Press Release
For immediate release
Lachine, January 15, 2016—Beginning January 16, students in Collège Sainte-Anne’s DéfiMonde program will travel to the four corners of the globe for a life experience like no other. For periods ranging from two to four weeks, 37 of them will take part in cultural, humanitarian, environmental, scientific and artistic projects in countries such as Japan, Ecuador and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In Benin, children come first!
Deeply moved by the situation in the Sô-Ava community in Benin, students will work for a month to build a recreation centre in collaboration with youths from the village. We know that we are lucky to have been born in a country where quality of life is at its best. Not all young people in the world are so lucky. In 2014, a group of students built a library in this community of 100,000 inhabitants. They want to continue to collaborate with this community to create a place where youths who can’t go to school can learn through play and also meet up, talk and have fun,” explained Manon Thivierge, teacher in charge of the secondary 5 DéfiMonde group.
Working for the planet
Another team will travel to Ecuador to carry out an ecological project on a self-sufficient organic farm. Once on site, students will learn about different methods of composting, planting, weeding, pest control, and so on. They will also have the opportunity to perform manual labour related to harvesting, irrigation and feeding livestock. Two teams will work in centres for animals in distress, one in Costa Rica and one in Ecuador.
Varied interests: from immigration to social medicine
Other students will travel to Saltillo, Mexico, to compare Québec and Mexican living conditions. They will look to understand, among other things, why some choose to immigrate to Canada and how they are integrated into Québec society. Another group, “Le club des quatre,” will travel to Japan to examine Otaku culture and youths’ attraction to mangas and the surrounding cultural industry.
Sainte-Anne students will also travel to the Dominican Republic to help build a school that will host Haitian refugees while others will fly to Los Angeles and Nairobi (Kenya) to compare these different cultures with that of Montréal. One team will be trained on children’s dental hygiene in Costa Rica. Lastly, one group will remain in Montréal to learn about social medicine with the teams of Dr. Gilles Julien in Côte-des-Neiges and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Each team will be accompanied by diverse parenting authority.
“This experience enables students to expand their world awareness and be involved in a far-reaching project that improves a community’s well-being. We hope that these trips will not only help them become more conscious of world issues, but also instill in them the desire to be engaged citizens,” said Julie Dubois, program director.
To help them prepare, students in the Défi Monde program completed language (English, Spanish and Mandarin), communication and leadership courses. They also received training on documentary production since they will be filming their stay. In May, the documentaries will be shown during the Soirée DocuMentaires DéfiMonde evening.
About Collège Sainte-Anne
Founded in 1861 by the Sisters of Sainte-Anne and proud of its roots, Collège Sainte-Anne is recognized for its boldness and innovation. Among the first schools to adopt the technological shift and introduce the e-classroom, the institution offers exclusive programs so that all students can pursue their passion. Known for its international component, the Collège has also been building ties with partner schools on the five continents since 2007. Sainte-Anne now includes three levels of instruction, from preschool to Cegep.
To learn more about Collège Sainte-Anne: sainte-anne.ca
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Source: Collège Sainte-Anne
Information: Diane Jeannotte/Diep Truong
514-772-8019/514-436-2121
dianej@djcom.ca / diep@exergue.ca
