Youth
Who are youth? Some define youth as those under 18; others as the 15-29 age group. The division used to delimit youth is arbitrary and depends on the point one wishes to illustrate. Here, youth are defined as those under 30; however, this age group obviously includes several very different realities. This period can be subdivided into four stages of development: ages 0-5 (preschool), 6-11 (elementary school), 12-17 (high school) and 18-29 (integration into the adult world). Throughout these stages of development, the relative importance and influence of various spheres changes; family is at first the most significant, then school and peers, then studies, work and relationships. These stages are also marked by many transitions, which constitute challenges that young people from 0-29 face on a daily basis.
According to the Institut de la statistique du Québec, in 2002, there were 2,767,058 young people aged 0-29 in Québec, which corresponds to approximately 37% of the population. The 0-5 age group represented 6% of the total population of Québec; the 6-11, 8%; the 12-17, 7%; and the 18-29, 16%. More than statistics, the youth of today are also the future of our society, the workers of tomorrow. Their energy and creativity are precious resources that can inspire us all.
The majority of young people obtain the resources they require for their health, safety, well-being and development from their parents, families and communities. For some, however, the journey to adulthood is more difficult. They must face problems of all kinds including negligence, abuse, sexual assault, learning and/or behavioural difficulties, difficulty integrating into the job market, teenage pregnancy, mental health issues, etc.
To support and assist them in overcoming these problems, various programs and services have been established, particularly in the health and social services sector. CLSCs provide numerous resources to improve the situations of young people in difficulty. In addition, depending on the issue, a variety of organizations and associations can offer support. To find out more, contact your CLSC. Tel-Jeunes is also a resource specifically for youth, which provides a hotline service (1-800-263-2266) as well as online support at www.teljeunes.com (in French only).
When the safety or development of a child or adolescent is in danger, the situation falls under the Youth Protection Act. At that point, youth protection centres have the mandate to intervene. They are also responsible for providing services to young offenders.
The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux has drawn up an action strategy for troubled youth and their families entitled the Stratégie d’action pour les jeunes en difficulté et leur famille, which is directly connected to its mission to “maintain, improve and restore the health and welfare of Québec citizens by making a wide range of integrated quality health and social services available to them, thereby contributing to the social and economic development of Québec.” This action strategy, which is the result of extensive consultations with individuals who have dedicated their lives to working with youth, brings together a series of measures that will give young people the best chance possible to overcome their difficulties.
The Québec government has also established agencies to support youth development, including the Conseil permanent de la jeunesse and the Secrétariat à la jeunesse, which reports directly to the Premier.
The Secrétariat à la jeunesse has developed a Québec youth policy entitled Bringing Youth into Québec’s Mainstream as well as an action plan, to bring youth issues to the forefront of government priorities. Its Website contains, among other things, a directory of government youth programs, the Répertoire des programmes jeunesse du gouvernement du Québec (in French only). In addition, the Secrétariat à la jeunesse, in cooperation with various organizations, has prepared a guide entitled At your Service! Youth, which addresses many of the most frequently raised questions and concerns of young people. It also lists most of the places where young people can find assistance or obtain guidance.
