An inspiring initiative gets off the ground with help from Desjardins Foundation Prizes

Individuals who work in schools and local organizations are always trying to come up with new and motivating experiences for the young people they see every day. Desjardins Foundation Prizes help educators bring inspiring initiatives to light with up to $3,000 in financial support to get their project off the ground and give young students a chance to learn new skills. 

Initiatives usually provide local youth with opportunities for learning, discovery and making memories, whether that’s in the kitchen, in the garden, on school field trips or through activities that involve launching a microbusiness. One initiative that particularly stood out this year: Un pas vers toi, created by Stéphanie Bélanger from École Saint-Claude in Quebec City. Stéphanie is a remial therapist who works with young people in grades one to three. She loves coming up with new activities to help students learn in a fun and engaging way. Her desire to motivate young people and help them believe in their French language skills inspired this project, because reading and writing are a key aspect of learning about other topics and developing socially.  

“I work with students with learning difficulties, and school can be a real challenge for them. My goal is to provide them with writing strategies that hold their attention. This inspired me to come up with a fun project for them to do each year. Unfortunately, routine funding cuts have created challenges that have made implementing my ideas more difficult.” 

Stéphanie had been thinking of setting up an intergenerational project for years. She noticed how invested grandparents tend to be in the lives of their grandchildren, and saw an opportunity to invite her students to pay it forward by letting their grandparents know how much they care about them. So she asked her students to write a letter to one of their grandparents, asking them to describe a childhood memory. The grandparents wrote back, asking their grandchildren to describe a cherished memory of their own. Through this activity, the children got to work on their reading and writing skills while learning something new about their grandparents. She concluded the project by displaying framed copies of their letters, accompanied by photos of the students and their grandparents in their youth, in the school lobby. It was a wonderful opportunity to share beautiful memories and have meaningful conversations.

The financial aid she received allowed Stéphanie to make her project a reality. She used her Desjardins Foundation Prize money to buy the paper and stamps needed to send the letters, and to create a special keepsake album for each child and each grandparent. This support also helped create the display and organize a celebration where students could share the project with their parents and grandparents. “Desjardins Foundation Prizes give us a way to fulfill our ambitions. The program makes me feel that I have the support of a true partner who cares about helping me spin my ideas into meaningful projects that will make the classroom feel more magical.”  

This particular initiative didn’t just affect the kids in Stéphanie’s class. “The project touched a lot of people. Obviously, we had the kids and grandparents who wrote the letters, but school staff members and other students heard about the project as well. A lot of people came up to me to express their interest and tell me how moving they thought the initiative was. Kids in other classes were also inspired by the grit and determination my students showed. It made them realize that they can surpass themselves too,” Stéphanie says. 

Stéphanie’s most heartfelt moment was seeing the pride in her students’ eyes at the end of the project. She explained the many challenges they face each day and how difficult school can be for them. By creating opportunities for them to take pride in their schoolwork and make them feel special, kids learn that they can achieve big things—as long as they don’t give up. 

Are you a teacher who’s interested in receiving financial assistance to fund an initiative at your school? Tell us about your project! The application period runs from October 1 to 31 every year. Visit our website for more details.