Launched in 2015, École des Grands offers free homework help sessions to young primary school students from underprivileged backgrounds in Quebec. Every Saturday, breakfast and transport included, college mentors accompany them in their academic journey. It is with pride that about fifty children from Saint-Bernardin primary school in Saint-Michel received a diploma on Saturday recognizing their academic perseverance at mid-year.
The ceremony, at the Collège de Rosemont, in Montreal, was attended by mentors, parents, coordinators and some fifty proud young graduates. Certificates were given to them to highlight their commitment and academic success, as the Christmas holidays are fast approaching.
“These are all children who need support with homework, and here, they are not stigmatized, underlines Julie Langlois, mother of a little girl, at the graduation ceremony. This award ceremony makes them proud. It helps them for perseverance and improvement. »
Young primary school students are paired with volunteer college students who support them in their learning of French, mathematics and science. They meet once a week in a class at a partner CEGEP to complete homework and carry out laboratory activities.
“As a single mother, sometimes you don’t have time on weeknights to do homework,” says Julie Langlois.
Patricia Santiago, mother of a second-grade student, also recognizes the benefits of the program. “I don’t speak French very well, so it’s good to have someone help her to pronounce the sounds and vowels correctly. So I don’t feel any pressure to teach him,” she says.
Pay it forward
The main mission of the École des Grands is to contribute to equal opportunities by accompanying and supporting vulnerable young students.
“The community, the family and the school can generate risk factors for a student, but they can also generate protective factors. If we put protective factors around this student, he develops academic resilience and educational success,” explains Alisha Wissanji, founder of the École des Grands.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Alisha Wissanji, founder of the École des Grands, presents the diplomas to the young students of the Saint-Bernardin school in the Saint-Michel district.
Primary schools are selected according to their “socio-economic background index” (IMSE), calculated by the Ministry of Education, which notably takes into account the under-education of the mother and the inactivity of the parents, two significant factors in young people dropping out of school.
Students eligible for the program come from the most disadvantaged elementary schools in Quebec. The young people are chosen by the teachers of their school, who target those who show a lack of interest and difficulties in school.
Mentors in college studies, trained to support these young students in their academic process, thus try to “build a bond of trust” to accompany them, explains Étienne Dauphin, project manager at Rosemont College, where he also teaches mathematics.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Étienne Dauphin, professor of mathematics at Rosemont College, where he is also project manager for the École des Grands
They become a positive example for young children and an example of academic success.
Etienne Dauphin
Mia Santerre, student in psychosocial intervention and mentor for over a year, has been following a young student for several months now. “Before, it took almost all the activity, doing a homework. Today, she sat down next to me and she did her English homework without asking me any questions,” says the CEGEP student. “Just the fact of being seated by their side reassures them a lot,” she adds.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Mia Santerre, student in psychosocial intervention and mentor at the École des Grands
Exactly 13.5% of secondary school students dropped out of school before graduating, in the 2019-2020 school year, says the Ministry of Education; among students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the rate was 19.7%.
We work with the most disadvantaged schools in Quebec. We often have parents who have three jobs, including the evening shift. They cannot help the children at home with their homework. This is where we come to lend a little helping hand.
Alisha Wissanji
It was after having helped with homework herself for several years with young Afghan refugees in Granby that she discovered a vocation in supporting academic success for all.
The École des Grands, which closely monitors the success rate of their participants, observes a marked improvement in these young students, compared to their classmates, notes Alisha Wissanji. According to several studies conducted by the team, the program is equally beneficial for college mentors, who develop more academic motivation and skills, she adds.
This fall, the program was offered in six CEGEPs in Montreal, Laval, Mont-Laurier and Trois-Rivières, for students in 11 elementary schools in Quebec. They were more than 400 college students and students to have benefited from the project this session.
Headed by the W Foundation, created by Alisha Wissanji, the École des Grands is financed by donations from the community and corporate funds. The program will also expand in the coming year, while two centers and three additional primary schools will be added in February. Some six administrative regions of Quebec will be served as of September 2023.