It was at the Saint-Marseille Community Center in Pointe-des-Cascades that the reception, animated by discussions and presentations, sealed the fifteenth edition of a program that once again demonstrated its relevance by supporting young people in the region to live their very first employment experience on the labor market.

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Note that this year, 18 young people benefited from the program with the assistance of the professional development advisor at CJE-VS, Cinthia Bourgon.

” It was in a very touching and inspiring way that young people and businesses gave their testimonies during this evening.” said Jessica Myre, director of the CJE-VS. ” We are proud to be able to support them when they enter the job market as it is a significant step in the development of their full potential. ”

For her part, Isabelle Poirier, chair of the Cooperation Committee and director of the board of directors of Caisse Desjardins de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, wanted to emphasize the importance of young people being able to count on a structured approach to ensure a positive immersion in their first experience on the job market:

” The greatest reward is the one that we have the pleasure of spending all together, gathered here, in order to collectively close the end of the 2024 program while being aware that, for young people, the best is yet to come. During the summer of 2024, program participants had a work experience that they will never forget. For all of them, it was an important step in their personal journey and for some it was a call for individual excellence. ”

A total of 50 young people from the region participated in the first Desjardins Jeunes au Travail program workshop held last April. Subsequently, 45 completed all the mandatory appointments under this program.

A 15th year that has just ended

The 2024 program, which has just ended, marks its 15th year of existence in the region. It was in fact in 2006 that the Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the Caisse populaire des Seigneuries de Soulanges began this brand new cooperative project by allowing eight young people from Soulanges, aged 15 to 18, to acquire a first work experience by developing partnerships with employers in the region.

When the local banks merged into a single regional bank (Caisse Desjardins de Vaudreuil-Soulanges) in 2009, the administrators wanted to relaunch this program because of the positive effects generated by creating an educational tool annually allowing several dozen young students access to information workshops on the introduction to the labor market offered by the CJE-VS team. In total, 270 young people, since 2006, have had the opportunity to have a first work or internship experience in 126 businesses and organizations in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region.

An initiative that has proven its worth

During the evening, the employer and employee duos were asked to speak briefly to share their experiences with the Desjardins Young People at Work program.

The first pair of the evening to have spoken was made up of Charles-Olivier Bellerose Bélanger, director general of the Pointe-du-Moulin historic site located in Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot and his summer employee Lorelei Brown.

” What I liked about this program is that it offers great opportunities to young participants who often have their first job experience. Our employee was attentive, she wanted to perform well. She was reserved at the beginning, but she had a lot of confidence as the weeks progressed. She shared her ideas with the team and she took great initiatives.”, he pointed out.

For her part, the young woman also had good words to say to her employer.

” I learned a lot about the workplace that I didn't know. Charles-Olivier was persistent, patient, always there for his employees. For him, we were like his children. He was always available to help us when needed.”

Same bell sound on the side of L'Actuel Volunteer Center, which was also involved in this regional initiative. The organization is a long-standing partner of Desjardins and welcomed two interns this summer, one in the Business component and the other in the Internship component, namely Asaëlle Tesora Foko Moche and Maryam Katebian.

” Asaëlle was very reserved, hard-working and she definitely has great potential for the future.” confided Nathalie from CAB L'Actuel who supervised one of the two human resources of the CAB.

For her part, Charlène, who was responsible for Maryam, also had nothing but good words for her.

” She always had a smile on her face, as well as being on her own business. The proof? She did not hesitate to write to me if I forgot an s or a dot in an internal communication. She had the constant concern to improve her French.”

The experience was also appreciated at Les Coteaux where Joëlle worked with Olivia at the day camp throughout the summer season.

” Thanks to the Desjardins Young People at Work program, I was able to acquire knowledge and skills that I did not have on the job market. It was a great first experience. Joëlle was always attentive to her employees, kind and I never felt devalued, unappreciated or oppressed when working with her,” confided the young woman. For her part, her boss Joëlle, went overboard. ” Olivia is hardworking and committed. She delivered a good level of performance during her time with us. She was professional and versatile. We know where she's going in life. We couldn't have asked for a better candidate to join our team.”, she affirmed.

Called to host this portion during the closing event to mark the 15th anniversary of the program, the Director of Communications and Community Life at la Caisse, Richard Dubois, said he was proud to see how, over the years, the Desjardins Jeunes au Travail program has demonstrated a usefulness that never goes out of fashion, and quite the opposite:

” Since the inception of the program in 2006, society has changed, as have the needs of young people, not to mention the circumstances that have led our community to adapt. One of the main particularities of the program is that it was evolving and adapted to the reality of the moment. It was masterfully orchestrated by the Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi team, which worked hard to always work in the interests of young people and their personal development. ”

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