TELUS Friendly Future Foundation and Academos help Quebec's youth find meaning in their studies

TELUS Community Boards in Montreal, Quebec City and Rimouski donate $40,000 to encourage young people in disadvantaged areas to stay in school

Studies show that the more confident young people are in their career choice, the more motivated they are in school

MONTREAL, May 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TELUS Friendly Future Foundation has donated $40,000 to Academos, a charity that provides mentoring to young people to help them find a career they're passionate about. In 2022, nearly half of young people were anxious about choosing a career ? an important factor in many students' decision to drop out of school. The donation from TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, which combines support from its Community Boards in Montreal, Quebec City and Rimouski, will allow Academos to offer 100 in-person and virtual workshops in high schools, including schools in underprivileged areas, to help keep teens from dropping out. The project aims to reach nearly 5,000 youth in Quebec and provide them with guidance in choosing a career by connecting them with a community of inspiring professionals to support their well-being and success.

"Research shows that the more confident young people are in their choice of career, the more motivated they are in school and the less anxious they feel. It's essential to provide them with tools and resources and to offer them guidance at this critical stage in their lives," explains Catherine Légaré, founder and president of Academos. "Finding a profession you're passionate about and enjoying your work is the best way to achieve happiness and success. This donation from TELUS Friendly Future Foundation will allow us to help a larger number of young people at risk of dropping out of school by raising their awareness of mentoring opportunities and establishing professional goals that give meaning to their studies."

Founded in 1999, Academos is a non-profit organization that connects over 20,000 new participants aged 14 to 30 each year with the realities of the world of work, through a virtual mentoring app that lets them talk with over 3,500 professionals at no cost. The workshops supported by TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, entitled "From Point A to Point B: Why My Choices Matter", give students the opportunity to better understand the impact of their choices in school on their future careers. At the end of the workshops, participants are invited to sign up for the Academos app to chat virtually with professionals who work in career fields that interest them and are connected with the realities of the job market. These workshops are offered all throughout Quebec.

"Keeping kids in school helps us to build a friendlier and more prosperous future by supporting the next generation of qualified and engaged professionals," says Chantal Guimont, CEO of Réseau MAclinique and chair of the TELUS Community Board in Quebec City. "We want to help young people to find the career of their dreams by putting them in contact with inspiring professionals who will help them stay committed to their studies. We're especially privileged to be able to provide concrete assistance to an organization like Academos which supports many of the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation's objectives, like taking creative approaches to help youth all across Quebec to achieve their full potential and become agents for positive change."

Established in 2018, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, an independent registered charity, and its 13 Community Boards across the country support the well-being of more than two million young people each year, helping them reach their full potential by providing them with access to the technology, health and educational resources that they need to flourish. Every year, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation grants funding to more than 500 charitable projects throughout Canada. Since 2005, the TELUS Community Boards in Montreal, Quebec City and Rimouski have given an average of $1.2 million each year to more than one hundred youth-oriented projects operated by local charitable organizations.

For more details on Academos or to become a mentor, visit academos.qc.ca.

About Academos

Founded in 1999, Academos is a non-profit organization that connects participants aged 14 to 30 with the realities of the world of work through a virtual mentoring app that lets them talk for free with thousands of professionals who are passionate about their work, helping participants to find a career that's really right for them and establish concrete professional goals for a successful future. For participants aged 18 and older, Academos offers the opportunity for a one-day internship with the mentors on the platform.

About TELUS Friendly Future Foundation

TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is a Canadian registered charity that believes all youth, regardless of circumstance, deserve an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. That is why we're committed to helping connect youth to a world of opportunities. By funding more than 500 charities each year that provide education and health programs, many enabled by technology, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is helping more than 2 million youth in communities across Canada build skills, gain confidence and feel a sense of belonging. In 2022 alone, we provided more than $10.6 million in grants to charities across the country.

For more information on TELUS Friendly Future Foundation visit friendlyfuture.com.

For more information, please contact:

François Marchand
TELUS Media Relations
Franç[email protected]

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6a74728d-8c04-49a5-a7a5-78fff9a4e3d0