Quebec Youth Serve With Love to Observe Global Youth Service Day

On May 23, 2026, more than 130 people gathered at the Laval, Quebec, chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to observe Global Youth Service Day (GYSD). Organized by the Montreal Quebec Stake, the event focused on supporting seven local community organizations.

GYSD is an annual international event that brings together young people in more than 100 countries to serve their communities through volunteer projects. Founded in 1988, it aims to recognize the contributions of youth and empower them to take action to address local needs through meaningful service.

GYSD allows participants to reach out to others, develop greater sensitivity to the realities faced by people with special needs and feel love for their neighbours. “Service helps youth develop their relationship with God and with others,” said Catherine Lallement, stake communication director. “By serving together, they discover that they can truly make a difference in their community and experience joy.”

Mohamad Al Masri, 14, said, “Helping others is part of our duty [as Muslims] to help others. … I thought about a friend who was sick recently, and by participating, I was happy to know that I could help other children in hospitals.”

Luna Al Masri, 11, said, “We really enjoyed writing positive and encouraging words for these people because we believe it’s good to help others without expecting anything in return.”

This year’s GYSD event, the third such one for the stake organizers, brought together 83 youth and 47 adults to complete projects aimed at supporting vulnerable members of the community.

Participants carried out a variety of service projects, which provided:

• 620 sandwiches for Bread and Beyond to help feed people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity

• 20 fleece blankets for women in reintegration programs at La rue des Femmes

• 14 flannel blankets for children at the Ronald McDonald House

• 190 care packages, including socks, snacks, juice and handwritten notes for the Maison du Père homeless shelter

• 118 snack bags for Le Book Humanitaire

• 20 sleep masks for patients in intensive care units at CHU Sainte-Justine

• 20 pairs of slippers for local shelters

When the snack bags were delivered to Le Book Humanitaire, the organization’s president, Rachel Lapierre, said, “You arrived at just the right time — we were short of snacks to give out with the sandwiches today. Thank you!”

Nathalie Girard, material donations officer at La rue des Femmes, shared a similar sentiment: “We were just in need of blankets. Last week, we posted a request on social media. … They are really beautiful. It’s truly appreciated.”

In total, 68 attendees registered for the event through JustServe, a free, community-based platform that connects volunteers with local service opportunities. The platform helps individuals, families and organizations find meaningful ways to meet community needs, strengthen relationships and promote a culture of service. In addition to the volunteers who signed up online, the local JustServe team supported the GYSD event by inviting nearby elementary, secondary and international schools to participate.

Diana Vargas, 18, said, “Service is an act of love, and [attending] allowed me to feel a lot of love for the people around me.”

Christiane Dubois Levesque, stake JustServe specialist, said, “We hope that this day will help build positive relationships with the community and inspire more youth to engage in civic service and volunteer work.”

Read the article in French