The borough of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension (VSP) was honored with a prestigious award at the recent Gala Podium Montréal, which took place on November 3. The borough received accolades in the category of ‘Borough or linked city of the island of Montreal’ for the sports component of its Youth Strategy in Crime Prevention (Stratégie jeunesse en prévention de la criminalité – SJPC).
VSP was among three finalists in the category and stood out for its initiatives to make sports more accessible to youth facing various vulnerabilities and at risk of engaging in or experiencing violence. Through the SJPC and funding programs, the borough supports community partners to deploy sports activities that are accessible to young people.
“It’s truly an honor we can be proud of and one that we share with all our partners and collaborators. There’s a lot of work behind this, but above all, many people involved and mobilized around our youth. This is the strength of our Youth Strategy: a strong and shared desire to offer young people positive opportunities that are designed with their needs in mind. The strategy is broad and impacts several areas, but here, it’s about access to sports as a space for play, self-improvement, and socializing,” said Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, the mayor of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension.
Among the supported sports initiatives, the ‘Midnight sports’ program, developed by the Corporation de gestion des loisirs du parc, offers free basketball activities for youth during the evening until 1 am in the Parc-Extension neighborhood. In Saint-Michel, the Monarques provide free basketball practice sessions for young people in the evenings as well.
The Gala Podium Montréal is an event organized by the Conseil du sport de Montréal, aimed at recognizing and celebrating the community’s contributions to the sports sector on the island of Montreal. The event serves to acknowledge the achievements of athletes, coaches, volunteers, and organizations within the city’s sports community.
With the VSP’s commitment to fostering a safer and more inclusive environment through sports, the borough’s recognition at the Gala Podium Montreal showcases the positive impact of collaborative community efforts on youth development and crime prevention. The success of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension’s approach is a testament to the power of sports as a transformative tool for social good.
