The program is now available to residents in Manitoba and Nova Scotia
MONTREAL, March 6, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - This year, Shire Canada Inc. ("Shire") is expanding its scholarship program for adults who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and who are pursuing higher education.
Given the popularity of the first edition of the Shire Canada ADHD Scholarship Program in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta last year, Shire has now extended the initiative to Nova Scotia and Manitoba. Each of the five recipients, one per province, will receive financial assistance of $1,500 to cover part of the costs of tuition at a recognized Canadian post-secondary institution. They are also entitled to receive specialized coaching worth $4,400 from the Edge Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide ADHD coaching.
Applications can now be submitted on-line through the program website (http://www.shireadhdscholarship.com) until the deadline of April 15, 2014.
Zac Erickson, 2013 scholarship recipient from Alberta, believes that the coaching component was key in helping him continue his studies. "Since I started my ADHD coaching sessions, I learned how to be more mindful, focused, and purpose-driven in my academic efforts. My ADHD coach has guided me in improving my support system around me as well as my relationships with family and friends. It's truly been a life-changing experience: I have never felt more empowered, confident and motivated."
Last winter, over 300 young adults submitted an application to the Judging Panel in barely a month. "The program was designed to support adults diagnosed with ADHD reach their full academic potential. The coaching component is meant to provide these young adults with tools to help mitigate the daily challenges that come with having ADHD so they can focus better on their studies," explained Eric Tse, General Manager, Shire Canada. "The success of the first edition clearly indicates that the program is meeting a need for the ADHD community."
The winners will be chosen based on personal essays about the impact of ADHD on their lives and what they would like to get out of the ADHD coaching. The essays will be evaluated by an independent Judging Panel of Canadian ADHD experts.
Understanding adult ADHD
Contrary to common belief, ADHD is not exclusive to childhood. Approximately 4.4% of adults worldwide are affected by this condition, which represents 1.5 million Canadians. Studies have shown that two thirds of children with ADHD continue to experience impairment into adulthood.1 "Adults with ADHD can experience greater difficulty in planning, time management and organization. While these impairments impact all areas of their lives, they can severely hamper their progression when confronted with challenges such as pursuing postsecondary education, said Heidi Bernhardt, President and Executive Director of CADDAC and a member of the Judging Panel for the Shire Canada ADHD Scholarship Program. "Supports such as ADHD coaching enables them to learn lifelong strategies that can immediately be implemented to attain their goals."
About the Shire ADHD Scholarship Program
Adult Canadians who would like to enter the 2014 contest for an ADHD scholarship are invited to submit their applications before April 15, 2014. Full program details are available from http://www.shireadhdscholarship.com as well as the possibility to sign up to a newsletter with updates about the program. The name of the five recepients will be announced in summer 2014.
About Shire
Shire enables people with life-altering conditions to lead better lives.
Our strategy is to focus on developing and marketing innovative specialty medicines to meet significant unmet patient needs.
We provide treatments in Neuroscience, Rare Diseases, Gastrointestinal and Internal Medicine and we are developing treatments for symptomatic conditions treated by specialist physicians in other targeted therapeutic areas.
About Shire Canada Inc.
Shire Canada Inc. is a subsidiary of Shire with headquarters located in Montréal (Saint-Laurent), Québec. For more information, please visit www.shirecanada.com.
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1 http://www.caddra.ca/fr/19-public-info/parents/22-parentsmaincontent?showall=1&limitstart=
Image with caption: "Shire (CNW Group/Shire Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140306_C9273_PHOTO_EN_37623.jpg
SOURCE: Shire Canada Inc.
For more information or an interview, please contact:
David Barrett
CASACOM
514-286-2145, ext. 224
[email protected]
Brigitte Viel
Shire Canada Inc.
514-787-5114
[email protected]
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