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In collaboration with various partners from the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (CCSMTL), he developed a psychosocial prevention and development program that uses extracurricular basketball as an intervention tool. Over time, other sports activities were added, such as futsal, ultimate frisbee, yoga, and tabata.
This unique integration of psychosocial services within the school environment has proven to be highly effective, reaching a population often considered difficult to engage and for whom the system has struggled to find solutions that promote school perseverance.
This program, Bien dans mes baskets, takes place in the heart of the Centre-Sud area of Montréal, the most socially disadvantaged territory in Québec, which leads to a range of issues and needs.
In recent years, the program has seen a significant increase in the number of participants, as well as a diversification in the specific challenges faced by youth. Sports are used as a tool to help keep students in school and to address both academic and social difficulties.
The challenge: reaching these teenagers before they completely disengage from school.
Over the past decade, 96% of student-athletes who completed the Bien dans mes baskets program have continued their studies.
These results are more than encouraging, especially considering that the high school dropout rate in Montréal stands at 16.3%, while the graduation rate among students with disabilities or those with learning or behavioral difficulties (EHDAA) in Québec is only 31%.
I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me, for helping me with my small struggles. Your approach to support is truly exceptional, and you are truly wonderful people. A part of my successes will be thanks to you and what you’ve taught me. Thank you so much!
The program is open to everyone, but it is specifically designed for youth who are at risk of experiencing social difficulties or dropping out of school or social environments. While participation is voluntary, students are generally identified and referred by school staff and professionals from the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal social services.
Students enrolled in Bien dans mes baskets typically do not match the usual profile of youth who seek out health and social services. Each year, approximately 40% of program participants are identified with an EHDAA school code (students with disabilities or those with adjustment or learning difficulties). This designation is professionally assigned to students with special needs who are at higher risk of academic or social disengagement.
The transition from elementary to high school is a key stage in promoting school perseverance among youth. A dedicated project was developed in eight elementary schools located in the Centre-Sud and Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhoods. Between 110 and 120 young students take part in the program each year.
The characteristics previously mentioned among adolescents are also frequently observed in many of these younger participants. The Mini-Dragons component was developed based on evidence-based research on school perseverance.
Participating in the program allows these students to:
For some students, it also serves as a gateway to the Bien dans mes baskets program at the high school level. Each group trains once a week at their elementary school for a one-hour session. All participating schools come together on Saturday mornings at Jeanne-Mance High School for a three-hour block of sports and educational activities.
Interestingly, the project also involves 10 student-athletes from the Bien dans mes baskets program, who volunteer as coaches for the younger students. A social worker and a head coach supervise the project and provide training for the student-coaches.
For newcomer youth, the program—launched in 2020 during the pandemic—also uses sports as a means to build trust. The social and academic integration of recent migrants and the promotion of school perseverance among youth are two major challenges in Québec, pushing us to redefine our institutional approaches and service offerings.
Schools, whose core mission revolves around three pillars—educating, socializing, and qualifying—cannot fulfill this mission without offering an environment that fosters a sense of calm and supports academic success.
However, in adult education centers for youth aged 16 to 21, implementing the socialization component is often difficult due to the limited number of staff trained to respond to the complex psychosocial realities these students face. For students from underprivileged backgrounds and recent immigration, various social factors may interfere with their educational journey: poverty, challenges in social integration, learning and behavioral difficulties, grief related to migration, fragile mental health due to stressful experiences, family violence, identity conflicts, and food insecurity.
The main types of follow-up requests, in order of frequency, have been:
In addition, multiple referrals were made to a variety of services, including specialized immigrant support, legal aid, and rights advocacy. A significant portion of the referrals aimed to support youth in both their mental and physical health. Several cases were also directed to emergency housing services and/or food assistance programs.
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