Not only is the Plateau Mont-Royal a place of great character, its residents are a people of great character, and their sense of community and charity is one of the most admirable in all of Montréal. The community’s success in this respect, if that’s what it can be called, stems from the community’s existing organizations and the values they hold, namely, tenacity, hard work, and a passion to improve the community as a whole. One such organization, found not far from the Mont-Royal metro stop, is the "Centre des services communautaires du monastère."
The Centre alone is home to ten community organizations that, when combined, address the needs of virtually every demographic group : the elderly, the unemployed, single women living in poverty, new immigrants, autistic people, people with severe behavioural problems, the homeless. Ms. Linda Tremblay is the manager of "Plein Milieu", an organization in the Centre that offers help to troubled youths. According to her, the neighbourhood is rich in resources, even resources for the youth, but the situation is a precarious one, as is the future of those seeking help. Despite the presence of major participants (such as the CLSC) in the support and implementation of projects, insensitivity from the population towards social marginalization has complicated the task.
At the corner of Mentana and Marie-Anne, Pierre Bacon of "L’Imagerie youth centre" holds similar beliefs. "L’Imagerie" has been helping the youth for over twenty years, since 1979 to be precise, yet it remains largely unknown to the population. Nevertheless, L’Imagerie’s contribution to the community is considerable. With more than 12,000 single-mother households on the Plateau, the youth centre serves as a complement to the family structure.
Plus, by emphasizing participation and prevention, L’Imagerie helps the neighbourhood’s youth to become proactive, responsible, and involved citizens ; in fact, the youth themselves set the centre’s schedule ; they elect representatives to the Board of Directors ; they establish the activities and methods of self-financing ; essentially, they are taught how to earn the place in society that they deserve. Unfortunately, the space and resources available to these youth are limited, even though they are the ones who’ll be called upon to lead the society of tomorrow.
Another major community-builder in the neighbourhood is "Resto Plateau". This organization is dedicated to the social inclusion of new immigrants by offering them cooking instruction. The benefits of this approach is twofold : first, it allows them to offer low-priced meals to the community’s underprivileged ; plus, it breaks the social isolation often faced by new immigrants. Chantal Aznavourian, ex-director of "Resto Plateau", believes that the challenges of her organization are similar to those of the other Plateau organizations. Many of them have been operating in the neighbourhood for years, even decades, without adequate recognition. They address virtually every need, but resources are insufficient, creating a situation where some organizations cannot bring their aspirations to full fruition.
In terms of the economic development of the community, many new organizations are assuming the challenge. They support economic activities that lead to the achievement of social objectives, such as, for example, the Resto Plateau’s catering service. These new approaches lead to economic solidarity. As a result, the neighbourhood is enlightened by innovative action, showing that the community movement is vibrant, proactive, and can adapt to the times and challenges.
