Youngsters give Plante a wish list
Give us more parks and more monkey bars, swings and slides, more street parties and food trucks, and while you’re at it, fix the cracked sidewalks and ban cars from downtown.
These were some of the things on a long list of wishes that young people from across Montreal gave their new mayor, Valérie Plante, at the Forum for Children organized by the Foundation of Greater Montreal on Monday, which was World Children’s Day.
The wish list was in the form of two recent reports commissioned by the foundation that look at the challenges and desires of children across the Greater Montreal region.
A team of researchers from the Centre d’écologie urbaine de Montréal interviewed about 150 children and teens from Montreal’s 19 boroughs to gather their ideas about creating a city that responds to their needs. The discussions focused on such themes as public space, infrastructure, transportation, greening and beautifying, sports activities and arts.
Among the suggestions for improving Montreal:
More parks, dog parks, sports facilities
New beaches
More concert venues Petting zoos in parks More indoor and outdoor pools with diving boards and slides More pedestrian streets Safer intersections, more speed bumps, more crossing guards
More bike paths, more métro stations, more public transit
More greenery and flowers, green laneways
Sports activities organized by the city during their summer vacation
More and better skate parks, parkour sites
Sports activities to help new immigrants integrate Fundraising for kids in need Less racism and discrimination More food banks and shelters for homeless people
More ice cream trucks, outdoor candy counters and food trucks in general
Cleaner streets, more garbage cans
Ban cars from downtown More neighbourhood festivals, carnivals, street parties
A mobile library, more free outdoor films, a dinosaur museum
“Often, we don’t listen to children,” Plante told the forum after accepting the reports and chatting with some of the children who participated. “And yet they have dreams, they have ideas, and we should listen to them because they help us to … think outside the box.”
She said she had made mobility a priority for her administration partly because safe, affordable and efficient transportation options is the key to making sure kids can enjoy the city’s offerings no matter where they live or how much money they have.
For the second report, titled Living in Montreal in the 21st Century: Perspectives From Young Montrealers, two researchers brought young people together from around the city to discuss four issues: belonging, education, mobility and mental health. Recommendations from these discussions included: improved access to mental health resources and more centres where young people can gather after school without having to spend money.
“In reading these reports, we realize that young Montrealers are active citizens with brilliant ideas for improving the city,” said Yvan Gauthier, president and CEO of the Foundation of Greater Montreal. “Many young people feel that Montreal is not designed with them in mind. Today, we are pleased to share their ideas with the mayor, so that children’s voices may be taken into account more extensively.”