Program
SUMMARY | INTERVENTION MODEL | PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Philosophy
The program philosophy is based on the principle that a school suspension is a failure for both the student and the school. It is, therefore, important to ensure that the time spent away from school is an overall success for the suspended students on both a personal level and in relation to their education.
Alternative Suspension Offers An Individualized Non-Judgmental Approach
When students arrive in the program, they are, in most cases, in a state of rupture with the adult world. They have been suspended and their relations with their teachers, the school administrators and their parents are conflictual. A fundamental concept underlying the Alternative Suspension program is principle of having an adult there for the student when he/she arrives in the program – an adult who is willing to listen and build a relationship of trust with the student. A relationship of trust is, in fact, the very foundation for the assistance the youth worker provides, and the basis for the success of the participants in reaching the goals that are set for them to achieve.
Participation in the Alternative Suspension program is considered a success when students have appreciated their experience because they were listened to, received individual assistance and benefited from being in a validating setting, and where they do not wish to return to the program because both a demanding academic and awareness effort was asked of them.
HISTORY
Alternative Suspension was developed by the YMCAs of Québec and first offered in Montreal’s Mile End district in the fall of 1999 in response to a request from a local secondary school concerned over seeing its suspended students spending their suspension time on the street with no supervision. In cooperation with the local school commissioner, the Du Parc YMCA set up the program pilot project.
Gaining credibility, and based on an evaluation of the program’s effectiveness by independent experts (CAC International) who found that the methods and principles employed by the program were effective in helping to reduce the risk factors related to dropping out, the program grew quickly and is today serving an ever increasing number of clients in Quebec, the rest of Canada and France.
Alternative Suspension is provided to over 150 schools through more than thirty points of service.
With the findings of an expert evaluation confirming the program’s relevance and effectiveness, Alternative Suspension’s aim is to establish partnerships with community organizations and school boards interested in offering the program in their communities.
DESCRIPTION
The Alternative Suspension program is a resource made available to secondary schools for the purpose of providing support to students who, for a variety of reasons, find themselves temporarily suspended from school. The project aims to reduce the number of repeat suspensions through giving students the opportunity to transform their suspension time into a positive experience that fosters personal development and autonomy by putting theme in an environment that promotes self-worth, allows the acquisition of social skills, and fosters self-respect and respect for others. The program comprises educational workshops, individual assistance, and group activities. It is designed in such a way as to be able to deal with a range of problems that suspended students temporarily excluded from their school setting (occasionally or repeatedly) may be experiencing.
Suspended students too often end up on their own separated from their school and social environment. Alternative Suspension aims to respond to this exclusion by providing students and secondary schools with tools that enable them to transform the time away from school into a total success for the students on both a personal level and in relation to their education. Through academic assistance and guidance, group workshops and one-on-one sessions, Alternative Suspension is proactive in helping resolve problems that might otherwise lead students to drop out of school.
TARGET GROUP
Alternative Suspension is aimed at secondary school students who are experiencing difficulties in their academic and social development on either a recurrent or occasional basis. They are frequently youth from difficult socio-economic backgrounds or ethnic communities – populations often severely impacted by the school dropout phenomenon.
