Supporting Programs that Engage Children and Youth

Partnership Promotes Leadership, Citizenship and Social Justice in Schools

More than 800 students from throughout the province were at Holy Heart Theatre in St. John’s today, and thousands more were watching via webcast at their schools, as the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education, joined the internationally known charity and education partner, Free The Children, to launch its 10-week, 90-stop We Create Change Tour. The cross-country journey will feature visits to Canadian school communities to talk about being part of positive, global change – with a particular focus on plans to build schools and improve access to education in developing countries around the world.

“We often forget how fortunate we are to live in a country, and a province, which provides educational opportunities that many children can only dream about. Programs like We Create Change play an important role in helping enhance the existing character and citizenship education programming in our schools, and encourage the development of personal qualities such as leadership, responsibility, fairness, and empathy. The Provincial Government is pleased to support the launch of the We Create Change Tour, arranging travel for students to attend this event, and to have this important message transmitted directly to our students and schools.”
- The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education

Minister Jackman also took the opportunity to announce a new partnership between Free The Children and the Provincial Government, which will see We Act, a year-long service learning program, offered at schools throughout the province. We Act supports the ideals of the province’s Safe and Caring Schools initiative, and complements government efforts to establish caring school communities. As part of We Act, schools commit to taking action on at least one local and one global initiative of their choice during the school year. An official launch of the Newfoundland and Labrador We Act initiative will be held at a later date.

“Students and educators in this province have a strong commitment to their communities and are passionate about making a difference for their family, friends and neighbours. But they are also dedicated to helping the less fortunate of the world. We are pleased to be partnering with Free The Children’s We Act program, to inspire our students to take that dedication even further by joining a community of like-minded youth across Canada. I know our schools will make a tremendous contribution to the province, the country, and the world through We Act, and I took forward to seeing them in action.”
- Minister Jackman

The We Act program supports students and teachers with educational resources, student-led campaigns and planning materials, providing tangible steps to take action on the local and global issues young people care most about. The program enhances a school’s existing social justice initiatives and is often used to spark new opportunities for community service.

“We hope to help students in Newfoundland and Labrador take action on the causes they care about and become part of a global movement of young change-makers. Whether it’s helping a neighbour down the street, or opening the doors to education for a child halfway around the world, we know students here want to make a difference. That’s why we are thrilled to kick-off our We Create Change Tour in St. John’s, and take this opportunity to celebrate the generosity, and spirit of volunteerism that resonates throughout the province.”
- Marc Kielburger, Co-founder, Free The Children

For more information on Free The Children, the We Create Change Tour, and the We Act program, visit: //www.freethechildren.com/.

QUICK FACTS

• The We Create Change Tour, led by Free The Children, an international charity and education partner, has launched a 10-week, 90-stop, cross-Canada tour of school communities from St. John’s.
• The Provincial Government brought more than 800 young people from throughout the province to the event, and also took the opportunity to announce that it is partnering with Free The Children to offer the We Act program to schools in the province.
• We Act is a year-long educational program that empowers young people to discover the local and global causes they care about and to take action to make a difference.
• Since 2007, youth involved in We Act initiatives around the world have logged 9.6 million volunteer hours and raised $37 million for over 1,000 local and global causes.

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2014 04 11                                   11:40 a.m.