Women-powered L’Annexe, a Curative Hub for Montreal Youth
Given the many challenges facing today’s world, from technology-induced isolation to divisive politics, many young people can feel disconnected from their peers and suffer from mental health issues. But not all mental health interventions require a templated approach. Sometimes a cooking class or a writing workshop, a book club or a music jam, can be just as—if not more—beneficial to a young person than a closed-door session with a therapist.
This was thinking behind the creation of L’Annexe, the Ometz Centre for Young adults, a Jewish community and social service centre that exists in Montreal in a renovated part of the Jewish Y. The physical space itself promotes mental health with its natural wood floors, and beams of light flooding in through windows that look out onto a verdant and lush park. Serene. Welcoming. Healing. Healthy. These are words that describe the feeling that many young people aged 16 to 35 experience each time they enter the space. They may walk in facing any number of challenges, from social anxiety, to needing to find a job, to questions related to their sexuality or gender identity. At L’Annexe, they find what they are looking for in an atmosphere that is welcoming, kindred and supportive. It is not a cure-all say the two women who lead L’Annexe, but it certainly is curative.
L’Annexe was a program that never existed until Dominique McCaughey was asked by the Azrieli Foundation to “dream bigger”. Dominique is the CEO of Ometz, a Jewish social services agency that provides social, employment and immigration services in the Montreal community. In 2015, Ometz approached the Azrieli Foundation about a smaller project, and they were asked by the Foundation: “If you could dream bigger, what would you do?”
That question ignited a larger vision for the creation of L’Annexe, a program that falls under the Ometz umbrella.
“We said, we’d like to put together a centre for young adults,” says McCaughey. “By changing how we do service, and where we do service, we are going to have a bigger impact.”
The idea took root and the rest is history. Along with other donors, the Azrieli Foundation made this dream a reality, and in doing so, has aided in the healthy development of many young people in Montreal who may otherwise have struggled to find their way forward.
“The common thread for each young person who comes to L’Annexe is that they are trying to figure out who they are and how to navigate their way in the world,” says Lanya McClintock, the Manager of L’Annexe. “We talk to them about their lives, and we find out where they want to see themselves going and then we can help them reach their goals.”
Click on the link below to watch a video about the centre. You can visit the L’Annexe website here.
