Helping hands from across the country

This is the second year Cartier Émilie is participating with Katimavik, a Canada-wide project that allows young people between 17 and 21 years old to discover Canada. Participants undertake three three-months trips. At least one has to be in a province where their second language is spoken. During their stays, Katimavik participants do volunteer work in the community. Cartier Émilie has benefited from their presence and their enthusiasm.

Laurie Plourde is from Alma, a little town in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, where she says everybody knows each other. Arriving in Montreal, the 17-year-old was at first intimidated by the crowds of people, something quite foreign to her. But, she grew accustomed to it, just like she adapted to living in a group. “It’s hard, at first. You have to change all of your routines: living with 10 people, getting up early, making bread, cooking for the group, working 40 hours a week…”

During these 40 hours, Laurie and her teammate Ty Tekle collect donations for the store, place the merchandise, and create displays to show what the store has to offer. “They’re a great help,” said Yolanda, who works for Cartier Émilie. “In September, a lot of our volunteers go back to school. It’s great that they’re here, because there’s a lot of work to do!” “I always admired the work Katimavik does in Canadian communities,” said Ty, who almost didn’t get the chance to participate this year. Tekle was on a waiting list, and was happy to join the group when someone else canceled. “I love Montreal. It’s gorgeous,” said the 20-year-old who takes every chance he gets to discover the city. He also said he loves to meet people. “Everyone is really nice and personable.”

The two, who have different mother tongues, are starting to learn how to communicate with each other. “I wanted to participate in Katimavik, because I wanted work experience, but also because I wanted to discover Canada and learn a second language,” said Laurie. Ty said he is already impressed with her skills in English. “I give her nothing but props for her English,” he said. “She’s really been helping me with my French.”

The participants are not the only ones benefiting from the project. “They’re helping us a lot. It’s not just placing the merchandise. They’re getting involved,” said Anca Niculicioiu, Cartier Émilie’s director. She pointed out Ty’s idea of displaying items that might be interesting to collectors. On top of that, the Katimavik participants also bring “a breath of fresh air to a team that is young at heart, but not necessarily young,” Niculicioiu said laughing.

Laurie and Ty will be leaving Cartier Émilie and Quebec at the beginning of December. From there, they will go to Manitoba, and then Ontario. Two other Katimavik participants will take Laurie and Ty’s spots after they leave. “We hope that our partnership with Katimavik will last a long time,” Niculicioiu said. Translated by Elyse Amend