Willie Blonde is from Cameroon, where she was a cashier and secretary. She came to Quebec to seek a better life. She is a Renaissance participant being trained as an office clerk–receptionist. "My search for work was difficult because I didn't have any Quebec experience. A friend who had gone through the Renaissance integration process and who is working today advised me to come here. What motivates me is knowing that I'll be able to enter the job market more easily." Willie Blond intends to find work as an office clerk–receptionist once she finishes her Renaissance training.
Renaissance is working on establishing partnerships with the cities and boroughs of the Greater Montreal Area. So far, Renaissance has been welcomed in 12 cities and boroughs (the cities of Dorval, Beaconsfield, Laval, Saint-Lambert, and the boroughs of Verdun–Île des Sœurs, Rosemont–Petite-Patrie, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc Extension, LaSalle, Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles, and Saint-Laurent).
The Station Renaissance centres carry out a true public service for the community in cities and boroughs in the Greater Montreal Area, with clear contributions to waste management, environmental commitments, and sustainable development.
The Plan directeur de gestion des matières résiduelles de l'agglomération de Montréal 2010-2014 proposes several major actions intended to surpass the objectives of the Politique québécoise de gestion des matières résiduelles 1998-2008. The plan has two main dimensions, with one directly related to reemployment and intended to help municipalities and boroughs "better support social economy companies, whether in the textile or reused products sector."
Although Quebec municipalities and boroughs fulfill their responsibilities with regard to the collection of recyclable materials, it is difficult for them to extend their commitment to sustainable development in the absence of an infrastructure that allows them to receive, process, and remarket reusable goods. For this reason, most Quebec municipalities and boroughs have trouble meeting the objectives established by the Politique québécoise de gestion des matières résiduelles.
Through its Stations (permanent donation centres), Renaissance is attempting to establish a true reuse network for clothing, accessories, and other reusable objects, and thus make a dent in the 170,000 tonnes of textiles and other non-biodegradable materials sent to landfills annually in Quebec.
Sustainable development is development that responds to the needs of today's generation without compromising the capacity of tomorrow's. Reuse is a direct part of a global strategy of sustainable development. The network Renaissance offers is innovative and unique, as it provides municipalities and boroughs with a true reuse network that allows them to considerably reduce the amount of highly polluting synthetic textiles they send to landfills, to give these textiles a second life, and to sustain the activities of anti-poverty groups.
The revenue gap between rich and poor is increasing every year. Access to low-price, high-quality goods has become a necessity in the current economic climate, in which the buying power of many has diminished. In addition, more responsible consumer behaviour, which values the buying of second-hand goods, has emerged as a new trend. In Quebec, there are three services that provide clothing and other used articles at a low price:
· charitable organizations that help the most underprivileged (Société Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Salvation Army)
· private-sector companies that generate profits from the sale of used clothes (Village des Valeurs)
· Renaissance, the only non-profit organization that reinvests all of its profits in a socio-environmental mission
By helping and supporting Renaissance, you:
· help those in need and improve their buying power
· are part of the integration of new Quebecers and Quebecers in need
· help preserve the environment
· take advantage of an effective tool for the sustainable management of residual material