KEEP UP TO DATE ON MAVN SERVICES!

Now that our general meeting is over and the summer is here at last, you can follow the story of the Lalancette family at a more relaxed pace, as it will be related through the six MAVN services over the coming weeks. Theirs is among the stories featured in our 2018-2019 annual report, which have allowed our visionary members and guests to gain a better understanding of the day-to-day support provided by the MAVN team. So let us start right now with the “Open up the lines of communication… LEARNING TOGETHER” service. Naturally, we will not tell you to turn the page when you hear the chime, but we do invite you to join us in front of your screen each week!

WE will begin by telling you the story of Mégane Lalancette, a young 11-year-old girl who will soon complete fifth grade. Despite her young age, she is quite active on social networks and she is in contact online with several people, including some whom she has never met in person. While chatting with people on social media, she received a few comments and requests of a sexual nature. Even if those situations made her quite uncomfortable, she has always thought that “it is normal for such things to happen on the Internet.” However, after MAVN team members came to her class to give a workshop on the prevention of sexual aggressions online and in real life, Mégane understood that what she had experienced was not “normal” and confided in a MAVN case worker. Her parents were then encouraged to get involved by supporting and supervising their pre-teen daughter regarding her use of social networks.

On another note, life cannot be challenging for Mégane’s brother Jérémy Lalancette without indulging in a few “petty crimes.” From stealing candy at the convenience store to painting graffiti on school walls, the adolescent thinks that he is beyond legal consequences and under no risk of reprisal before he turns 18, since he is underage and only 13 years old. However, he was among the first students to be surprised to see MAVN visit his secondary I classroom. Thanks to the Law & Citizenship presentation given by MAVN, Jérémy now knows that the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) applies to adolescents as young as 12 and that he has rights…but that he also has responsibilities under this legislation. At home after school that day, he spent time informing his parents about what he had learned during the MAVN workshop. Will this workshop prevent Jérémy from further misconduct? We will find out in the coming weeks…