Project helps young people make their career choice

In the presence of the Minister of Governmental Services Henri-François Gautrin and l’Acadie Member of the National Assembly Yvan Bordeleau, Quebec Minister of Education Jean-Marc Fournier announced, at a press conference on January 12, a subsidy of $2.7 million for the Academos Project, managed by the Bois-de-Boulogne Éducentre Corporation.

"It is a new means of sharing our knowledge,” said Fournier. “Family cannot always meet the needs, because the choice of careers are numerous and parents do not necessarily know the fields of interest of their children."

Gautrin, called the initiative rewarding for young people. "You are a pioneer, we salute your work and want it to go further," he said to the creators of the project, who were present.

Bordeleau is proud that the project originated in the district of l’Acadie. "We must share our good practices," he said, emphasizing the national and international implications for Academos.

With its Academos Project, the Bois-de-Boulogne Éducentre Corporation has offered since 1999 a free electronic mentoring service which makes it possible for young people age 14 to 30 to connect by Internet with active and qualified workers in several professional fields.

At the beginning, the service was offered only to students at Bois-de-Boulogne College. "Slowly, we expanded our horizons and now, we announce a plan for all Quebec secondary schools,” explained Jacques Bouchard, responsible for communications at Academos. “In the three next years, our energies will be concentrated on the second cycle of high schools."

The financial assistance will allow, among others, to put in place teaching support in all Quebec high schools and to translate the Internet site so that the cyber-mentoring service is offered in French and English.

For two years, the pilot project "Academos at School", whose success encouraged the government to support the initiative, has been in place at Dauversière School in Bordeaux-Cartierville and in some 20 other schools in Quebec.

It is within his French course that Saloua Lamtamri, a grade 11 student at Dauversière School, started with cyber-mentoring. "My correspondence with two psychologists enabled me to learn more about this work,” he said. “I obtained answers to all my questions related to this occupation and this confirmed my career choice.”

The financial support is offered within the framework of the Youth Action Strategy 2006-2009 from the Government of Quebec.