The proceedings of the forum on the Prevention of Youth Homelessness and Respect for the Rights of Young People.
“Preventing youth homelessness is often compared to a tap that is only turned off when the water overflows. When shelters are full, waiting lists for services are endless, and a third of young people leaving the youth protection system end up on the street, why are we still waiting to turn off this tap?”
This is the question posed by the Youth+ Coalition. By organizing the second Forum on Youth Homelessness Prevention, Youth+ wanted to bring together young people with experiential knowledge, people from academic, community, governmental and political circles, to see, as members of society, how to promote youth homelessness prevention and the courses of action to achieve this.
March 12, 2025:
A SUCCESSFUL launch for the forum's collection on youth homelessness prevention and respect for young people's rights!
The event brought together around one hundred participants: young people with experiential knowledge, community sector workers, representatives from the institutional sector, researchers and representatives from the political world.
Together, they discussed key issues: preventing homelessness among young people and guaranteeing their rights.
The steering committee and the young people from the Jeunes+ committee presented the results of the forum to an attentive and engaged audience.
Beyond knowledge sharing, this event strengthened collaboration among all stakeholders, laying the groundwork for concrete actions to improve the lives of young people. It is essential to continue creating spaces for listening and participation where every young person can have their voice heard, influence decisions that affect them, and receive support tailored to their needs.
By acting collectively, we can build a fairer future and empower young people to thrive and become fully engaged in society.
Photo credit: Fanny Bakkali
Thank you for participating!
REVIEW OF THE FORUM ON THE PREVENTION OF YOUTH HOMELESSNESS AND RESPECT FOR THE RIGHTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE, FROM APRIL 30 AND MAY 1, 2024.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude for
We were very pleased with the large turnout at the forum on youth homelessness prevention. We also wish to thank the workshop speakers for their great generosity. Finally, we would like to congratulate the organizing committee and the Jeunes+ committee, coordinated by Marie-Ève Brousseau, who made this forum possible.
The objective of this 2nd edition was to come together to reflect on how we, as a society, can promote the prevention of youth homelessness and what avenues for action exist to achieve this.
Participants
More than 250 people from diverse backgrounds attended the Forum: young people with experiential knowledge, students, researchers, community organizations, institutions (health and social services, education, public safety) and elected officials.
PIJ research
(Youth homelessness prevention)
The Jeunes+ committee, along with researchers Sue-Ann MacDonald and Béatrice Forget, opened the forum by presenting the participatory research of the Youth Homelessness Prevention (PIJ).
The team also produced an immersive exhibition presenting the testimonies and perspectives of young people and stakeholders on the prevention of youth homelessness in Quebec, resulting from a participatory action research project conducted since 2021 by a multidisciplinary PIJ team in collaboration with the Coalition Jeunes+.
In total, 15 workshops addressing youth homelessness prevention were presented under the axes of experiential knowledge, field knowledge and theoretical knowledge.
Experiential knowledge: Youth movement and mental health
Get involved with youth: innovative tools to engage young experts by experience
Field experience: Psychoeducator, Youth Protection Services (DPJ) – Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre (CIUSSS) of the Capitale-Nationale region and Director of the Prostitution Intervention Project in Quebec
Collaboration between institutional and community levels: is it possible?
Theoretical knowledge: professors of sexology at UQAM and a young person with experiential knowledge
Preventing LGBTQIA2S+ youth from becoming homeless
Politics
Municipal, provincial, and federal elected officials participated in our workshops and attended the cocktail reception. These discussions helped raise awareness among elected officials about the need to consider youth homelessness prevention in their bills, action plans, and public policies.
The Minister responsible for Social Services, Mr. Lionel Carmant, gave a speech on the day of the event: “The thing that affected me the most was seeing that no matter how many shelter spaces we provide, how many supervised housing spaces we provide, how many… we can’t reverse the trend. We really need to focus on prevention. But to work on prevention, we all need to work together!”
Cirque Hors Piste delivered an impressive, touching and unifying artistic performance on the theme of youth homelessness.
Marilou Vinet, Intervention Coordinator, at Cirque Hors Piste
The artists of the Hors Piste Circus
Mael Sir - Slam Poet
Mael'Sir is a young man who has been performing slam poetry for over a decade, from Toronto to Moncton, by way of Paris. Inspired by hip hop, his rhythmic and musical texts reflect his wonder and the abundance he wishes to celebrate.
Mael was invited to attend the forum to perform a slam poem summarizing the ideas and discussions that took place during the event. His slam resonated deeply with the audience. It made us laugh, it made us think, but above all, it moved us.
The Jeunes+ committee closed the Forum with profound and impactful reflections.
"We regroup, we go out again, we're motivated and we're ready to change the world. We must allow ourselves to put things in place in our community and take those things with us."
Mélodie Cordeau - Youth+ Committee
A look back at the Youth Homelessness Prevention Forum
November 18-19, 2021
The Coalition Jeunes+ organized the Youth Homelessness Prevention Forum on November 18 and 19, 2021, the first forum held in Quebec on youth homelessness prevention. The objective was to gather the voices of young people, field workers, and political decision-makers.
In Quebec, there is a National Homelessness Policy, which leads to an Intersectoral Action Plan on Homelessness, renewed every five years. The issue of preventing homelessness among young people and the specific situations they experience call for the development of concrete actions that meet their needs and those of their families. This is why we are convinced that to change policies, improve services, and guarantee the rights of young people, we must propose to the Quebec government a Framework for the Prevention of Youth Homelessness, developed with the help of the many stakeholders involved, including researchers and young people themselves!
To achieve our goals of preventing and reducing youth homelessness, we must unite and collaborate together: community organizations, young people, researchers, local authorities, institutions, and public authorities!
The first major activity of the Coalition Jeunes+ was the organization of the first Youth Homelessness Prevention Forum, in collaboration with community partners! We aimed to bring together, for the first time in Quebec, the actors involved in the prevention of youth homelessness.
The objectives of the Youth Homelessness Prevention Forum were to:
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Defining (upstream) prevention of homelessness in Quebec
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To gain the support of all stakeholders for the importance of taking action on the prevention of youth homelessness
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Strengthening the youth network in prevention
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Defining regional realities
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Adopt a joint declaration
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Include the voice and vision of young people to build actions
Participants
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Young people from the Youth+ Committee
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Members of the Coalition Steering Committee
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Youth in community organizations
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Representatives of groups
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Representatives from community organizations
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Members of the National Assembly or their representatives.
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Donors to the Youth+ Coalition
