Organizations supported in Quebec

Les Organisme Soutenus au Quebec-Mission inclusion_img1

Mission inclusion relies on the knowledge and skills of organizations on the ground to determine the needs of communities, as well as approaches and solutions.

We support initiatives that have a major impact on people living in vulnerable situations. We believe that community action is an important part of the social safety net in Quebec and we support organizations that work to improve living conditions by developing initiatives adapted to the needs of the populations.

Since the beginning of equities in Quebec

More than $35 million since inception

More than 4 million people reached

858 organizations supported

To apply for funding

The approach

In Quebec, the Foundation pursues its mission of supporting vulnerable people through the angle of social development. We rely on this World Bank definition:

Social development focuses on the need to put people at the forefront of development processes. Poverty is not only a question of income: it is also synonymous with vulnerability, exclusion, irresponsibility of institutions, lack of power and exposure to violence. Social development promotes the social inclusion of the poor and vulnerable by empowering them, building united and resilient societies, and enabling citizens to access institutions that are accountable to them.

Last updated: April 9, 2019, World Bank

Concretely, we act on the ground with the community through organizational and financial support. Most of our financial support encourages the development of individual empowerment without forgetting collective projects, which target the whole community by strengthening local solidarity.

Mission inclusion is sensitive to initiatives that involve collaboration and consultation (e.g. neighbourhood action plans) in the environments concerned. The Foundation considers that collaborative work is one of the keys to ensuring the strength and sustainability of projects.

In addition, we offer organizational support to the community environment in order to amplify its impact on vulnerable populations and strengthen the social safety net.

Programs

In Quebec, Mission inclusion focuses on four programs: homelessness, vulnerable children and families,
seniors and youth.

Les Organisme Soutenus au Quebec-Mission inclusion-icone ItineranceJeunes

Homelessness and street youth

Homelessness is the result of several vulnerability factors over a complex life course. These factors can be structural (discrimination, lack of access to adequate housing, low income, etc.) or individual (personal crisis, mental health problems, domestic violence). In any case, the face of homelessness is increasingly multiple and diverse and as a result, community responses are multiplying.

Our intention in this field of action is to:

Improve the living conditions of people experiencing homelessness.

In the field, the organizations supported can act on different levers such as increasing income, maintaining housing, pre-employability, improving physical and mental health, individual intervention, etc.

Prevent homelessness among vulnerable young adults.

In the field, the organizations supported can act in terms of psychosocial support, motivation and school perseverance of adolescents and young adults, support towards employability, self-confidence, the establishment of a healthy belonging network, etc.

Les Organisme Soutenus au Quebec-Mission inclusion-icone enfant_famille

Vulnerable children and families

Many families struggle with difficult living conditions. Some live with insufficient income while others experience isolation or exclusion. Some parents feel the need to better support their children, while other children need specialized services in order to develop well.

Our intention in this field of action is to:

Support parents in their role and promote the full development of children.

On the ground, the organizations supported will act to eliminate inequalities in opportunities related to the living environment, cultural origin or socio-economic profile of families.

Les Organisme Soutenus au Quebec-Mission inclusion-icone ainés

Isolated seniors

In Quebec, the number of seniors has never been greater. In fact, the issues of isolation, financial insecurity and health are multiplying, and initiatives organized by and for seniors are needed.

Our intention in this field of action is to:

Break the isolation of seniors and strengthen the vigilance of communities.

On the ground, the organizations supported will act to promote citizen participation, protect and support caregivers, prevent abuse through intervention and training, promote the involvement of seniors in collective projects, and fight against ageism.

Youth

Building capacity and engagement in young people

Aimed at young people aged 12-30 who do not have the same opportunities as most. Works to keep kids in school. To defend young people’s rights. To increase youth participation and leadership (e.g. in the community) by fighting discrimination and raising public awareness of problems experienced by young people.

The example of Cirque Hors Piste in Montreal

Cirque Hors Piste (CHP) is a Montreal organization dedicated to social circus intervention. The organization uses the circus arts to offer marginalized or at risk of exclusion young people an alternative path of personal development with social support that allows them to move forward and flourish as citizens.

People joined by CHP have a marginalized life course. This marginalization can result from different factors: a situation of homelessness, poverty or very high poverty; a situation of rupture with the family bond (young runaways or in youth accommodation); problems with drug or alcohol use and dependence, and mental health problems. They live in Montreal but come from different communities in Quebec.

Les Organisme Soutenus au Quebec-Mission inclusion-Cirque

The leverage effect of Mission inclusion

Mission inclusion has been supporting the organization since 2019. Even though CHP has been active for just over twenty years, it has just recently taken off and deployed its action in a spectacular way. Mission inclusion’s support was directed towards consolidating the position of the Pivot Worker.

Since that first Mission inclusion donation, the organization has tripled its revenues and expanded its work across Canada. He is increasingly asserting his role as a national leader in social circus and reaching indigenous communities through his Cirkaskina initiative.

Mission inclusion also supported the CHP through organizational strengthening (Strategic Planning 2020) and an impact assessment process (2021). This partnership with Mission inclusion has given CHP a great deal of confidence.

To learn more about Cirkaskina and Cirque Hors Piste, we invite you to read this text from the newspaper Le Devoir.

Fields of impact

Intervention

Through its interventions, Cirque Hors Piste supports young people in strengthening their esteem and developing their life skills.

Mobilization

Anchored in the community, Cirque Hors Piste creates social ties by building inclusive spaces that promote meetings and exchanges between people of all ages and backgrounds.

Innovation

Cirque Hors Piste is proactive in acquiring and disseminating knowledge about social circus. In doing so, it contributes significantly to the development of alternative approaches and innovative practices in social action.