Étincelles : for positive paths of romance and intimacy

Jacinthe Dion is co-researcher of the project (Martine Hébert, UQAM is the primary researcher) and the project is funded by the Public Health Agency.

As a continuation of the Parcours Amoureux des Jeunes (PAJ) survey, the Étincelles project, initiated in 2019, aims to develop exemplary practices in order to promote positive romantic and intimate journeys and to prevent violence in the romantic relationships of youths.

The team has partnered with pivotal partners to develop a program that can simultaneously reach:

  • Youths (secondary 3 and 4), through awareness-raising activities;
  • School staff members by providing them with training and educational tools;
  • Parents and significant adults who interact with youths by providing them with informative video capsules;
  • Young leaders who act as ambassadors of the program within their school.

During the 2021 and 2022 school years, the program was evaluated in several schools in the greater Montreal area and in Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean.  This experimental evaluation made it possible to improve the program and to document its impact on all of the targeted actors.