His community group draws in kids with basketball. Then the real work begins

CBC Quebec is highlighting people from the province's Black communities who are giving back, inspiring others and helping to shape our future. These are the 2023 Black Changemakers.

Early in the pandemic, isolated seniors in Montreal's Saint-Léonard borough started getting postcards in the mail. They were notes of encouragement from teenage basketball players who called themselves ambassadeurs du vivre ensemble — ambassadors of togetherness.

For Beverley Jacques, who helped come up with the idea, the postcard campaign was one more way to spark change in the east-end Montreal borough that's home to DOD Basketball, the non-profit agency he's headed for the past two decades, since he was 23 years old.

"I always wanted to make a change in the area that I was living in," he said. "I don't want to use the words 'give back,' but I have to get involved."

The game is still the main draw behind DOD Basketball, whose acronym stands for "do or die" — the name of a well-known basketball drill. Each week, Jacques and his coaches welcome about 200 players between the ages of 8 and 17 to a gym for games or practices.

However, "DOD Basketball doesn't only do basketball," says Jacques.

"It's a tool that we use to get more kids, to attract more kids, not to play basketball, but for the other programs that we have."

The postcard campaign was a natural fit — a way to help knit the community together more tightly, by connecting neighbourhood youth to seniors.

"We're really trying to put our hands on the cultural aspect of the borough," Jacques said.

Beyond basketball

When it first launched, DOD Basketball focused on organizing tournaments. By 2006, children were signing up for basketball lessons and to join teams that regularly competed.

It became the first non-profit group in Quebec to partner with Nike for a youth basketball camp.

Jacques estimates that since the start, about 7,000 players have come through DOD Basketball, some of them now DOD coaches and staff members.

As the organization's reach grew, Jacques said he realized that DOD needed to do more than provide kids with an outlet for their energies.

"If the neighbourhood is not doing good, I could take the [same kid] to the gym for two hours a day, but if he goes back to the same neighbourhood, we're always going to have the same problem," he said.

'Bridges to social activism'

Nancy Rebelo, a history professor at Dawson College who lives in Saint-Léonard and has known Jacques for several years, said he has an innate ability to connect with young people, figure out what they want and advocate for them.

"He's very good at identifying a challenge that we're facing and then putting in place a project that serves to bridge divides or get people to work together," Rebelo said.

"He kind of lures youth in through things that they really like like basketball and music and all of this. And then through that, he creates these bridges to social activism."

Never was that more evident than in early 2021, when Saint-Léonard was rocked by the gunning down of a 15-year-old girl.

Rebelo said Jacques played a major role in providing a safety valve for frightened and tense young people.

"He held tonnes of sessions where youth just showed up and talked about what was going on, what they felt, why they felt it was happening," she said.

"He's a real force in that neighbourhood."

As a result, what started out as a vehicle for organizing youth basketball tournaments has turned into something much bigger.

Jacques says these days, for example, DOD Basketball is working on a program called Évasion, to address the needs of teenagers who are prone to criminal behaviour.

"I got my hands in the dirt trying to do the groundwork," he said. "Twenty years later, we're here."

The Black Changemakers is a special series recognizing individuals who, regardless of background or industry, are driven to create a positive impact in their community. From tackling problems to showing small gestures of kindness on a daily basis, these changemakers are making a difference and inspiring others. Meet all the changemakers here.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.