Mennonite Central Committee

MCC Québec Harmonie encourages youth to share abilities

Montreal - Nineteen-year-old Nicole Bauman didn't realize the extent to which Harmonie, MCC's Montreal-based cross-cultural youth program, would open her eyes to the needs of the world.

"It's shown me how much more there is to discover," says Bauman. Being a part of Harmonie has encouraged me to keep broadening my perspective, she says.

Harmonie is an MCC Québec initiative that promotes relationship-building among French-speaking youth between the ages of 18 and 24. For eight months, from September through May, participating young people share their musical talents, study theology, and work for local community organizations. The experience encourages them to use their gifts, discover the relevance of their Christian faith, and meet the marginalized of society.

Bauman, who hails from Shakespeare, Ontario, was one of five youth who took part in this year's program. The group included another two participants from Ontario, one from Switzerland, and one from Burkina Faso.

Music practice and theological study are important aspects of the program, but community participation is even more significant; participants spend at least 16 hours a week working with refugees, the homeless, and the poor.

Bauman spent her term providing administrative services at Refuge Juan Moreno, a local Catholic-run agency. It was a position that gave her the opportunity to meet people from a variety of countries including China, Congo and Afghanistan, most of whom had left everything behind.

I had more formal responsibilities, but some afternoons we would just sit and get to know each other, she says. Harmonie is about how we interact in the world. It's about building unity and understanding by sharing our talents and abilities, she says.

Three mornings per week were spent singing and practicing their instruments amongst themselves, but Bauman says they also shared their music with people in prisons, churches and nursing homes.

Some of them recognized the rhythms from home, she says. It was an opportunity for us to celebrate with them.

For many Harmonie participants, it's their first experience living away from home.

I soon noticed how small events could create conflict, says Bauman. For example, we couldn't always agree on the grocery list, or the difference between a basic and luxury item. Eventually, we came to an understanding, she says.

"It can be a challenge to spend 8 months living and working with people you've never met," says Harmonie coordinator and MCC Québec co-representative Annie Brosseau. "We had a good group of young people to work with. I think it was good for all of us."

Now that Harmonie has wrapped up, Bauman plans to attend college and pursue a degree in social sciences. She says the experience has given her greater insight into how the rest of the world works.

"I've had the opportunity to view people's situation from a different perspective," she says.