Date : 17 june 2008
News : Francophone Students Trained to Protect the Environment Thanks to a $90,000 OTF Grant

Toronto – Éco Ambassadeurs, a group sponsored by Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité de l’Ontario (RDÉE Ontario), received a $90,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, today announced Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education and MPP for Don Valley West. OTF representative Raymond Fredette, Jean-Luc Bernard, CSDCSO Director of Education, and Yves Desrochers, Principal of École secondaire Étienne-Brûlé, joined the Minister in congratulating both organizations.

“This program will provide students with more opportunities to learn about the environment and how they can make environmentally friendly choices in their everyday lives," said Minister Wynne. “I congratulate Éco Ambassadeurs and RDÉE Ontario for this initiative.”

The two-year grant will be used for a pilot project on protecting the environment. Volunteer leaders will be trained as eco-ambassadors to create activities and workshops for Francophone students in Toronto’s elementary and secondary schools.

“Our goal is to build the skills and capacity of elementary and secondary students and guide them from environmental awareness to environmental leadership,” said Yves Francis Danteu, Executive Director for Éco Ambassadeurs. “Our activities are inspired from the recommendations made by the Ministry of Education on the subject of the environment.”

“RDÉE Ontario is proud to sponsor this initiative that will most definitely contribute to a better quality of life for our youth, ourselves and future generations,” said Nicole Sauvé, RDÉE Ontario Executive Director. “We are thankful for the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s commitment to the environment, which we all depend on.”

Eco Ambassadeurs is a Greater Toronto environmental organization working to raise awareness, educate and train all groups on this very delicate issue that is vital for the future of the planet.

RDÉE Ontario promotes economic development and employability in Ontario’s Francophone communities to ensure that they remain vital and sustainable.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For over 25 years, the Foundation has supported the growth and vitality of communities across the province. It continues to strengthen the capacity of the volunteer sector through investments in community-based initiatives. For more information, please visit www.trilliumfoundation.org.

For more information, please contact:
Yves Francis Danteu, Executive Director, Eco Ambassadeurs 647.836.4319 yves@ecoambassadeurs.org
Roch Archambault, Director of Communications, RDÉE Ontario 613.834.1300, ext. 224
rarchambault@rdee-ont.ca