Municipalities play an important role in educational perseverance and success. The leveraging power of municipalities and their elected officials is crucial.
Municipalities, a plus for educational success
Of primary importance is their role in building and managing quality infrastructure where young people can enjoy a favourable learning environment. They also need to:
• Put the educational success of young people at the centre of their priorities and effectively raise their awareness
• Fund local educational perseverance initiatives
• Target actual issues
• Enumerate and respond to needs
• Promote healthy living habits
• Ensure effective networking among families, schools and communities
• Act to alleviate the effects of poverty and support vulnerable individuals
• Promote school/work balance in their communities
• Act as a source of motivation for youth by interacting with them directly in supportive settings
This list is not exhaustive; there are other small and larger initiatives that address the social issues of educational perseverance and success, and a great deal of effort goes into them every day.
When it’s time to celebrate
All the above-mentioned actions should be carried out during the year and, even better, included in public policies that are voted on and implemented. The economic importance of the success of our young people is no longer in question, as confirmed by many studies, including the one carried out by Partenaires pour la réussite éducative en Chaudière-Appalaches (PDF).
So when our young people reach the end of their studies (elementary, secondary, CEGEP, university, vocational and general adult education), we need to celebrate their success and show our pride by publicly congratulating them.
This is the raison d’être of Graduates Day: to honour and celebrate young people who are graduating and those who are completing a program. How? By mobilizing Quebecers with simple but striking actions that highlight the importance of educational success and perseverance.
Graduates Day in Municipalities
This year, we are inviting municipalities to take simple actions that will visually and publicly demonstrate that we are all proud of our graduates (e.g., congratulatory and encouraging messages on digital signs, official words of encouragement from elected municipal officials, messages on social media; award certificates of recognition to graduates, etc.)
The idea is to establish a public celebration for young people so that they feel valued in their educational path and encouraged in their studies. At the end of the line, we’re all winners!
