Centraide: About 11,000 elementary school students participate in the Caring for Others School Project

MONTREAL, May 17 - The Caring for Others School Project, an activity organized by the 18 Centraides of Quebec to awaken children to the importance of volunteering and community service, took place this morning at 232 schools throughout Quebec. About 11,000 students were visited by representatives of Centraide supported community agencies who explained to them why it is so important to get involved in your community, and to show that you care about your fellow citizens.

The Caring for Others School Project has two components. First, a preparatory phase during which students complete a workbook in class with their teacher. This workbook contains exercises and games designed to introduce the students to the concepts of caring and volunteering, to encourage them to help others, and to show them how to identify and meet the needs of people in their own community. Second, the Caring for Others event per se, during which volunteers and staffers from local community agencies come and speak to the students in order to put a face on the concepts which they learned in class, and to inform them about opportunities for volunteering in their neighbourhood.

“To nurture the tradition of volunteering and community service, it is essential to establish a dialogue between the adults in the community movement and the young citizens of tomorrow,” explained Louis Dubé, president of the Assembly of Quebec Centraides. “One of the functions of Centraide and the agencies it supports is to promote volunteering by awakening children to the value of social responsibility. The Caring for Others School Project enables children to find out what role they can play today in our society, and all they can do to improve the wellbeing of those around them.”

“For the past six years, the Centraides of Quebec have been organizing this annual awareness activity to promote the values of caring and sharing that underlie their mission,” said Shirlane Day, United Way/Centraide’s vice- president for Quebec. “By communicating to children the notion that giving is a very enriching human experience, we are building the civil society of tomorrow.”

The Caring for Others School Project is an initiative of the 18 Centraides of Quebec. Since its inception in 2000, this awareness activity has reached about 81,000 grade four students in every region of the province.

Centraide thanks the CNW Telbec press agency for its support.

Contact Information

Marine Groulx

Media Contact

Centraide of Greater Montreal

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