LaSalle College, a member of LCI Education, is proud to announce a partnership with Fondation Les Petits Rois. Since May 7, its Montréal campus has been welcoming young adults living with an intellectual disability as part of a structured pathway designed to support their integration into the workforce.
Beginning this spring, these young adults will join the LaSalle College workplace through a supervised model that will take place over five years, with two days per week in an internship setting on campus and three days in a specialized classroom. This internship platform model, developed with partners from the school sector and specialized services, aims to support the development of autonomy, work habits, and social and professional integration.
Through this initiative, LaSalle College is taking meaningful action in line with the values of inclusion, diversity, openness, and social engagement that shape its educational mission and institutional culture.
“At LaSalle College, we believe that a campus should be a place of learning, but also a place of inclusion, connection, and social participation. Welcoming these young adults into our environment is a very concrete way to live our values and contribute, as an institution, to building a fairer and more inclusive society.”
— Claude Marchand, Director General of LaSalle College
This partnership responds to a very real social issue. For many families, the end of the school pathway also marks a significant break in services, particularly for young people living with a more severe intellectual disability. Many are then left without an adapted solution, despite their potential to perform useful tasks in a structured environment. Fondation Les Petits Rois was created precisely to respond to this reality and support the families affected. The Foundation’s documentation also notes that it has existed for 25 years and supports more than 500 young people each year on the Island of Montréal.
The program provides complete supervision, with ongoing guidance and support. Days without internships will be dedicated to specialized classroom training, in a complementary approach that combines academic learning with concrete workplace experience.
LaSalle College is joining a group of Québec organizations that have chosen to open their environments to these young people, including Loto-Québec, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Cirque du Soleil, L’Oréal Canada, the Olympic Park, Énergir, Collège Jean-Eudes, and Urgences-santé. This approach is presented by the Foundation as a meaningful initiative in terms of social responsibility, social inclusion, and exemplary leadership.
“When organizations like LaSalle College and LCI Education choose to open their doors to our Petits Rois, they concretely change the life path of these young adults and their families. This type of partnership helps create more human, caring, and inclusive environments.”
— Vânia Aguiar, President of Fondation Les Petits Rois
Beyond the integration of these interns on campus, this partnership is already mobilizing the teams at LaSalle College and LCI Education and opens the door to meaningful collaborations, particularly with certain programs in special care counselling and the Centre for Adapted Services, with a view to sharing expertise, raising awareness, and developing practices.
Through this initiative, LCI Education and LaSalle College Montréal reaffirm their commitment to being engaged members of their community and to contributing, in a tangible way, to a more inclusive society where everyone can find their place and participate in their own way.
