Youth services

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Maison des Jeunes in Huntingdon will be without a home come July, if a solution is not found quickly to relocate the vibrant youth centre that is currently housed at École Arthur-Pigeon high school.

Around 30 individuals, including several area young people as well as representatives from the Maison des Jeunes, parents, and supporters of the community organization, attended the regular council meeting in Huntingdon on December 2. Students unfurled a banner signed by well over one hundred kids who rely on the youth centre’s services, and several rose to speak during question period to request the town’s support.

Maison des Jeunes coordinator Nathalie Collin confirmed during the meeting that the Centre de services scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands (CSSVT) has now asked the youth centre to move. She pointed out that with little more than six months remaining, the situation facing the youth centre is dire.

“Here we are at a minute to midnight. We need a town hall, and elected officials who will sit down with us and work with us,” she said, while addressing the council.

A representative for the young people in the room presented mayor André Brunette and the town’s councilors with a formal invitation to visit the youth centre. Collin then asked whether the mayor would be willing to sit on a committee dedicated to finding a solution for the Maison des Jeunes.

Brunette readily agreed to be part of a committee, along with at least one other councilor. He noted,, however that the future of the youth centre has been the subject of meetings and discussions for over two years.

The town had at one point offered the Maison des Jeunes an opportunity to build on a piece of land along François Cleyn Street. This was determined to be less than ideal, as the youth centre would be located closer to elementary schools, near both the railroad and a cemetery. There were also concerns about young people walking along this busy section of François-Cleyn, as there are presently no sidewalks.

The Maison des Jeunes has also looked at different locations within the town, including a property on Chateauguay Street, as well as lots both in front and behind the high school. None of the potential scenarios played out in favour of relocating the centre. “There is no more land in Huntingdon that is affordable,” Collin lamented, while pointing out how difficult it is to develop concrete plans without a confirmed location.

For Collin, an optimal solution would be to integrate the youth centre into plans to enlarge the high school; but, she says, this possibility has not been brought to her attention by the CSSVT. She said she planned on asking the school service centre and governing board for more time.

She explained that earlier that day, there were over 170 students at the youth centre during lunch hour. Noting the Maison des Jeunes’ 40-year history, and its significant role within the community, she asked that the town take on a greater role in finding a solution.

In an interview following the meeting, Collin said she believes they will find a way to keep the Maison des Jeunes from closing. “We are asking for a place to build a 3,000 square-foot building. We don’t want a gym, or a climbing wall like you see in other youth centres. We just want a floor, walls, and a roof,” she explained.

“We can’t do it on our own, we need a partnership to make it happen.”