Message from the Executive Director |  | |
2021 has been an impressive year for Marie-Vincent! Our team was able to accomplish great things toward our common goal: to help as many young victims of sexual violence as possible.
Our organization is growing! We developed a new service pathwa that will help us take care of the young people and their families in a more timely manner, and address the steady and considerable number of service requests. The support of our private and public donors resulted in the mass recruitment of professionals which will help us see children on our waiting list sooner and reduce the wait time to access Marie-Vincent services.
We enhanced our training offering with the development of e-learning platforms for both the healthcare network and the socio-judicial community. They will be available shortly.
Another prevention-related innovation was also introduced: podcasts intended for kids aged 6 to 12 and those around them, created in collaboration with Lily Thibeault.
We are also working with different partners to develop new prevention programs, particularly with regard to cyberviolence and sexual exploitation, to educate teenagers about the importance of being vigilant online: 1 in 5 teenagers report having received an intimate picture circulating without the prior consent of the person while as much as 36% of teenage girls report having been asked for a nude or sexually suggestive photo of themselves.
As this year comes to a close, we can already say that next year will be full of exciting projects!
Many thanks to the entire Marie-Vincent team, our Board members as well as the members of the campaign cabinet and to our partners and donors! Thanks to your commitment, our organization is on its way to turning its dreams into reality and can support more young victims.
We wish you an equally exciting new year filled with projects that can make a real difference.
Together, we have the power to change things!
Stéphanie Gareau
Executive Director
|  | |  |
Message from the Chair of the Board of Directors
|  | |
This year, we gave ourselves the means to fulfill our dream to build a protective community, namely with the launch of a major fundraising campaign chaired by Charles Emond, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ): Overcoming the unimaginable to rediscover hope. Our thanks go to the members of the campaign cabinet as well as our Board members—they have shown both great commitment and availability throughout the year!
The pursuit of our dream carries on in 2022 with, at long last, after considerable thought and careful planning, the opening of a 2nd Child & Youth Advocacy centre, based in Châteauguay, to help more young victims in the Montérégie area. This 2nd centre will allow us to meet the needs of 30% of the children currently on our waiting list.
Services offered at Marie-Vincent do work: 76% of the young people we see report they really liked the therapy at Marie-Vincent. When they first come to us, the sexual abuse they were victim of is the event that defines them. But when they leave, it has become part of their history, not their life’s defining moment. Young people yearn for a better life where they can reach their full potential.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank the entire team for their excellent work and professional agility when dealing with both our challenges and our success stories!
I would also like to emphasize the incredible generosity of our partners and donors who agreed to take an active part in our big campaign! What you do makes a tremendous difference in the lives of the young people who reach out to Marie-Vincent.
Thanks to you, they are rediscovering hope! It is imperative that we continue to invest in our services to build a protective community for our children and teenagers.
Jessica N. Pathy
Chair of the Board of Directors
|  | |
News from Marie-Vincent
Impact of our awareness campaign
On October 25th, Marie-Vincent launched the public phase of its awareness campaign: Overcoming the unimaginable to rediscover hope, which was broadcasted on several platforms: television, the web and social media. The goal of the campaign, which runs through 2023, is to help more young victims of sexual violence.
As part of the launch, an advertisement was produced with the collaboration of our spokesperson, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin. Thanks to the generosity of our media partners at Radio-Canada, the ad aired on television and on the web. A public relations campaign was set up to promote our mission and the services offered by the center.
We are currently preparing phase two of the campaign, which will begin in February 2022... Our spokesperson gathered 11 artists who agreed to join her in speaking out on behalf of young victims of sexual violence, and to contribute in their own way to building a protective community! Radio-Canada has renewed its media placement sponsorship for television!
We will keep you posted!
|  | |
|
Podcast - Prevention with 6 to 12 year-olds
Actor and author Lily Thibeault launched a new podcast in collaboration with Marie-Vincent called ÉVEIL. Created for children aged 6 to 12, this podcast helps answer many of the questions little ones in primary school have about sexuality. ÉVEIL is a non-judgmental and safe space for inquisitive youngsters and their parents. Here is an overview of some topics discussed in the podcast:
- At what age do you have to have a boyfriend or girlfriend?
- Is it possible to love girls and boys at the same time?
- When do breasts start growing?
- What’s the difference between friendship and love?
- Why is it a bad thing to touch your private parts in front of other people?
These 8 episodes, about 5 to 10 minutes each, provide an excellent opportunity to broach subjects that may be taboo with young children.
| |
 | |
Retirement of Francine Moreau: wholeheartedly committed to Marie-Vincent
Francine Moreau was Director of Administrative services at Marie-Vincent from 2006 to 2021. We want to acknowledge her dedication to Marie-Vincent and wish her a well-deserved retirement!
Her mandate was marked by many great success stories, as well as some challenges.
Mrs. Moreau always rose to the occasion with great skill and careful consideration.
In her 15 years with us, she demonstrated her steadfast commitment and exceptional professional integrity. Francine’s contribution to vulnerable youth, to our cause and our organization is invaluable. It is hard to put into words how important the contribution of this caring, committed, devoted, attentive and efficient woman has been in furthering the centre’s development. With her ability to look at the broader picture and her business acumen, she built a network that helps maintain and forge strong partnerships, thus ensuring our organization’s continued existence.
Our heartfelt thanks to Francine for everything accomplished throughout these many years and we wish her well in her retirement!
| |
4 new Directors at Marie-Vincent
This past year has been one of great opportunities and changes at Marie-Vincent, most notably with 4 new directors joining our management committee in the last few months. Our new colleagues bring valuable expertise to our team, thanks to many years of experience in various fields, namely with respect to shelters for women and children who are victims of violence, community organizations supporting informal caregivers and homelessness. The combination of their strengths with those of our existing team will help support Marie-Vincent’s exponential growth. Welcome ladies!
We are very proud to present our four new directors:
· Isabelle Boucher, CPA, CMA | Director of Administrative services
· Sophie De Cordes| Acting Director Prevention and Training projects
· Sonia Dionne | Director of Clinical Services
· Sonia Lessard | Director of Centre – Montérégie
| |
New Action plan to fight sexual exploitation of minors
Marie-Vincent offers more than psychosocial and therapeutic services. It also works to prevent sexual violence against young people. As such, we welcome the government's new action plan tabled by the Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Security aimed at breaking the cycle of sexual exploitation.
Marie-Vincent welcomes many of the measures that were announced. Specifically, we are delighted with the government’s intention to better fund community organizations with recognized expertise and know-how regarding sexual exploitation, thanks to the introduction of a program to support their mission.
The brief submitted by Marie-Vincent is repeatedly cited in the government’s plan, particularly thanks to the participation of Jennifer Pelletier and Geneviève Boisvert-Pilon, both sexologists and psychotherapists at Marie-Vincent, in the Select Committee on the Sexual Exploitation of Minors.
| |
Châteauguay
Why open a new centre?
To reach a greater number of young people across Québec.
Why in the Montérégie?
With 272,977 children aged 0 to 17, it is the 2nd region in Québec, second only to Montréal, with the largest population of children aged 0-17. It includes 15 regional county municipalities (RCM), 177 local municipalities and 2 Indigenous communities.
Why Châteauguay?
To begin with, the needs in terms of services are significant: the Réseau Local de Services (RLS Jardins Roussillon) has the highest number of sexual abuse reports.
Additionally, an important Centre jeunesse service location is based there and three police forces cover Châteauguay’s surrounding area. This project will be successful given how greatly it is needed and thanks to our partners’ high degree of engagement.
Will the same services offered in Montréal be provided?
Certainly, and even more, thanks to the development of a pilot project providing support to young victims of physical abuse which will ultimately be available in the Montérégie.
The intervention philosophy will be the same, namely an integrated service offer where services are provided by professionals under one roof.
Someone with a wonderful smile will be at the entrance to welcome our young visitors and their family. Two waiting rooms will be at their disposal. When the centre opens, 5 case workers will be on site. Our goal is to have 12 case workers within the next few years. Six therapy rooms will be available, each identified by a beautiful vibrant colour, though the rooms themselves will showcase a soft and soothing colour. Our police partners will have access to two cozy and welcoming rooms to conduct interviews for their police investigations. In two other rooms, case workers will lead group meetings, so as to offer an alternative to individual meetings, thus answering and being further aligned with other needs. These rooms, as well as an office, will also be available to our community partners. An important portion of the space will be set aside for medical exams and discussions with a health professional; special attention was given to room acoustics so as to ensure perfect confidentiality.
A concerted effort was made to create spaces tailored to the needs of young people and their families as well as to welcome our partners to the centre, scheduled to open in spring 2022. We will keep you informed of further developments.
For the time being, you can take a look at our new centre thanks to the photos taken by the Marie-Vincent team on their very first visit!
| | | |
 | |
Beginning in winter 2022, Marie-Vincent will offer group therapies for children aged 6 to 17. These group therapies will be for 3 age groups; kids ages 6-8, 9–12 and teens 13-17.
At Marie-Vincent, children can wait on average 2 years to have access to individual therapy, which is far too long. By facilitating group therapies, we will be able to reach more young people at once and determine those motivated and best suited for this type of therapy, and so lessen the wait time for individual services.
The objective of these groups will be to reduce and eliminate the harmful consequences of sexual violence based on the specific needs of each young victim. Proposed activities will be put forward through games, crafts, stories, scenarios, watching movies, improvisation, discussions and art therapy.
The children will participate in 12 to 14 weekly workshops, 6 of which with their parents. For teenagers, groups will be single-sex and the number of meetings can range from 12 and 20 based on the specific needs of the group members. Some of the topics discussed may include:
- Feelings related to sexual abuse and developing healthy ways to manage them.
- The cycle of sexual abuse.
-
Self-esteem, confusion about the abuser,
- Use of internal resources.
-
Sexuality, flashbacks and nightmares.
Our heartfelt thanks to our eight clinicians and our Director of Clinical Services, Sonia Dionne, who are working hard to get this project under way.
| |
Projects of the prevention / training team | |
Survey for teens
Marie-Vincent wants to hear what our teens have to say! In the past few years, we developed several prevention tools designed for teenagers, such as video clips on cybersexual violence and an online game. We want to pinpoint the best ways to reach teenagers with our tools.
To do so, we are asking young people aged
12 to 17 to answer this short online survey. The results will help us adjust our outreach strategies and identify how to reach young people in an effective and targeted manner. This survey will help inform the creation of tools in formats best suited for young people (video clips, workshops in classrooms, etc.) and identify what subjects they think should be covered (e.g. consent, breakups, sharing intimate pictures).
Teenagers are those most concerned by the tools and programs developed by Marie-Vincent. We know their input is important which is why we hope they will get involved in our efforts.
| |
Registration is open for the Sexual violence against preschoolers prevention program
Winter 2022 registration is now open for the Marie-Vincent sexual violence against preschoolers prevention program.
The Lantern Program is offered free of charge for community organizations in Québec thanks to the support of the Public Health Agency of Canada. This training is offered in French and in English.
We encourage you to sign up in order to contribute to building a protective community for our children and our teenagers.
| |
|
Mireille Cyr, co-chairholder of the Marie-Vincent Interuniversity Research Chair in Child Sexual Abuse and full professor at Université de Montréal, developed the training on NICHD non-suggestive investigative interview protocol for Québec investigators called on to conduct interviews with young alleged sex abuse victims.
The main objective of this five-day training, offered by Mireille Cyr and some of our Marie-Vincent instructors, is to provide those involved with the opportunity to become proficient in using the non-suggestive interview guide developed by Michael Lamb and his NICHD colleagues. As investigators learn concepts related to children’s cognitive, language and emotional development as well as their suggestibility, they learn how to conduct interviews so as to gather as full an account as possible from the child.
The training is also provided to Direction de la protection de la jeunesse caseworkers across Québec.
How are children, victims or witnesses of crimes who are asked to make a statement to the police interviewed? Mireille Cyr provides answers in this interview.
| | | |
| |  | |
Monthly donations | They are vital for
Marie-Vincent.
How are monthly donations important for Marie-Vincent?
Since they are recurrent, monthly donations allow Marie-Vincent to better plan its activities. That’s why they are crucial! Knowing that our donors are standing shoulder to shoulder with us throughout the year makes our work easier and removes some of the uncertainty inherent to our status as a non-profit.
What are the benefits of monthly donations for donors?
To begin with, it allows donors to spread out the donation they want to make over the entire year and better balance their budget. It also provides a certain peace of mind as the entire donation process is only done once. And it’s environmentally friendly and cost-efficient given that it reduces some of the administrative costs and emails and papers that donations entail.
How can we make a monthly donation?
It’s quite simple: simply visit the Marie-Vincent website and make an online donation. You can also make a donation over the phone by calling 514-362-6226. An annual official receipt is then sent by email or regular mail no later than February 28 of the following year.
What would you say to convince someone to become a monthly donor?
At Marie-Vincent, the therapy we offer to young victims of sexual violence unfolds over several months, so being a monthly donor is more or less a way to support these kids all along their road to recovery.
For any information request, we invite you to contact Anne-Cécile Lattes, Director of Philanthropy by email or by phone at the following number: 514 362-6226 ext 254
| | |
| |  | |
Lisa L'Archevêque | Receptionist at the front desk
Working at Marie-Vincent brings joy to my life every single day because I know we are making a real difference in the lives of young victims of sexual violence.
I’ve been welcoming the children to Marie-Vincent for 10 years now. It is a very important position that goes beyond simply answering calls and monitoring the clientele on hand.
The reception area at Marie-Vincent is quite unique as it allows us to interact directly with the children, their parents and our partners. As the weeks go by, we build strong relationships with the children. We can see the progress they make through therapy. The time spent with them playing, drawing or watching a movie helps make their visit to Marie-Vincent a bit less stressful. We are attuned to the children’s behaviour, which allows us to notice certain traits or relevant aspects that our clinician might find useful.
Our job allows us to make a real difference in the lives of clients during their very first visit, notably for a police interview. The level of stress of both parents and children is palpable and having a discrete and compassionate presence close at hand brings some comfort.
Working at Marie-Vincent has given me the opportunity to truly feel useful. It is both extremely gratifying and joyful to see these young people leave, once their therapy is done, and know that they will be able to become well-rounded adults thanks to the collective efforts of the entire team.
|  | |
Breaking the silence| Interview with Pierre Bruneau
As part of the public phase of our awareness campaign, Pierre Bruneau from the TVA Network, wanted to talk about the importance of the services offered at Marie-Vincent for young victims of sexual violence.
Mr. Bruneau and his team came to our offices to meet a young girl, who has benefited from our services, her mother and a Maryse Trempe, a sexologist and psychotherapist at Marie-Vincent.
It was a moving meeting, with a strong and solid young girl, who spontaneously delivered a true message, which she shared with courage, expressing herself with lucidity and clarity.
An interview of great sensitivity, far from clichés, deeply human.
| |
Marie-Vincent in the medias | |
Campaign launch
Scotiabank donation
Podcast launch
Elle Québec Magazine
| |
|
Marie-Vincent Foundation support children and adolescents who are victims of sexual and physical violence by providing the services they need under one roof.
In collaboration with partners, Marie-Vincent Foundation support children and adolescents who are victims of sexual and physical violence by providing the services they need under one roof. We help prevent violence through education and awareness and by treating children with sexual behaviour problems.
| | | | |
