Tragedy at Dawson: Young People Are Helping Each Other Out, According to Tel-jeunes

by Véronick Talbot, Tolerance.ca® editorial staff member

Montréal—On September 13, 2006, 25-year-old Kimveer Gill opened fire on students at Dawson College in Montréal, killing 18-year-old Anastasia De Sousa and wounding 16 other students and staff members, two of whom remain in critical condition. One week after the tragic events, Quebec’s student community is still in a state of shock.

Tel-jeunes: “We’ve received calls from
Dawson students who relived the events
once they got home.”

How many victims in this tragedy? The number increases dramatically if we include the students and adults who were psychologically affected by Gill’s violent act. To volunteers at the Tel-jeunes youth helpline, it is clear from the number of calls received that the impact was great. “We’ve received calls from Dawson students who relived the events once they got home,” said Linda Primeau, a specialist and volunteer for Tel-jeunes, in an interview. “Our parents’ helpline received calls from people whose children were in the shootings and who didn’t know how to respond. We also got a lot of e-mails from teenagers who were affected by the event and felt they should stick together.” In fact, in colleges all across the province, a wave of solidarity was felt. The day after the shootings, teachers and students took class time to express their feelings, forgetting the main reason that they were in class. “When events like that happen, you feel the need to stand together and draw closer to each other. These things force us to realize how fragile life is,” adds Ms. Primeau.

The goth subculture

Some students had concerns about other issues besides the fear of copycat killings. “We’re afraid that the killer’s background and style of dress will cause prejudice against goths,” comments Alexandre Béland-Brûlé, a computer science student at Collège Ahuntsic in Montréal. Fortunately, no form of racism or prejudice has been observed so far between the students, most of whom are dismayed at the importance the media attached to Kimveer Gill’s way of dressing. “Just because you wear black and listen to heavy metal, you’re not necessarily violent,” says Alexandre, worried about the message conveyed by journalists.

Alarming media coverage

Like Alexandre, psychiatrist Marc-Alain Wolf, a member of Tolerance.ca®, is concerned about the impact the media can have. “The media really don’t help by paying so much attention to this kind of incident. They can influence people who are violent by nature or extremely suicidal. They give them answers to their questions, either by showing them how to solve their problems or by suggesting ways to react.” Ms. Primeau, who works with young people who may be suicidal or severely depressed, shares a similar point of view. “It’s important to talk about it, but the way that it’s done can make it either disturbing or beneficial. The biggest concern is when there are rumours, as happened last week when it was reported that there were several killers. That can increase the levels of stress and fear among teenagers.”

David Landry, a student in communications and cinema at Dawson Collège, believes it would have been difficult for the media to cover the event perfectly. “I went through it personally, I was in the cafeteria when it happened. The panic was so intense that it would have been hard to cover the event well. It was total chaos. Everyone was panicking and we heard about 50 shots. I would have thought there were two or three shooters, too.”

The positive side

Nonetheless, the media coverage did have some good points, in Ms. Primeau’s opinion. “It’s good to show how the other CEGEPs are dealing with the situation, that’s positive. It shows there is support and it’s reassuring for the students to know that they are understood and that the rhythm of their response to the incident will be respected,” says Ms. Primeau.

Tel-jeunes is a free, confidential youth helpline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to children and teenagers in Quebec. By telephone or on the Internet, youth-services professionals work towards establishing relationships of trust with young people so as to better respond to their questions and provide support.

Web site: http://www.teljeunes.com

Editor’s Note: CEGEP is the acronym for general and vocational colleges in Quebec.

English translation: Christine York

This article is part of a series on the diversity of values and religious beliefs in colleges and universities and is presented with the financial support of:

~	Conference, Oct. 16, 2024. The War Against the Past: Fighting for our History

~	SLAV - Robert Lepage's Reaction

~	Author and Tolerance.ca Editor, Victor Teboul, Ph.D., to speak at the Arab World Festival of Montreal

~	Iran : Hey Ayatollah, Leave those kids alone! and Pink Floyd's remake

~	UN-backed group supports Somali Government’s peace overtures to rivals

~	Cargo vessel captured near Seychelles is commandeered to Somalia

~	U.S. and Oman Navy Rescue Indian Dhow from Somali Pirates - One Sailor Dead

~	Canada. 50% of tax filers participate in a private retirement savings plan

~	Somali Pirates capture second merchant vessel in 24h

~	Canada. 41% of adults have a high cholesterol level