Little Burgundy Sports Centre highlights 13th edition of Quebec Community Centres Day

Do you know about the community centre in your neighbourhood? If not, it’s time to  find out!

October 3 is Quebec Community Centres Day, and the Federation Québécoise des Centres Communautaires et de Loisirs (FQCCL) invited everyone to check out their local spots. Over 87 community recreation centres across 11 regions opened their doors to the public Thursday.

At the Little Burgundy Sports Centre, you can enjoy activities like swimming, soccer, badminton, yoga, martial arts, dance, arts and even origami classes.

Since its opening in 1997, the centre has helped thousands of newcomers, children, seniors, and families to be more active, break isolation and enjoy their neighbourhood to its fullest.

“We’re in a very multicultural environment and often with new immigrants it’s an entry point for access to different services activities and a way to get accustomed to your new neighborhood,” said Dickens Mathurin, Vice-President of the FQCCL and director of the Little Burgundy Sports Centre. “By practicing recreational activities, you exchange with people, you break all sorts of things like isolation and you develop new skills and all that in a very friendly environment.”

A centre like the one in Little Burgundy serves as a welcoming gateway for newcomers, including those whose first language is neither French or English, to begin their lives in the neighbourhood.

Dedicated employees like receptionist Keiri Milgar Alvarenga play a crucial role in supporting residents along the way.

“Even the people that don’t speak not French, no English, I still help them translate in their language with their phone,” said Alvarenga. “I always manage something to make sure that they’re still able to come here, even if we can’t really communicate in the language.”

Bradley Gaetan has been working at the community centre for over 20 years. For him, witnessing children grow and helping them pursue their dreams through after-school programs, sports, and arts is something that drives him daily – and a powerful demonstration of the centre’s impact on a child’s life.

“Myself as a youth in this neighbourhood, I received a lot of help from youth community centres, and my goal right now is to just give back what I received when I was young,” said Gaetan.

“I also have the chance here  to be a Taekwondo teacher in the centre and to see that with time they grow up and we can provide them with their first job like counselors or lifeguards, it gives them a tool to move forward later in life. That’s great to see,” added Mathurin.