Université de Sherbrooke presents its 2018 Forces Avenirs nominees
Student Life Services at the Université de Sherbrooke (U de S) has announced its nominations for this year’s edition of the Forces Avenirs competition, an annual inter-university competition that has honoured student volunteer commitment since 1999.
The U de S International Engineering Group’s Tanzania Irrigation Channels project will be running in the Mutual Aid, Peace and Justice category for its construction of 650 meters of irrigation canals in the village of Dirim, Tanzania. About 100 families will benefit from the project that provides water access to nearly 20 hectares of new land. The group, in collaboration with local partners, also bought land for the creation of a women’s cooperative in Dirim, allowing them to earn an income of their own.
In the same category, the Ici on est inclusif project is a provincial sexual and gender diversity awareness campaign initiated by students at the New Brunswick Medical Education Center. A poster competition was launched in French-language high schools across the province to identify the poster that will serve as the focus of the campaign and a video and accompanying materials were also produced on how to become an ‘ally’ and create an inclusive environment for sexual and gender diversity. The Ici on est inclusif campaign is now being introduced in 28 high schools, 12 organizations, and 3 medical clinics.
In the Environment category, U de S will rely on ITIN'ERE, an environmental education workshop aimed at developing the capacity for action and environmental values in students in primary grades 5 and 6. Initiated by environmental studies students Vincent Boisclair and Rémi Proteau, ITIN'ERE has reached more than 1,000 students and 50 teachers in eight administrative regions of Quebec.
The Bistrobrain project will be analyzed in the Society, Communication and Education category. Since March 2017, the Bistrobrain group has organized popular science events in Sherbrooke to promote science and new perspectives on research projects. At these events, Sherbrooke organizations are invited to present their mission as well as the importance of research in their community.
Finally, the Createk Competition will represent U de S in the Entrepreneurship, Business and Economic Life category. This competition aims to encourage student projects of technological entrepreneurship through its offer of support to participants and privileged access to prototyping infrastructure. The 2017 edition mobilized more than 70 participants and no less than $30,000 was awarded in cash to stimulate the creation of startups.
On the individual side, philosophy student Daphne Poulin will be competing in the category of Undergraduate Personality. Poulin is President of Engineers Without Borders-u de S and a robotics mentor at U de S-FIRST. A member of the Vert & Or golf team, she is co-chair of the Athletes Committee and also initiated Philosophus, a group that offers a support service to college students in philosophy.
Vincent Boisclair will represent U de S in the first Cycle Personality category. As an environmental student, he has distinguished himself by his commitment to ITIN'ERE, the Freego Fridge – U de S committee to reduce food waste, and the Ruche Campus that promotes urban beekeeping in the student community. In the second and third Cycle personality category, Valérie Morin and Charles-antoine Barbeau-meunier will carry the university’s banner. A Master's student in orthopedagogy Morin has distinguished herself through her commitment to the General Association of Students of the Faculty of Education (AGEEFEUS) and the General Association of Graduate Students in the Faculty of Education. She has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Chaudière-appalaches Region Youth Forum, as well as being heavily involved in U de S residencies.
Barbeau-meunier, a medical student, received attention for his exceptional commitment to IFMSA Québec, a Consortium of Universities for Global Health and the Canadian UNESCO Commission.
The inter-university Forces Avenirs program aims to recognize, honour, and promote the commitment of students to projects that contribute to the development of socially conscious, active, and responsible citizens who are both dedicated to their community and open to the world.