MDJ des Îles: 40 years of pleasure in supporting the path of young people

The Maison des jeunes des Iles is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with a program of activities that will run through 2023.

In the coming weeks, the organization will unveil its new logo and organize a quiz on social media.

It will also be an opportunity to dig into the memories of the hundreds of people who have gravitated to the MDJ over the years.

A nostalgia evening is also planned, says director Nadine Lapierre.

It was in early February 1983 that a group of Fatima citizens created the house, at a time when social problems experienced by young people were multiplying and they had no place to live their youth in a safe environment.

It was to meet this need that the Maisons des jeunes sprang up all over Quebec, which eventually led to the formation of a grouping to structure the whole thing on a provincial scale.

If the mission of the establishment has remained more or less the same over the years, the issues experienced by the population are constantly changing, reminds Nadine Lapierre.

After moving several times during its first years of existence, the organization found a home in the former dépanneur chez Édgar in Fatima about two decades ago.

The building was completely refurbished at the turn of 2020 and opened in November 2021.