There was a time when I thought I’d live in Toronto forever. Now that I’m sitting here in Saint-Jérôme writing this blog post about how I found my home in the Laurentians, it resonates more than ever: life is random.

I considered writing this blog post about what makes the Laurentians fun, special, historical, and in my opinion, the best place in Québec. However, I might just be preaching to the choir here - the Laurentians received a huge influx of people escaping the city to live “up north”, more than any other region in Québec. I don’t think the matter requires a whole lot of convincing. 

But what about how I cultivated a sense of belonging? I asked myself, as a young person just starting out my professional career, how would I make myself at home here? Hopefully, I can shed some light on this, dear reader, so you too can faire le saute - to wherever you want to go, or in your own community. Here are 5 ways I increased my sense of belonging in the Laurentians. 

When in Rome, do as the Romans do…

I’m from southwestern Ontario, where the ski conditions aren’t anything to write home about. When I thought of skiing, I thought it meant barrelling down an enormous mountain on metal planks (and actually, I was right about that). The only thing worse than going down was going up, especially because when I first went skiing at 11 years old I was too scared to get off the ski lift and they had to stop it. Of course, that was extremely embarrassing. However, I reopened my heart and mind to skiing - and discovered that cross-country skiing is pretty cool. It doesn’t cost thousands of dollars, the skis are way lighter, and you still get to glide. Ski nordique is what led Jackrabbit Johannssen to live to the age of 111 - I’ll have what he was having.

Connect to organizations.

Do some research and get in touch with any organizations that are relevant to you. For youth, the Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi is an invaluable resource - they have programs not just related to job search, but to community integration as well, such as Place aux Jeunes. It’s a great way to meet other young people and learn about the features of your region. If you’re an English speaker, don’t be thrown off when contacting French-speaking organizations - they’re happy to hear from you! 

This also goes for cultural organizations. Not to go on and on about skiing, but actually yes, the Laurentian Ski Museum was a great connection for me throughout this project - and visiting helped me to understand the region so much more!

Find a project to work on. 

Speaking of opportunities - try to find something that interests you and will help you build links to your community! For me, it was the You are Here project. It was a mere five hours a week, but it did wonders for my professional and social connections here. Maybe you can organize a campaign about something you care about, paint a mural, try volunteering, start a club, or join a hiking group. It doesn’t have to be big or ongoing to be a gamechanger for you!

Think intergenerational. 

Your friends don’t have to be the same age as you. One of my friends is 73. Be open-minded about who you meet and who can be your friend - you won’t regret it! Once you meet some people, it can become exponential.

Send emails - and send DMs!

You can send a message or call anyone. I feel like this is life-changing advice for some reason. When I wanted to organize a ski-themed event, I contacted the CBC just to let them know. I didn’t imagine they’d want to collaborate with me on the event! It turned into a two-day event that I would have never been able to organize alone with my somewhat amateur-level savoir-faire. This goes for the less formal channels too - it pays to be bold. When I saw the Instagram account canada.gov.ca posting about Rose’s Cantina in Morin-Heights, I had to ask - so I sent him a DM asking if he lived in the area. Turns out, we don’t live too far away from each other! And he as well as a game to collaborate with me on an event about Morin-Heights heroine, Penny Rose. As a youth, you have value to bring to people and organizations - don’t be afraid to aim big!

After all of this, people have told me that I seem like I’ve always lived here. I hope this gives you the courage to try something new in your own community, or to go somewhere else and settle in. Our communities become better, more inclusive places when youth get involved. As for myself, I am moving further north in a month and a half - I feel like this is a testament to my sense of belonging here, to move further from the big city with no fear! 

Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi are non-profit community organizations in Québec that support young adults between the ages of 16 and 35 in their social and economic integration process, by helping them find employment, return to school or develop projects.

Learn more about Place aux Jeunes.

Learn more about Rose’s Cantina in Morin-Heights.