Foundation | Fondation Saintlo

Supporting teachers in giving young people the chance to discover Quebec

Submit your project and give your class a transformative adventure.

Our mission Our approach Our values Our history The saintlo foundation team Annual Reports

Our mission

helping young people in vulnerable situations grow thanks to the benefits of youth travel

By supporting teachers in taking underprivileged youth on journeys to discover Quebec, we aim to provide enriching and memorable educational opportunities.

We strongly believe that every trip has the potential to transform lives by broadening young people’s horizons and helping them reach their full potential.

At the Saintlo Foundation, we offer funding for travel projects as well as free workshops for primary and secondary schools. Our “Me and the world” workshops, aligned with the Culture and Quebec Citizenship program, help young people explore themselves and understand their role in the community while preparing for meaningful travel experiences.

Through these initiatives, we seek to foster personal development, leadership, and a sense of belonging among youth. We believe that travel is a powerful catalyst for growth and discovery, helping to shape informed and engaged individuals within their communities.

Adolescence: an essential time of life, between fragility and hope

In spite of the prejudices that surround it, adolescence is one of the richest periods in a person’s life.

Not only is it a period of significant physical changes, but some neuropsychological studies also show that teens’ brains undergo a major “reshuffling” during this phase of existence. Looking to build their adult life while discovering themselves, teens yearn to leave the family environment and to shift toward their peers. The world around them takes on a whole new meaning and invites them, little by little, to discover it.

But, as in any transitional phase, adolescence can also be a period of vulnerability that can lead teens off course with more or less healthy encounters. This risk is much higher for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who develop in environments that don’t always help them thrive.

Being able to get out of one’s environment helps young people open up their horizons and opens up a world of possibilities

By facilitating access to travel for young people and giving workshops where they can have meaningful encounters with others, we help young people develop skills they will use their entire lives.

Our approach

Jeune homme avec un cahier écoute en classe

We provide financial support to nourish the aspirations and ambitions of youth

Travel shapes young people and they in turn make the world of tomorrow.

we want to

Facilitate access to travel for youth 10 to 17 years old who don’t have the opportunity to discover new places.

Create moments where young people’s talents can develop in a safe, inspiring place.

Inspire young people’s curiosity so that they’re compelled to continue exploring.

Contribute to promoting our part of the country and the benefits of travel. We believe in sustainable tourism: maintaining a balance between the needs of travellers and the local population to protect our planet for today’s and tomorrow’s generations.

Our values

Equal opportunity and solidarity

We dream of a society that empowers developing youth in vulnerable situations to assert themselves, to grow and engage with the world. The objective of our workshops and grants is to give these young people access to adventures and resources that are normally out of their reach- because travel has the potential to change how every life evolves.

Welcoming spaces

In the right environment, youth can blossom to their full potential. We create safe spaces where difference is celebrated and respectful conversations are fostered. This is how youth grow and develop their talents.

Resourcefulness

It’s outside the home that young people learn to be resourceful, show initiative and make the best decisions. It’s the people youth meet in the real world who inspire them to learn independence—an asset they will use all their lives.

Leadership

We help each young person to value their abilities and use them to exercise a positive influence. We help them have enriching experiences that transform their lives and inspire their loved ones in turn.

Our history

1993

Inauguration of the Youth Travel Foundation

The YTF team starts developing grants and programs based on the principle of equal opportunity to make travel accessible to youth and educational groups. Youth are invited to present their promising projects inspired by the Foundation’s values, and set off on adventures to contribute to building a more inclusive, peaceful world.

This is the starting point of the Saintlo Foundation story.

1995

Official status

The Youth Travel Foundation becomes a registered charity. In the following years, the Foundation gives out over 600 travel grants.

2014

An alliance to go even further

The St. Lawrence Youth Hostels Association, which includes over eight youth hostels in Québec and Ontario shares the same values as the Youth Travel Foundation. The two organizations that foster meet-ups and discoveries come together in an alliance that empowers youth to explore the two provinces—a place with a thousand-and-one possibilities—with people from all over the world.

2022

The Youth Travel Foundation becomes the Saintlo Foundation

Since it was impossible to give out travel grants to youth during the pandemic, our team revisited the intervention model and funding, which led to the creation of the Saintlo Foundation. Although travel is more accessible today, this is not the case for everybody. This is why the travel grants are now offered to youth in vulnerable situations. What’s more, travel-related courses and workshops have been created to help young people develop life skills and reach their full potential.

The saintlo foundation team

Jacques Perreault

Executive Director

In the 1980’s, Jacques Perreault held practically every possible role at the Auberges de jeunesse du Saint-Laurent. Then, in 1988, he took the reins of the organization and fully embraced the principles of the social economy, a commitment he has never abandoned since. As a young man, he quickly realized that venturing far from his familiar surroundings would broaden his horizons.

But the pandemic gave him a different perspective on Quebec, focusing on the St. Lawrence River and the regions that border it. His entrepreneurial spirit is constantly pushing back the boundaries of the social business model of youth travel. He transformed the hostels, bringing them up to date, making major acquisitions and, in 2022, creating a hostel collective called Collectif Saintlo. Today, Jacques continues his journey by infusing a renewed vision into the Saintlo Foundation, with the aim of enabling underprivileged young people to explore the world.