Virginie Gargano

Giving a Taste for Adventure to Out-of-the-Mainstream Youth

Virginie Gargano, who has a bachelor’s degree in outdoor activities and adventure tourism and is currently studying for a master’s in social work at UQAC, defines her life as one of action and a quest for knowledge. She soon came to realise that her dynamism and leadership could make a difference for the clientele she cherishes, that is to say out of the mainstream youth. “In 2007, in a world where performance is becoming the key to success, it is essential to find new avenues so that everyone can express their personal strengths,” she declared enthusiastically.

This accomplished athlete, who has participated in the Lac St-Jean crossing as well as numerous other national and international competitions, quickly developed a true passion for adventure. And it was while taking part in adventure expeditions as a volunteer guide that she was won over by the attitude, motivation and great potential of young people.

“Having seen her at work in this context, I can testify to the passion that motivates her,” said Christiane Bergeron-Leclerc, a professor at UQAC. “Thanks to her altruistic qualities, her energy and her vitality, and also because she is an athlete of international calibre, she is without a doubt an extremely positive role model for the young people she accompanies on these expeditions.”

Participating in a number of volunteer activities for young people with intellectual disabilities, behaviour disorders or drug abuse problems, Virginie even took her commitment one step further by co-founding the INAQ (Intervention nature aventure Québec) cooperative in 2005.

“Thanks to a real desire to create an efficient structure and put into place all the elements necessary to make the approach accessible and concrete, we now lead the way in intervention through nature and adventure in Québec,” pointed out Virginie.

Virginie’s desire has been to combine her experience as a professional expedition guide and outdoor activities teacher in order to become an ambassador of hope for young people and she has made therapeutic adventure the subject of her thesis. She is thus the first woman from Québec to study the concept of adventure from the standpoint of social work. Her time spent aboard the Amundsen icebreaker as part of a study on the health of the Inuit people made her realise that scientific research can indeed have a direct impact on communities.

“Because she is such an amiable and dynamic person with a definite gift for research in social work, I am certain that Virginie Gargano will soon be a leader in the field of therapeutic adventure in Québec,” said André-François Bourbeau, a professor at UQAC.

Virginie aims for nothing less than excellence in all the projects she undertakes. She is determined to see all her projects through to the end and puts her heart and soul into passing on to young people a taste for adventure, for surpassing themselves and, more importantly, the desire to believe in their dreams. “I want to take on a role that will help young people become actors in our society instead of mere spectators. In order to do this, I believe that I can use adventure as a means of helping them develop their identity,” she concluded.

Virginie Gargano