The Leaders in Environmental Action Program encourages youth to move from rhetoric and theory to action and concrete results.
It’s time for some good news on the local environmental front.
It’s a small grassroots paying-it-forward initiative: a recently launched program aimed at West Island youth has been deemed by supporters in the community as a fantastic asset that offers students a chance to make a difference in their living environments.
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Considering the spring floods that soaked parts of the West Island in 2017 and 2019, devastating post-tropical storm Fiona striking Eastern Canada on Saturday and efforts to protect monarch butterfly fields near Trudeau airport in Dorval, environmental and climate change concerns seem to be more and more on the minds of today’s youth.
To support local green initiatives, the Carrefour jeunesse-emploi de l’Ouest-de-l’Île has launched a guidance program that offers micro-grants of up to $1,000 for youth-led projects in need of financial assistance. The Leaders in Environmental Action Program, or LEAP, is targeted at teenagers either through their high school or a community organization, said project manager Sam Asmar, who also handles entrepreneurship and volunteer initiatives at the Carrefour.
“We already help schools with projects that students want to launch. We’ve already given for different projects that aren’t necessarily environmental,” he said. “But more and more over the years, we find a lot of (our) budget has been going toward environmental projects. There’s a big interest. A lot of students want to do something. They learn about it in classes they take and see a lot about in the news as well.”
This new program is specific to the environment, with a focus on improving local waterways, promoting recycling initiatives and fostering environmental innovation.
“It’s an opportunity. We’ll help them do it, provide development support and even financial support,” Asmar said.
“It’s a spark,” he added. “Our goal is to inspire and to … provide the resources to make it happen.”
The program will help youth move from rhetoric or theory to action and concrete results, Asmar said.
Strategic support can be offered online or in person at schools.
The RBC Foundation and GM Canada are sponsors for the program, which aims to assist about seven school projects and three more at community organizations in its first year — and then hopefully foster more interest.
“The idea here is to create a model that other organizations or companies will be interested in financing in the future. So we can offer (support) to more schools and community organizations,” Asmar said.
Aside from helping students realize projects, the LEAP program should also instil instincts in them to think outside the box to find solutions, work within a group, raise community spirit and raise awareness of green issues.
The Carrefour jeunesse-emploi de l’Ouest-de-l’Île, located at 52 Hymus Blvd. in Pointe-Claire, supports people aged 16 to 35 in their job search, a return to school or social re-integration by offering free, bilingual services and programs as well as hosting job fairs. For more information, email info@cjeouestile.qc.ca, call 514-782-0433 or visit www.cjeouestile.qc.ca.
Albert Kramberger is editor of the Montreal Gazette’s West Island/Off-Island section.
akramberger@postmedia.com
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