Give People their Place

We’re grateful to Celine for coming into the L’Arche Canada 50th Celebrate the Gift studio to share her thoughts on belonging, inclusion and diversity. We believe that her reflection will encourage conversations and contribute to social change.

By Céline Geneau

I really appreciate the people I live with. We have a lot of fun together. The home where I live is called “La Passerelle”, and they’re good people. They’re in a good mood, and it makes me very cheerful. And we sing a lot because I have a karaoke machine. I like to sing a lot.
 

What’s more important for people with disabilities is… we’re all made different… and it’s to give people a chance to participate in activities and meetings. I’m a member of the welcoming committee, and we meet once a month. We talk about things that are happening in the community, and we go around the table to find out how things are going in our homes. One Monday a month we have a coffee house, and people come to find out about L’Arche.

It’s like they say, “everyone is different.” Some people might have a temper, others don’t. You have to be patient. We’re all calm. If there’s an argument we don’t let it simmer, we settle it right away. That’s how we forgive each other.

What’s most important is to give people who want to come and live in L’Arche a chance, and especially, for people to have the right to take their place in… in humanity.

• Céline has been a member of L’Arche Montreal for almost 30 years.
• As she mentioned, she lives in “La Passerelle” home and is a member of the Welcoming People Committee.
• She works at Bureau en gros (Staples). She plans to retire when she turns 65 next May.
• Her main interests are singing, singing and singing again and also colouring mandalas of great precision.

Read more on the Celebrate the Gifts studio in “What belonging, diversity, and inclusion mean to me.”