Paniers de Noël nouveau genre
École secondaire de Saint-Paul

“Thank you for the happiness you have brought to the faces of my children… for the example young people like you set for others and for the hope that your actions have brought!” These simple words, brimming with gratitude, bear witness to the tremendous impact the students at Saint-Paul high school made when they set up their “A new kind of Christmas hamper” project. These young people literally took on the role of Santa Claus and, thanks to their commitment, enabled six families - and more importantly their children - to spend an unforgettable Christmas.

The beginning of the “A new kind of Christmas hamper” adventure dates back to last fall. Taking advantage of an autonomy and social participation class in order to get involved in their community, fifteen or so Secondary 1 and 2 students, with the support of their teacher, came up with the idea of raising money by making and selling Christmas items. And keeping the money for themselves was simply out of the question. All the money raised would be used to buy Christmas presents for underprivileged children in their area.

“The project has heightened awareness among students of the importance of generosity and self-sacrifice through the dedication of one’s time and energy. And despite the fact that some of them could easily have been among the target clientele for these Christmas hampers, they never once thought of themselves and got wholeheartedly involved so as to offer children a wonderful Christmas,” recounts Catherine Couture, the teacher in charge of the project.

Thanks to the sale of more than 200 meat pies, 120 Christmas cards and nearly 70 tree ornaments, all made by hand by the students themselves, they raised $1,200, almost triple their initial objective of $450. Fourteen children thus received pyjamas and various other presents chosen according to their age and sex, such as doll strollers, trucks, handicraft kits, makeup kits and so forth. Moreover, each family was given a Crayola bag full of crafts and drawing materials. “It wasn’t always easy, but we saw it through to the end and we are very proud,” points out participant Marc-Antoine Gravel.

“You should have seen them wrapping all the presents and overseeing everything so as to make sure that every child received the right presents. The project has enabled them to develop their autonomy, leadership and organizational skills. But, above all, it has served as a source of motivation in the pursuit of their studies,” the teacher adds.

Mrs. Couture admits that the project would never have taken on such proportions had it not been for the participation of the Côte-du-Sud school board and its program for promoting vocational training. With the help of the Envolée vocational training centre, participating students were able to learn the rudiments of institutional cooking and it even gave some of them the desire to specialise in this field. “We were given access to their installations and this made our work a whole lot easier. What’s more, we weren’t billed for anything so all the profits from the sale of our products went directly to the families,” the teacher affirms, adding that certain local supermarkets also played a part in the project.

And the adventure doesn’t stop there! The students enjoyed their experience so much that they suggested of their own accord that another similar project be set up before the end of the school year. In keeping with the initial aim of helping in their community, this time the students chose to lend a hand to Opération Enfant Soleil. To do so, they will sell their own homemade chocolate-chip cookie dough during an activity they have christened “Cookies for Life” and the group’s goal is to raise $1,500 that will be donated during the upcoming telethon on May 30 and 31.

“I am so proud of them and the charitable gesture they have made. The fact that they are already planning to do more for another cause is proof that the “A new kind of Christmas hamper” project has had a positive impact, not only for the families they helped but above all on the development of these young people,” concludes Catherine Couture.

Paniers de Noël nouveau genre
École secondaire de Saint-Paul