Ernest Jr. Edmond
Ashoka Fellow since 2023   |   Canada

Ernest Jr. Edmond

Les Ballons Intensifs
Through a community pact, Ernest is designing a new social infrastructure in inner-city neighbourhoods aimed at fostering self-efficacy, cultivating a sense of social responsibility, and empowering…
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This description of Ernest Jr. Edmond's work was prepared when Ernest Jr. Edmond was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2023.

Introduction

Through a community pact, Ernest is designing a new social infrastructure in inner-city neighbourhoods aimed at fostering self-efficacy, cultivating a sense of social responsibility, and empowering young people to lead community development initiatives. Collaborating closely with parents, schools,Read more

The New Idea

In urban poverty-stricken areas, young people are too often exposed to and at risk of being involved in gang violence and feel neglected due to a lack of meaningful development programs. Along with their parents, many low-income youth accept the conditions they have inherited because the systemRead more

The Problem

The challenges faced in underprivileged urban neighbourhoods are multiple, complex, and hinder the development of young people who live there. Montreal is Canada’s second most industrial and populous city and as reported by Statistics Canada, is home to more than half of all people who live inRead more

The Strategy

Growing up in the low-income borough of Pointe-Aux-Trembles in Montreal East, Ernest knew firsthand how much a comprehensive approach was needed to address the problems faced by youth in concentrated poverty. From the early days of LBI, he was convinced that youth had a key role to play in solvingRead more

The Person

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Ernest immigrated to Montreal at the age of six, a journey that he did solo after a request from his father who had already moved to Canada. Originally from the island of La Gonâve in Haiti, his family had long struggled with extreme poverty and low access to basicRead more