Decreases in public funding, increases in requests for support, structural difficulties — the community sector is suffering. The Saint-Michel Youth Forum is no exception and fears that it will have to close its doors. In the heart of a neighbourhood plagued by major social challenges, particularly youth violence, the Youth Forum is at an impasse, and the lack of stable funding could spell the death knell of this organization that has been serving young people and their families for more than 20 years. Report.
Brown sofas aged by all the teenagers who have sat there, a central billiard table where games are played daily, libraries full of books, a basic kitchen to beat hunger and a few computers in the back. The Saint-Michel Youth Forum is a large space where the doors are always open, where listening and support are at the heart of the action. But today, the moods are gray and the atmosphere is gloomy. The organization, like so many others in the community sector, is running out of funding and does not know how to pursue its mission.
“If it closes tomorrow, I don't know what I'm going to become,” says one of the young people who frequent the premises. Over a hamburger and a few fries, a dozen of them agreed to confide in La Converse. “The Forum is my family, it's the only place where you can go to meet up with friends, to get help if you have a problem, to participate in activities...” confirms Samy behind his blue smoke glasses.
A rampart against the street
In the Saint-Michel district, the Youth Forum is much more than a community center: it is a refuge, a springboard, a space of hope for many young people in search of bearings. Every young person who walks through the door shows a broad smile, a genuine joy to find themselves there. Here, everyone knows everyone, and no one judges anyone. Everyone comes with their baggage, more or less heavy, with their more or less painful experiences, and gets rid of it here. More than just a place, the Forum is a space where young people like Samy find support, guidance and a chance to rebuild their future.
Its closure would mean the loss of an essential service in a neighbourhood that badly needs it. A possibility that deeply worries Samy and the other young people. “I can't imagine if the Forum would close... The people who are part of it are not just friends, they are my second family. During the holidays, I was already having trouble not going, so if it closes, a lot of young people will definitely go back to the streets,” says the 19-year-old.
Because the Saint-Michel Youth Forum is above all a place that offers activities to these young people, an alternative to the streets — the only other place where they can meet up with friends, but where they become the target of criminal network recruiters. “What I prefer, at the Forum, is that we do activities all together, like on Saturdays, when we cook for homeless people and when we go to distribute meals in Berri-UQAM. I like it because we help others,” assures Soulim.
Soccer, resumé writing, simulated job interviews, awareness-raising, games, community radio, creating video clips to denounce street harassment, meetings with prisoners — the projects carried out with young people are as varied as they are useful. “Everything is used to do social intervention, to show them another path, to allow them to reveal themselves,” explains Abdellah Azzouz, the only worker in office, who has been without a salary for two weeks. Because if the Saint-Michel Youth Forum is in danger, it is only for financial reasons.
Timely and insufficient funding
Before Mohamed Mimoun arrived at the office that evening, the young people were full of praise for the Forum coordinator. “He is someone who has been dedicated to the organization for over 15 years, who does not count his hours, who answers worried parents at 2 am, who never says no when you need him, even on weekends! But he's still a human being, and we're worried about him, because he can't keep doing everything like that. The Youth Forum does not exist thanks to its location, it exists thanks to Momo”, summarizes Adam, the president of the organization's board of directors.
Indeed, Mohamed Mimoun is not the type to complain all day long. Husband and father of a child with autism, he devotes all his time to young people. One of the main difficulties of the Saint-Michel Youth Forum lies in the management of its funding, which is often insufficient and punctual.
“The problem is that grants are awarded on a project-by-project basis and for only one year. There is no funding to pay for the very operation of the organization, starting with the monthly rent of $3,000 for this space," explains the person whom everyone affectionately calls Momo. "We are already lucky to have been able to find an owner who agrees to rent to an organization that works with young people, because often the owners do not want to. But we've only been here for two years. After working without a physical space for years, we finally have a place that has become a den for these young people, but we are already in danger of losing it, because we were not able to pay the rent this month.”
This project-based funding system, where each initiative depends on time-limited grants, places the organization in a precarious position. Although special funding was granted to him last year to combat violence, “it has not been renewed,” laments Momo, who was counting on this aid to continue his activities. He can't hold back his tears when talking about this situation.
In its latest budget, the borough of Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension does not in fact offer a subsidy to the Saint-Michel Youth Forum. Other organizations, whose role is important, but which are not specialized in the prevention of violence, nevertheless benefit from it, deplore youth workers.
Asked for an interview, the mayor of the borough, Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, was “not available.” However, its communication department sent us the following message: “The Saint-Michel Youth Forum offers important activities for young people in our district. The City supports them financially through provincial support and at the district level, we support them, among other things, by offering them space. We are doing our part, we continue to do so and we hope that the organization will manage to meet its budget as in previous years.” When she mentions the premises made available to the organization, the mayor is referring here to an administrative office in the basement of the library, which was in fact allocated to the organization by the previous municipal authorities. This is not the place that welcomes young people.
“We are tired of working on one-off projects. It is essential to be able to offer projects financed over several years,” believes Mohamed Mimoun, as do many community actors. This uncertainty about the future of funding for the Youth Forum threatens not only the sustainability of its activities, but also the organization's ability to meet the growing needs of young people and their parents.
A crucial role in mediating with parents
In addition to young people, desperate parents are in fact knocking on the Forum's door every day, looking for a listening ear and solutions to resolve increasingly tense family situations.
“My phone is ringing constantly, and more often in connection with topics related to the prevention of radicalization; these are calls from parents,” says Mohamed Mimoun. The intensity in her voice betrays the heaviness of the work. “We were directly affected by the violence, because we lost young people in our neighbourhood. This has greatly affected the Maghreb community.” The organization, which has acquired a reputation for expertise in the field of crisis management and youth violence, intervenes in crisis situations by providing mediation to families. The calls Mohamed Mimoun receives thus come from anxious parents, often helpless when a child has disappeared or is involved in delinquency.
Despite the overload of work, the lack of funding and staff, the organization continues to offer support to young people and their families. “When I get a call from a crying mother, even if I am not paid and even if it is at 11 pm in the evening, I cannot refuse,” explains Momo. "Recently, a young man told me that he had been offered $500 to break a car. If I am not there to answer him and remind him why he should not do it, he could be tempted.”
With so many requests, the painstaking work of seeking funding therefore often takes a back seat. “We have a small field team that knows its community well, but a community that remains marginalized and not sufficiently structured,” underlines Mohamed Mimoun.
This lack of structure and a solid support network from the community sector accentuates the vulnerability of the organization in the face of funding crises. Today, he has no choice but to call for help. “We are looking for donors who would like to finance our mission. If we had at least enough to pay the $36,000 in annual rent, that would allow us to breathe. Then we'll see...” assures the speaker.
He is exhausted, but he intends to fight to the end for these young people who are counting on him and for the Saint-Michel Youth Forum team. Ready to contribute to this fight, several of these young people told us about their journey and explained how the encounter with the organization was a decisive moment for them. Here are their stories.
Samy, 19 years old: a future social worker
Originally from Algeria, Samy thought he was spending a vacation with his father when he arrived in Canada at 15. “The truth was hidden from me because they knew that I was going to refuse to leave and leave behind my grandparents, the people who raised me,” he said. Leaving without saying goodbye, he suffers a shock so strong that he withdrew into himself for months, refusing to integrate into his new reality and falling into a depression.
“I spent all my time in my room, locked up, not talking to anyone. Until the day when I broke down and wanted to hurt myself,” confides the young man modestly. When he understood that he was not going to return to his native country, he began to accept the idea of going to school, but had bad encounters. “I made mistakes, I followed people who led me down the wrong path. I did stupid things, I tried things...” he admits. But it was when he made these mistakes that clicked. “The day I escaped serious trouble with the law, I knew that I wanted something else for me. I changed my relationships, and that's when I discovered the Youth Forum. It changed everything, it really helped me get through it.”
It is thanks to a friend that he began to frequent this community space, at first timidly, then more assiduously. “I met Momo and Abdellah Azzouz. They did everything for me, regardless of my problems: family, financial, and even with the law. Here I have found people who listen to me, who understand me and who really help me. Momo is a father to me, I spend more time with him than with my own father, and Azzouz is like a brother.”
Today, Samy is determined to move forward, despite the tensions that still exist with his family and the fact that he does not have a place to live. He is looking for a job, trying to lead a more stable life and has found his way. “Azzouz inspires me enormously. I would like to be the next generation of Azzouz's work. I would like to help people the way I was helped,” he explains.
Ramzi, 17: “Momo is like my second father, and Azzouz is like my big brother”
“If the Forum didn't guide us in the right direction, we wouldn't like this Forum.” Ramzi, who is 17, says these words with a smile. The young man comes to us straight from the busy corners of Masson Street. He ended up at the Youth Forum a little over three months ago. It was during a soccer game, as he says, that his “guy Ayoub” told him about the Forum and invited him to meet Momo and Azzouz. This place full of colors, books, corners, activities and photos has become an oasis for this young person, who enjoys the meetings, the atmosphere and the friends he makes there.
At a young age, he made the choice to stop school and wanted to quickly join the world of work. Arriving in Montreal in 2019, he found himself in a foster class and did not particularly enjoy his experience. He therefore preferred to interrupt his studies, despite his good grades, and devote all his energy to looking for a job in the field that he is passionate about: boxing. It was at the Forum that he found the support he needed to carry out his projects.
Momo was a huge help in his job search, he explains. He showed him how to write his resume and guided him to a boxing gym. Momo also spoke to a boxing coach, and the teenager hopes to start training very soon.
In addition to being a source of encouragement and support, the Forum is also a second family for Ramzi. “Momo is like my second father, and Azzouz is like my big brother, and there are my friends here who are like my brothers — I love them all,” he says, obviously happy. At the Forum, he plays soccer, cooks, and goes out in good company that keeps him on the right track. For him, if the Forum were to close, “it would not be good for [us].” Many young people would find themselves without jobs, he laments. “If they don't come to the Forum, some young people will go in the wrong direction.”
Bouchra, 28 years old: from the Youth Forum to the master's degree in sociology
At 28, Bouchra bears the indelible imprint of the Youth Forum in her heart. Eight years ago, still a student at CEGEP, she pushed open the door of this vibrant space for exchanges and reflections. Today, although her life has taken her elsewhere, the connection she maintains with the Forum and with Momo, its pillar, remains intact. “For me, the Forum is like a house. When I go to Algeria, I visit my family. It's the same here. It is a space that has always welcomed me in difficult times.”
She lives nearby and goes there regularly, just to say hello, to check in on the news, and to immerse herself in this familiar atmosphere, where she learned so much. For her, the Forum was more than a meeting place: “It was a school for social, community, political and reflective engagement. The Forum plants seeds, but you don't realize it when you're young and frequent it. It's much later that you realize the effect it had on you.”
As she plunges back into her memories, her eyes light up. She recalls those Friday evenings when, surrounded by other young people of her age, she debated hot topics. “At the time, we were in the middle of a debate on the Charter of Values, Islamophobia and all this social context in turmoil.” The discussions were passionate, the questions were numerous and, above all, the feeling of belonging was unwavering.
The Forum opened up unsuspected horizons for her. Guests came to share their expertise: master's students, researchers, politicians... A fascinating world, which she would probably not have had access to otherwise. “Momo encouraged us to get involved. He said, 'Well, next week, you're going to present.' And it took you out of your comfort zone. At the time, you were wondering why he was putting you in these situations, but he knew what he was doing.”
All of Momo's art is there: to see in each young person a potential that they themselves do not yet dare to recognize. “He has this ability to see in us what we don't yet see. It pushes us, it guides us, but without hurting us. It accompanies.”
Today, Bouchra is a master's student in sociology at UQAM. Her dissertation project focuses on loneliness and isolation among North African men in Quebec — a theme that resonates deeply with her own background. Of Algerian origin, she arrived in Quebec at the age of 16, with the diffuse impression that she did not have the legitimacy to take a stand on Quebec social issues.
“But by joining the Forum, I discovered my interest in social issues. My first student jobs were in the community. I worked for Bon Resto Saint-Michel, a very important food safety organization in the neighbourhood. Then, at university, I joined associations, including a group to sponsor refugee students. Even today, no matter where I am, I feel concerned about society.”
Mahmoud, 17 years old: the hairdresser in the band
With quiet confidence, the 18-year-old guides us around the room. Her purple smoke glasses and cap complete his casual look. A wry smile indicates his attachment to this place. “It's good for young people,” he says, thinking back to everything the Forum has brought him since he arrived in Montreal.
Originally from Algeria, Mahmoud arrives in the city, alone, for a vacation in March 2023. A few months later, friends introduced him to the Forum, a place that quickly became a landmark for him. After a brief return to Algeria, he returned to Montreal six months ago to settle there.
Mahmoud is a hairdresser and passionate about soccer. In fact, he has just returned from training when we meet him at the Forum. He lives in Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and goes regularly to the Forum. He meets his friends there, has a good time with them, and tells them about his latest adventures. He is often found with a cue in his hand, waiting for his turn, ready to collect the points. But the Forum is not only a place for him to meet and have fun. Every Tuesday, after his training at the Montreal Stadium, he comes by here. It's like a ritual. On Saturdays, he trades his soccer ball for cooking tools and participates in cooking workshops, another activity he particularly enjoys.
“On Fridays, there are nice evenings,” he says proudly, a twinkle in his eyes. “Sometimes there are singers who come. There are also activities with firefighters and police officers,” he said. He imagines himself in these roles, with everything he's learning.
Like many other young people who attend the Forum, he considers Mohamed Mimoun, alias Momo, to be a second father, the one with whom he can discuss things that he could not tell anyone else. With each mention of Momo, he smiles and his face lights up, a burst of respect and admiration in his eyes.
For Mahmoud, Momo's role is structuring. It helps him to discover himself, to build himself, to find opportunities. Moreover, Mahmoud is considering leaving hairdressing to devote himself entirely to his soccer career, after signing a contract with a team. Although he has been playing this sport since childhood, the time he devotes to it, while coming to the Forum, has pushed him to new professional horizons, he shares.
So, when his sister came to visit him, he naturally brought her to the Forum: for him, it is essential to show his family what he considers to be his second support. Although he has a great desire to return to Algeria to visit his mother and family, Mahmoud is proud of the life he has built here in Montreal. He even cuts the hair of Forum members, including Momo's son — a gesture of return that shows his community spirit.
Islem, 17: “You learn team spirit and sharing”
Islem, 17, arrived in Montreal this summer from Kabylie, in northeastern Algeria, accompanied by his family. He put his bag in the welcome class, and his cleats, in Henri-Bourassa. It was on the ground that he heard about the Forum and Azzouz. It was his friends, who frequent this place to relax and sleep after matches, who told him about it. Very quickly, he felt at home there, a real “second home”.
For his first winter in Montreal, Islem found the community centre to be a relaxing space where he could build numerous friendships. It is also there that he discovers how to integrate into Montreal life. “Every Wednesday, we learn a lot with Yasmine in French class,” he says. Gradually, he developed some practical skills: “I learned to write my resum; to interview too.” The community cente became a point of reference for him and his friends, an important first step in their new life.
Within what has become his “second family”, Islem does not remain inactive. On Saturday morning, he is in the oven and in the mill. “You learn team spirit and sharing, and I am passionate about that,” he says. At the Forum, young people prepare meals for homeless people in the city centre. At 9 am, he arrives in the Forum kitchen, on Jarry Street, where since 2020, young people from Saint-Michel have been preparing and serving meals to the most vulnerable.
With her good humour, Islem coordinates the team of aspiring cooks. Will he become a cook one day? Maybe not. But regardless, the experience is important for him: “This activity gives me an experience, and maybe one day I will be able to work as a chef's helper.” On Saturday, young Kabyle distributes meals with his friends at Berri-UQAM: “Salad, potatoes and a fruit.” For him, it was also an additional altruism: “It's a special feeling, Saturday. It's great to do good for others.”
About the financial difficulties that threaten the sustainability of the centre, Islem has only one word: “Sadness! Then, he adds, “We need help — for language lessons, for games and for ways to relax.” He glances at the board at the back of the room, where the program of activities is written in chalk.
Like Azzouz and Momo, the big brother and father of the band, Islem has no intention of giving up. And he keeps a bright eye: “Even if we no longer have the premises, we will find solutions. In any case, I will remain loyal to my group here!" Like his classmates, Islem is determined to go to great lengths to ensure the existence of the Forum.
Yuna Mohamed Amine, 17: a remedy for exile
At 17, Yuna Mohamed Amine carries within him the silent strength of those who are learning to rebuild themselves far from their bearings. Originally from Algeria, he has lived in Saint-Léonard for two and a half years. And while his body has travelled, his heart has wandered for a long time in search of refuge.
The integration was not immediate. The first few months in Canada were spent in heavy solitude, punctuated by hours spent in front of a screen playing video games, as if to deceive the void. Then, one day, a friend hands him a key. “Come and see, there is a place, we hang out, we have fun.” This simple call changed everything.
Five months after walking through the doors of the Forum, Amine talks about it with infinite gratitude. Unlike the classmates he has in the school environment, whom he describes as “acquaintances”, here he refers to brothers. Not a simple succession of faces crossed in the corridors of a school, but a fraternity woven of laughter, challenges, and complicity. With them, he shares a history, a language, a nostalgia for the country, but also a common impetus for the future.
And, in addition to friendship, the Forum offered him something essential: he discovered a taste for excellence. He loves academic challenges where gift cards are involved. “I've already won twice! ” he says with pride. Where the school imposes rules and regulations on it, the Forum has been able to transform learning into a stimulating, almost fun challenge.
However, beyond games and discussions, the Forum has above all become a remedy for exile. For Amine, the most painful thing about leaving his country was not adjusting to a new life, but losing his grandmother without being able to say a final goodbye to her. Exile snatched a family away from him, but the Forum gave him a new one.
Here, he has forged deep relationships, made of complicity and support, a fraternity born of uprooting, where everyone has a story that echoes their own. Today, Amine no longer feels like a stranger. He is at home.
Soulim, 13: “There is no other place like the Forum”
“It's a second home.” That's what the Forum inspires young Soulim to do. Living in Montreal for a few years now, the 13-year-old lives in the heart of the vibrant Saint-Michel district. He discovered the Saint-Michel Youth Forum thanks to his big brother, who came a few months before him. It is in this room with a warm atmosphere, filled with laughter and discussions, that Soulim found his interests. He enjoys the activities offered there, especially soccer and billiards.
Momo and Azzouz are role models who offer him good advice and teach him how to avoid making mistakes. For example, the workers explained to him why it was not good for him and for his body to smoke. For Soulim, they act as guides to make better life decisions. The Forum also helped him a lot to learn French, to manage his behaviour well, to better understand how the city works and to progress in school, he explains.
For Soulim, “there is no other place like the Forum.” This place is unique. If the centre were to close, he would “stay out in the cold, with no place to go, and some young people could start doing bad things, like stealing or fighting,” he said. The young man thinks it is important for local youth that this place remain open. He also believes that with financial assistance, it would be possible to do more activities that are fun and allow them to become the best versions of themselves.
All these stories from young people are proof of the positive impact of the Saint-Michel Youth Forum. Cornered at the foot of the wall, the team launched a online fundraiser and calls for citizen solidarity. Mohamed Mimoun also hopes that donors will be sensitive to the cause of this organization, which is essential to the dynamism of the neighbourhood.