WELLINGTON – May 4, 2020 – The first edition of its youth leadership program “Faut que grouille!” (FQCG) was so successful that RDÉE Prince Edward Island has decided to offer it a second time. It is therefore looking for 30 young Island Francophones, aged 15 to 30, to participate in the program, free of charge, in the coming year. Registration deadline is June 1st.

During the first edition of this citizen engagement program (which ran from April 2019 to May 2020), 22 young people from across the province participated in a series of workshops, training sessions, games, visits and recreational activities to develop their leadership skills and self-confidence. Guest speakers included such well-known people as Brian Gallant (former premier of New Brunswick), Rémi Boudreau (New Brunswick illusionist and magician) and Tyler Hayden (Nova Scotian motivational speaker).

The goal was to equip young people so that they could each develop a community project and become involved in the next generation of community volunteers. All the planned training was completed and some of their projects were started, but the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the implementation of many of the other projects.

In the coming months, the participants will complete their projects, which are related to fields such as sports, physical activity, physical and mental health, nutrition, education, early childhood, LBGTQ awareness, promotion of postsecondary education, dance, music and promotion of the French language.

SECOND EDITION

The second edition of the FQCG program will include the elements of the first edition that were the most successful, as well as relevant new activities. Of course, themes such as leadership, citizen participation, the operation of a board of directors and financial management will be addressed.

New participants can also expect to discover the advantages, benefits and rewards of volunteering, to develop new skills, to become more “employable” and to be able to add this great experience to their resumes. They will also have the opportunity to participate in “Insights Discovery” sessions to get to know themselves better.

Weekend workshops will continue to be held in communities across the province and will feature motivational speakers and interesting guests. Accommodation, meals and transportation will be paid for, even for those attending postsecondary institutions outside the province. Please note that organizers will be following public recommendations to protect participants during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Examples: virtual sessions, social distancing, etc.)

Any questions about the program can be addressed to project coordinator Gilles Arsenault at gilles@rdeeipe.org. Those interested in participating can also email him to register.

The “Faut que ça grouille!” initiative is funded by the Government of Canada through the Canada Service Corps.

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PHOTO: Speaker Brian Gallant, second from left, impressed the participants of the “Faut que ça grouille!” program on November 9 when he told them how his volunteer experiences helped him become premier of New Brunswick at the age of 32. He is seen with three of the participants of the first edition of the program, from left, Dakota Cameron, Adrien Buote and Robyn Gallant.

 

 

For more information, please contact

Stéphane Blanchard
Youth Development Officer
RDÉE Prince Edward Island
(902) 388-8460
stephane@rdeeipe.org