Boscoville, where research and practice come together for the benefit of youth

Before adopting its current mission, Boscoville was a place of intervention dedicated to young people facing difficulties. In the 1940s, Father Albert Roger of the Congregation of Holy Cross founded a modest summer camp called Boscoville. Its bold objective was to revolutionize psychosocial intervention approaches for struggling young people (Grégoire, 2012).

Around 1950, Father Roger achieved the vision of Boscoville by building a permanent site, inspired by Father Flanagan’s Boys Town in Nebraska and the Salesian work of Don Bosco.

This groundbreaking initiative aimed to create a micro-society where young individuals engage in a positive civic life, thus developing civic skills (Rumilly, 1978).

In the mid-20th century, as adolescents and child psychology were flourishing, Boscoville was seeking for means to improve intervention practices. In collaboration with the Orientation Centre directed by Jeanine Guindon, Boscoville developed an innovative approach combining psychology and pedagogy, based on humanistic principles (Rumilly, 1978).

Despite more than 50 years of significant contributions, Boscoville experienced difficulties at the dawn of the new millennium. The curtain was brought down on Boscoville, which had seen the development of hundreds of young individuals, popularized psychoeducation, and expanded its model to numerous prevention and intervention services.

Upon the announcement of Boscoville’s shutdown, an impressive mobilization took place. Former Boscoville members, parents and professionals, led by Gilles Gendreau, publicly rallied in an effort to save the crown jewel of Québec’s psychoeducational intervention (Gendreau, 1998).

In 2000, Boscoville was born again, under the name Boscoville 2000, and now focuses on the development of relevant clinical practices and the transfer of innovative knowledge in rehabilitation. Boscoville’s expanded mission now aimed to reach youths through various community, school and early childhood partnerships.

This change of direction meant that Boscoville 2000 will no longer wait for young people: it seeks them out.

As of 2012, Boscoville 2000 started a new phase of its evolution. Partners in the field were increasingly engaging in the process of developing programs and implementing them in their respective environments.

The goal was ambitious: To develop a working method aiming at bringing research and practice together.

Boscoville 2000 reconnected with its roots by going back to its original name, thus symbolizing the continuity of its decades-long identity.

This transition also marked an increased focus on prevention and innovation, with projects aimed for the Health and Social Services network, schools and early childhood, and community environments. Since then, Boscoville has been developing and implementing innovative practices, meeting the standards of scientific rigour, while remaining well anchored in the realities of the field.