Make Way for YOUth – Coaticook MRC
(Place aux Jeunes de la MRC de Coaticook)
Project Summary, June 2007
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Introduction
Make Way for YOUth (Place aux jeunes de la MRC de Coaticook) aims to inform teens and young adults about career opportunities in the Coaticook MRC, attracting young graduates to establish their careers in the region.
The Coaticook MRC was chosen as the site for this project because this largely rural area is known for its agricultural prosperity, industrial growth and commercial vitality. Opportunities abound for those who seek them out!
Actions
The Make Way for YOUth (MWFY) project in 2006-2007 was carried out by Marie-France Lafaille, MWFY-Desjardins Migration Agent. She worked with partners in the area to:
(1) Establish links with potential employers and inform youth in the area and from elsewhere about employment opportunities in the region
(2) Organize three information weekends for some 15 participants (During these weekends, participants will receive employability and entrepreneurial training, tours of the region, visits with businesspeople, and a mentor to support each participant in launching his or her career.)
(3) Inform these young graduates and others about hidden job openings in the MRC.
(4) Other activities in collaboration with the Forum jeunesse emploi de la MRC de Coaticook.
In 2006-2007, a full 15 young people registered for the exploratory weekends, although weather and other problems prevented some of them from participating in all the sessions. The project enjoyed outstanding support and participation from all the municipalities visited.
Contact. Rachel Garber, Executive Director (dg@townshippers.qc.ca), or Marie-France Lafaille, MWFY-Desjardins Migration Agent (mfl@townshippers.qc.ca), at Townshippers’ Association, 257 Queen St., S. 100, Sherbrooke, QC, J1M 1K7. Tel: 819-566-5717 (toll free 1-866-566-5717).
Supporting Partners
Make Way for YOUth - Coaticook is principally supported by the Place aux Jeunes du Québec, whose mission is to address the problem of out-migration among youth from rural regions throughout Quebec. Place aux Jeunes du Québec receives funding from the Secrétariat à la jeunesse of the Government of Quebec, within the context of the Stratégie d’action jeunesse 2006-2009, and the Mouvement Desjardins.
Background
In 2006, Townshippers’ Association, Carrefour jeunesse-emploi des Cantons-de-l'Est and the Eastern Townships CEDEC, initiated the Coaticook MRC project as the first step towards a larger Make Way for YOUth – Eastern Townships. The aim of this regional project is to encourage the participation of English-speaking young people in initiatives combating out-migration in various MRCs in the Eastern Townships. We anticipate that this Townships-wide initiative will help attract bilingual English-speaking participants to the exploratory weekends in the Coaticook MRC, although the majority of the participants will be French-speaking.
Local organizations and businesses, particularly the Carrefour jeunesse-emploi de la MRC de Coaticook and the CLD de la MRC de Coaticook, have also supported this project through in-kind or financial contributions. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our supporting partners:
Carrefour Jeunesse-emploi de la MRC de Coaticook
Centre local de développement MRC de Coaticook
Ville de Coaticook
MRC de Coaticook
Société d'aide au développement de la collectivité de la région de Coaticook
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