Activist, Victor Beausoleil gives life lessons for black people

Between the age of 24, when he co-founded the Redemption Reintegration Services and now that he has co-founded Social Economy Through Social Inclusion (SETSI), Victor Beausoleil has garnered a wealth of experience about the dynamics of the Canadian society.

In a recent interview where he talked about a variety of issues, the African Canadian disclosed his motivation for his pursuit of youth justice and equity for communities.

“Many of my friends at an early age died due to gun violence in Toronto. Many of my friends were also incarcerated due to poverty, systemic oppression, absent fathers, criminalisation, and school-to-prison pipeline in the under-served and marginalised communities in Ontario,” he narrated.

“I wanted to make a difference,” Beausoleil continued, “decrease recidivism and generally save lives through mentorship, capacity building, eldership and intergenerational collaboration and meaningful opportunity provision.”

Speaking with the benefit of his experiences as a social entrepreneur, Victor Beausoleil opined that inequality has a corrosive effect on contemporary society.

He said: “The consequences of inequality are fragile economies, societal unrest and lost generations of future leaders. Those on the margins and the periphery of the economy require practical frameworks to advance, which benefits the entire planet.”

Extractive economic models, he declared, creates inequality and “this must come to an end.”

Victor Beausoleil, board director of Toronto Community Benefits Network and Board President of Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDnet), further revealed some of the big lessons life has taught him.

“Keep your circle small and the walls tall; it is good spiritual hygiene to not give any and everyone access to you.”

“Lastly, a family is the greatest investment you can make―there are no risks, only rewards and the investment in children pays dividends every day for life.”