Yvon Charest Bursaries

Age : 10 years old

My name is Alixe. I’m in 5th grade at Saint-Michel school in Quebec City. My school is part of the network of Bruntland green schools, which involves students in implementing initiatives that aim to reduce our environmental footprint.

My project would be to have reusable bags for sandwiches and snacks made and offer them to all the new kindergarten students starting in fall 2021. These bags could be in the school colours. I think that offering this little “starter kit” for more environmentally friendly lunches could encourage families to take steps toward concrete actions to take care of the planet every day.

If there is enough budget, we could have extra bags made that parents of children from all grades could purchase. The proceeds could then be sent to the Saint-Michel school foundation.

Age : 4 years old

While driving through Vancouver (East Hastings), my 4-year-old daughter noticed the homeless living on the street. She was immediately concerned and asked how we can help these people get food to eat. I told my daughter about the Vancouver Food Bank. If Kennedy is selected, it would not only positively change the lives of so many of the less fortunate, but it will provide a crucial learning experience that little people can do big things. Additionally, if Kennedy won, the $5,000 cheque would be made out to the food bank and brought to her preschool to teach all the kids about this amazing donation. We would also take a picture of Kennedy giving the cheque to the Vancouver food bank and frame it in her room so that she can always be proud of her massive contribution to individuals and families with food insecurity. $5,000 dollars equates to $25,000 worth of food buying power resulting in 15,000 meals for families and individuals who are less fortunate.

Age : 14 years old

There has been a lot going on in my life these past years, not too long ago my close friend and stepdad passed away due to colon cancer which later spread to his lungs and lymph notes. This made his condition no longer curable. This left my mom drowning in debt due to expensive treatments, soon later my mom came up with an idea to create a fundraiser to raise money for his cancer treatment.

Going through this hard experience made me think of how many families have to struggle with family members passing away due to not having enough money to pay for treatments. The fundraiser raises money for cancer patients in BC who are going through hard times fighting cancer.

I'd use the $5,000 to start a clothing line called “Stage 4” to spread cancer awareness across the globe. My dream is to donate 40% of all profit towards the Stage 4 Cancer Foundation in hopes of raising enough money to support all families around the globe fighting cancer.

Age : 15 years old

At 6 years old, you have your whole life ahead of you and there are no obstacles to your dreams. But fate had other plans for Mathieu – a fractured leg revealed an osteosarcoma and his whole leg had to be amputated. After treatments, still full of energy, Mathieu started going to ParaHockey. He took to the sport right away and it became HIS sport. At 10 years old he was dominating the junior team, 2 years later, he joined the adult team, where he could be challenged more, but nothing is free, and we travel 450 km every week for his training. He has been invited to the Team Canada training camp next spring. The dream of the Paralympics is growing and so are the expenses. Despite the circumstances, the Quebec elites have been given an exemption to train on ice and to follow the team, Mathieu would very much like to have some adapted gym equipment at home to facilitate his training and live his dreams without obstacles.

Age : 14 years old

The generous contribution would go directly to the Durham Down Syndrome Association as their mission is to continue building a supportive community by providing social and active events for people with Down syndrome and their families. My daughter Mikayla lives with Down syndrome. I would also like the funds to be used somehow to raise awareness about the fact that individuals that live with Downs should not be called names or labelled as different. I’m sure my daughter would love people to see everyone as one....just like she does. She never judges anyone.

Age : 25 years old

A $5,000 bursary would help make my project a reality by providing integral base funding to secure equipment, permits, and location. My dream project is a program designed by girls, for girls, to teach leadership and hard skills in the backcountry of Newfoundland. The program’s purpose is to provide girls with tangible skills and role models in the outdoors, who can help them to translate their skills and interest into employment and mentorship with local companies in the industry. As an experienced wilderness guide, who has held numerous positions as a trip lead or lead guide, I have observed a distinct lack in programming specifically offered to girls, that encourages their often-inherent ability and provides refuge from rigid and harmful social standards. The $5,000 would allow me to secure gear to run the program, permits to run the programming in areas such as Gros Morne, and secure an indoor location for programming such as lectures. The bursary would be the base to make the dream real.

Age : 17 years old

Éliane has been blind since she was born and has overcome many trials and challenges since then. With a lot of effort, patience and many adaptations, four years ago, when she was 12 years old, Éliane was able to enter the regular school environment and feel like everyone else.

Enrolled in a music program at her secondary school, Éliane plays piano and the trumpet. She would like training so that she can record music in the studio we recently built for her. Éliane has just been accepted to the Pre-Conservatory music program and would like to have the tools and the means to be able to make her musical montages. The project funds would therefore be for installation and training for the software needed to adapt her computer and microphone so that she can make her creations by herself and release them on her SoundCloud platform: https://soundcloud.com/eliane-doucet

Thank you!

Age : 19 years old

Hello, my name is Bailey Gouge and my mom works in the Agent Finance Department for IA American (Waco Office). As a young child I had dreamed of working with animals, but mostly Red Pandas. This is my obsession and going to college to pursue my dream of working with exotic animals. I was accepted into Tarleton State University and am currently in my 1st year. My major is Biomedical Science. Once I have received my bachelor's degree, I hope to be accepted into A&M Corpus Christi so I can further my knowledge of all the beautiful animals you typically don't see at a regular veterinarian's office. Once I complete my college courses, I will have been the first in my immediate family to graduate with a college degree. Receiving this bursary would help my family pay for my college expenses that student loans do not cover.

I thank you for taking the time to read about my dreams of being an exotic animal veterinarian.

Age : 19 years old

I am Megan Conway, a student at the University of Victoria majoring in Fiction Writing, which I have written since I was seven. My piece “Rat Trap” earned me third place in the Youth Category in Alice Munro's Festival of the Short Story in 2018. I am so excited to kickstart my writing career.

With this bursary, I plan to self-publish my first novel. The story falls into the science fiction genre, including commentary on human rights issues. It focuses primarily on unethical dehumanization of criminals and convicts and media representation of LGBTQ+ individuals. As a queer person myself, the latter is incredibly important to me.

With twenty chapters and ten or more pages per chapter, I would finish in less than a year if I commit to writing one page per day. Once the first draft is complete sometime mid-2022, the money will go into hiring an editor ($500-$1500), a cover designer ($350-$1250), a formatter ($600-$1250), and production and marketing ($75-$1250).

Thanks for your consideration.

Age : 32 years old

As the owner of a small local accounting business myself, I know how important buying local is and how big starting a business can be. The pandemic has not been easy for anyone, and many have wanted to abandon their small businesses. How do you navigate through all the rules and laws you have to follow as an entrepreneur?

I was lucky to have a mentor to guide me on this path, and that’s why, with this bursary, I would like to offer free training, fully online, to guide young entrepreneurs full of ideas. In collaboration with the Etsy Vaudreuil-Soulanges team, we will offer complete modules to guide them step by step. A support service, tips and ideas will be available during these apprenticeship courses for a total of 120 hours.

I was helped, and I would like to help in return.