :

  • Support the implementation of the Strategy for local young people and jobs (link to the document).
  • Greet, assist and refer youth and young adults in the Southwest.
  • Organize and support the dialogue with the various community stakeholders concerned with youth and employment.The CJESO makes every year an action plan based on three main areas of work.This annual exercise lists events taking place during the year and has the means to achieve them.

Samples of work


Funding Sources