The Desjardins Foundation supports Éducaloi's school services for 2017/2018

A $25,000 donation will allow the organization to continue offering free legal information in schools, benefitting nearly 50,000 young people every year.

MONTREAL, Sept. 25, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Éducaloi is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Desjardins Foundation, which is donating $25,000 so that the organization can hold legal education activities and update the content of its resources for school educators. As a result, Éducaloi will be able to continue providing free workshops and teaching guides to high schools across Quebec for the seventh consecutive year.

"Éducaloi has been providing high schools with one-of-a-kind educational resources since 2011. In order to continue our work, we rely on donations like the timely contribution we've just received from the Desjardins Foundation," said Ariane Charbonneau, Executive Director of Éducaloi.

The Éducaloi website provides free teaching guides designed to help educators and youth workers include legal content in their classes and activities. In 2016/2017, more than 50,000 young people (10% of all high school students) were introduced to legal concepts through seven in-class workshops (477 presentations) and 13 educational toolkits (more than 1,700 downloads) developed by Éducaloi. In the past year, some 180 volunteer legal professionals (lawyers, notaries and judges) who are passionate about legal education offered their time to lead the school workshops.

Additionally, the Éducaloi website's Youth Zone has more than 100 articles on topics of interest for 12- to 17-year-olds.

"We made the decision to support Éducaloi because of its specialized expertise in providing legal education in schools. This organization creates reliable and detailed educational content that gives young people the opportunity to develop essential skills for becoming responsible adults. In doing so, Éducaloi contributes to the academic success of young Quebecers, which is a top priority for Desjardins Group and the main purpose of the Desjardins Foundation," said Nancy Lee, Manager of the Desjardins Foundation.

Mission: To inform the public about their legal rights and responsibilities
"Offering a legal education to 12- to 17-year-olds and students attending adult education centres is one of the foundational pillars of Éducaloi's mission," said François Rolland, former Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec and Chair of the Board at Éducaloi. "School is the perfect place to teach tomorrow's citizens about the legal aspects of everyday situations."

Éducaloi has also published over 1,200 articles containing legal information for all members of the community. These articles are available free-of-charge on the organization's website, which receives nearly 5 million visits annually. "This goldmine of content is essential for educating the public on all kinds of topics, such as the protection of youth, families and couples, separation and divorce, employer/employee relations, substance abuse, crimes and citations, and much more. Currently, there are no other online sources of information that compare to Éducaloi, and few states can boast of having a neutral, credible and professional organization dedicated to informing and educating the public," added Mr. Rolland.

With nearly 18 years behind it, Éducaloi remains a pioneer in its field. Should the organization be forced to close, Quebecers would lose access to the thousands of documents (in French and English) that have been developed and updated through a continuous tracking system. In addition, Éducaloi's activities are overseen by a small but incredibly effective team of 20 competent and dedicated professionals from various fields.

About Éducaloi

Éducaloi is an independent non-profit organization founded in 2000. It plays a key role in improving access to justice in Quebec. Éducaloi is now a leader in designing and producing reliable and accessible information tools that present the law clearly and concisely. The organization receives financial support from its partners, which include the Barreau du Québec, the Chambre des notaires and SOQUIJ, as well as Canada's Department of Justice and Quebec's Ministry of Justice. Éducaloi also relies on partnership agreements with businesses, special projects, advisory services for organizations and an annual fundraising campaign. Website: www.educaloi.qc.ca.

About the Desjardins Foundation

Founded in 1970, the Desjardins Foundation is a charitable organization that contributes to young people's academic success by awarding prizes, scholarships and donations, and by supporting key partner organizations. This year, the Foundation will distribute over $2.1 million in Quebec and Ontario, helping over 130,000 young people. As a component of Desjardins Group, Canada's leading cooperative financial group, the Desjardins Foundation also supports various projects promoting cooperation, democracy and community involvement.

SOURCE Fondation Desjardins