Hood Heroes — episode 2: Than Son, the intervener from Saint-Léonard
Direction La Zone, in Saint-Léonard. We go there to find Than Son Pham, 29, former worker for the youth organization La Zone, now a drug addiction worker at Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry high school. Although he no longer holds a position at La Zone, Son often returns to the place that connects him to the young people of Saint-Léonard. It was only logical that La Converse went to meet him there in the company of her former colleagues and young people. The latter had just left school and had gathered at La Zone. It was therefore in one of the offices of the youth space, with a background of young people talking, that Than Son Pham told us about his story and his action with young people in the Saint-Léonard district.
A singular story
“I come from a family of seven children — six boys and one girl. We lived in a difficult environment, with poverty and violence,” he said. The behavior problems started for Son the moment his parents got divorced. He went to two high schools, was confronted with a class of students with behavioural problems, and even got into trouble with the police and the law. “My mom is my inspiration; even though she kicked me out four times when I was young. At the time, I didn't really understand it, but behind it, there was a moral, and I understood it with hindsight,” adds Son, concluding that she has always been there regardless. “I was expelled from school and finished with adults [editor's note: adult school]. It was there that I became more serious and I was naturally on the right path. The stars were aligned for me to follow the path I am on right now. At that time, I had two choices: intervention or something else... illegal.”
Originally from Center-Sud, in Ville-Marie, he started working in the community at the age of 17. He thus went to the Association Sportive et Communautaire du Centre-Sud as a young person before becoming an animator of the same organization. He then went from animator to speaker and worked in this role for 10 years, until he was 27, before COVID. During the pandemic, he worked in construction, then returned to intervention by offering his services to La Zone.
“I had a complicated childhood; therefore, I had to put my life in order and follow the right path — that of intervention — where I grew as a human. I didn't have a model to rely on. So, I tell myself that, if I can be this model to help future generations, so much the better,” summarizes Son, who naturally wanted to become a speaker, and who sees in his work a logical continuation of the things he has experienced.
A strong link with young people
“I went to two high schools, then I finished with adults, and that's when I was told that I would be good with young people. Why? I don't know anything about it. I was already working with young people, but only one day a week. Once I saw that I was having a positive impact on them, I just kept going.” That's how the story between Son and the young people started. When he was younger, the intervener refused the opportunity to play at a high level of hockey and instead preferred “the street and the money.” Later, another Son was born, thanks to his passion. “I turned down jobs at $28, 30, 35 per hour to do what I do today. Working in intervention, I don't do it for the money, but because I like it. I work because I have a passion for helping others,” he says. “What I like is to see the progress of young people, regardless of their evolution. One of my strengths, in intervention, is to create relationships with young people. How do I do it? I don't know,” he asks.
Arriving at La Zone, he got to know the young people of Saint-Léonard, without ever judging them, but by advising them. “By dint of talking to the young people here, they understood that I was there for their good, and they started to trust me. It's back to my passion for helping; I love what I do no matter where: at La Zone, at school, or at my old job — they feel that I am there for the well-being of the people in front of me. I am there for them.” To summarize his way of doing things, you could say that He listens, understands, listens again, is patient and, above all, adapts. “Just the fact that they feel understood and listened to, that they tell me about situations that I have experienced and that they know it, is essential. When they learn about my past, they understand my approach,” he explains, adding that his goal is not to change people, but to prevent them and to make them understand things that they never made him understand when he was younger.
A passionate message
“I don't agree with the fact that we don't have a passion, you just have to discover it”, the high school teacher tells us when we ask him about this youth who is sometimes “lost” about their future. There is nothing better to illustrate this than an example taken from his working day: “A young person came to me saying that, later on, he did not want to do anything, because he was not interested in anything. Then, after talking, he and I realized that he liked cooking. “So cooking is your passion?” “Uh... yes.” And this is how, by digging and especially listening to young people, you find their passion.” The passion for getting away from neighborhood problems, in particular — this is Son's great motivation, which allowed him to get by and give back to the community. How? “To be there, to be a support. Make young people understand the problems they are going to face, regardless of the paths they take. You have to make them aware from the source, that is to say well before high school, because by that time, it may already be too late...”
Awareness is what Than Son Pham wants to transmit to young people in Saint-Léonard. It is necessary to “awaken their light”, as he so well says, before delving deeper into the question of awareness as a legacy.
But if we really want to summarize the story of Son and its impact on the young people of “Saint-Lô”, we can only do it by using his words: “Believe in your dreams, regardless of the field. Find a way to get away from problems. If you are not ready to go to prison or get killed for what you do, then don't do it. If you think you have the shoulders to deal with these consequences, it's your choice. On the other hand, I really encourage you to follow your dreams and what you are passionate about. This is what will ensure that you will live happy all your life! ”