Green is the symbol of youth and hope, which is why it is used in the school perseverance ribbon, and why schools are celebrating it with Green Thursday.
On Thursday, February 16, go green to show your support for the importance of staying in school. It’s an easy way for everyone to join in.
YOU make it meaningful.
Since 2020, the effects of the pandemic have spared no one, least of all young people, with all the disruptions to their normal school experience.
As a follow-up to last year’s Hooked on School Days, when we took a moment to support students in their perseverance at school, this year, it’s time to express our thanks for all your efforts in such an unprecedented situation. This extra energy was a key component of motivating young people in their desire to learn and in their commitment to educational success. Thanks to your dedication and the initiatives you put in place, you managed to keep them afloat during these tough times. And it is sure to make much more sense when they ultimately reach the end of their journey.
Your actions, words, and advice count for so much. Whether you are a parent, teacher, educator, employer, community worker, school specialist, support worker, or you work in a community organization, thank you for making a young person’s educational experience meaningful
When you praise their efforts and validate their educational and career aspirations, you provide them with a clear direction. By encouraging them to stay motivated and engaged, and by stimulating their feelings of autonomy, accomplishment, and belonging, you help them dream about the future. Because when young people grasp the importance of their educational success, and of the impact it has on both themselves and those around them, they develop a better sense of self-worth and become significantly more motivated to try harder. Because when we guide young people with compassion and help them find a path that suits their aspirations, they naturally become more grounded in their progress and do what it takes to achieve their goals.
By acting as a role model, you are making a meaningful difference in their school experience. And by sticking to their studies, young people themselves have a positive influence on their schoolmates, which also helps it make sense.
We are all connected by the sense of purpose in taking up the cause of school perseverance. And we—as those who try to help it all make sense—wear the green-and-white ribbon to show our commitment to acting on the determinants that affect the choices young people make about their future.
Let’s stay engaged and committed to this collective act of compassion that are Hooked on School Days.
Thank you for being there.
Thank you for making it meaningful.
~ journeesperseverancescolaire.com
A moment. For them.
Young people have not been spared the effects and many challenges of the complex situation brought on by the pandemic. Adapting to new teaching methods, social distancing, and a lack of or changes to extracurricular activities have all played an important role in students’ school perseverance in this turbulent time. This very strange year has been a learning experience for all of Québec’s students.
At the start of the school year, we invited the public to rally around students and be there for them (#tousensemblepoureux). Now, at the halfway point, let’s take “a moment for them” and create some momentum to carry them to the end of the school year. Let’s take the time to highlight and acknowledge their resilience, their widely varying sources of motivation, their ability to adapt, and the sacrifices they have had to make this year. Let’s tell them how proud we are of them and remind them that they have every reason in the world to be proud of themselves.
A moment to celebrate them, to comfort them, to applaud them, to congratulate them, to acknowledge their adaptability, to motivate them. Quite simply, a moment for them.
A surge of motivation
Despite the difficulties and obstacles, many young people are engaging, adapting, and persevering. And while some have had trouble adjusting to this new normal, all have the ability to reach their full potential. There is no magic formula for educational success or any single path to motivation, but qualities such as resiliency, adaptability, and self-confidence all help to promote learning and engagement with school.
Every young person has their own motivations. Some are driven by the pleasure of learning or by the ambition to pursue a desired profession, but for many, success comes through the involvement and quality of their social network.
Together, we have to trust that they will develop their own mechanisms for success, while reminding them that they will be rewarded for their efforts. Today’s youth are going through an unusual situation, but they are learning much from the experience that they can use for the future.
Your actions and words help to kindle our young people’s success; whatever their path or starting point, you have the power to reengage them. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, teacher, community worker, support staff, or employer, Hooked on School Days (HSD/JPS) is an opportunity to come together toward the single goal of creating a collective surge of caring and kindness by sending bright and positive messages to every family in Québec.
A Thousand NO’s is a story about perseverance and innovation. It shows what amazing things can happen if we work with others and don’t give up, and teaches us not to let expectations of how things should be get in the way of what could be.
~ A story by DJ Corchin
Eric Hoffer Award for Best Children’s Book!
A growth mindset story of resilience, grit, and creativity.
How do we work with others to make our ideas better than we ever could have expected? DJ engages participants around creativity and the very real experience of having someone say NO to your idea. Not only does DJ read his book A Thousand NO’s, but also discusses his journey to being an author, how he had to live the lesson of A Thousand NO’s and work with others to change his original idea, and introduces creative exercises to be able to practice idea growing. It promises to be a fun and meaningful 45 min session on growth mindset and the power of wonderment!
DJ Corchin is an author and illustrator of many children’s books. He uses his unique humor and wit to focus on socially conscious messages involving kindness and emotional awareness. Some of his other titles include, Do You Speak Fish?, A Thousand NO’s, Half-Cat, and Mystical Rules For My Magical Daughter. DJ has both illustrated his own stories as well as worked with other talented artists such as award winning-illustrator and writer, Dan Dougherty.
Learners at CDC Vimont have been busy building a Tree of Perseverance. Every day the tree continues to grow! #HookedonSchoolDays #HookedonSchoolDaysVimont #JPS2019
As a part of Hooked on School Days, students participated in this event by writing a few words dedicated to an important person that is an inspiration in their studies. They wrote a message to this person mentioning the reasons for which they are staying in school and why this person is important for them.
A LEARNING EXCHANGE / CDC VIMONT partner project funded by
regroupement lavallois pour la réussite éducative
As part of the TLE and CDC Vimont Healthy Body, Healthy Mind Connection project during Hooked on School Days, 10 CDC Vimont students were awarded Perseverance Certificates and $15 gift cards to Cafe Depot. Congratulations to all!! #HookedonSchoolDays
A LEARNING EXCHANGE / CDC VIMONT partner project funded by
regroupement lavallois pour la réussite éducative
Let’s unite our voices with words of motivation! The YES YOU CAN Words of Motivation Writing Contest #HookedonSchoolDays is meant to help to inspire and motivate learners to persevere and stay in school. What drives you to continue your studies? Did someone motivate you? Did you have to overcome obstacles? What are your personal experiences? What are your words of advice? Tell us your account through a song, a story, poetry…or something of your choice!
SUBMIT AN ORIGINAL PIECE: see FULL WRITING CONTEST DETAILS
DEADLINE to submit: midnight, April 13th, 2018.
OPEN to all learners and students of CDC Vimont and The Learning Exchange.
PRIZES:
INFORMATION & QUESTIONS: Contact The Learning Exchange :
A LEARNING EXCHANGE funded project:
At my high school, as a final evaluation we have to create a unique, personal project. Being a big bookworm, I chose to do it on literacy and how important it is. I noticed how many books I had that were already read and just uselessly gathering dust and thought about how I could find a way to give them a second life while promoting literacy. With a little research, I found out about this great non-profit organization called The Learning Exchange that had the exact same goal of promoting literacy and accepted book donations! I then talked to my school board about it and they let me host a used book drive. For a few days I hung signs and passed messages about my project to my classmates, teachers, friends and family. I was able to collect over 550 books for The Learning Exchange. It made me so happy to see how generous people ended up being and that I could, in fact, make such a precious donation and maybe help some of the TLE students find the passion in reading that I have!” -Taylor Gadoury
