United against bullying and violence in schools - Historical announcement for our youth

MONTREAL, Sept. 23, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Fondation Jasmin Roy, a charitable organization which seeks to fight bullying, discrimination and violence towards children in elementary and secondary schools, is proud to announce an historic gathering with key partners who will all speak in one united voice on a subject that many hold close to their heart: the education of children in a safe and healthy environment.

In the past two years, the Fondation Jasmin Roy has been present on all available media platforms to discuss the importance of ensuring that Quebec schools receive the necessary resources to intervene adequately when bullying and violence occur. "The first year of our pilot project consisted of providing financial support to four participating schools, which allowed them to have an on-site resource person at least one day a week to work on the schools' cases of bullying and violence. This first phase delivered results that went above and beyond our expectations. And so, it is with confidence that we launch this second year of our project, with twelve elementary and secondary schools, located in various regions of the Quebec province", stated Jasmin Roy, President of the foundation that carries his name.

The Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), one of the first partners of the Fondation Jasmin Roy in this project, had the responsibility of assessing the first year of the initiative.  The expertise of the CSQ has been critical in evaluating and analyzing the results from the pilot phase. "We committed to this project because we have long advocated the idea that there must be one person in every school who oversees violence issues. For this project to have an impact, we insisted on a thorough follow-up and an assessment of the results", mentioned Louise Chabot, CSQ President.

With the desire to reach a greater number of schools across Quebec, including English schools, the Fondation Jasmin Roy relied its precious collaboration of OMETZ, a not-for-profit human services agency which supports and strengthens individuals and families by offering a range of employment, immigration, school and social services. "We are pleased to be able to lend our expertise to such an important cause with such a dynamic group of professionals. We look forward to working together for the benefit of Quebec students, their families and their communities", said Barbara Victor, Clinical Director at OMETZ.

The growing presence of the Fondation Jasmin Roy's activities is also made possible by the financial support of the Consulate General of the United States in Montreal. The Consulate will contribute to the launch of a tool-kit which is being created in collaboration with the CSQ and OMETZ, to help French and English schools deal with bullying and violence. This financial assistance will allow the tool-kit to benefit from the expertise and input of American specialists, including those who worked on the creation of the movie "Bully" which was released last spring and will soon be available on DVD in Quebec. "We must do everything we can to work together towards the day when no young person or family suffers the pain, agony, and loss caused by bulling in our schools and communities in North America", according to Caitlin Bergin, Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Montreal.

These stellar partners have united their efforts towards a common goal, and wish to send a clear message of hope to all students: it is possible to make our schools a safe and peaceful environment to learn and grow. The Fondation Jasmin Roy seeks to continue spreading this message throughout the school year, and to offer schools the necessary resources and the tools to carry on their tireless efforts with children from across Quebec.

SOURCE: Fondation Jasmin Roy

Élodie Lefebvre
Press Relation
Fondation Jasmin Roy
Office: [phone]  Cellular : [phone]

Marjolaine Perreault
Press Relation Agent
Centrale des syndicats du Québec
[phone]
[email protected] 

Mahalia Verna
Manager, Marketing & Communications
OMETZ
[phone], local 3468
 [email protected]