Operation Back to School: Business community responds in great numbers to
help keep young people in school

MONTREAL, May 3 /CNW Telbec/ - The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal takes a great deal of pride and satisfaction in reporting the results of Operation Back to School 2010, which ended on April 30. For the past 14 years, over 2,500 business men and women have "gone back to school" to share their experience and passion with more than 100,000 students in grades 9, 10 and 11 to encourage them to stay in school.

"The business community's response to our invitation this year was overwhelming," said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade. "We found that business people more than ever wanted to lend a hand to find ways to encourage kids to stay in school. The statistics on drop-outs released last week by the Journal de Montréal show beyond a shadow of a doubt that we have to keep up our prevention efforts."

Operation Back to School involves encounters of around one hour, during which business people share their educational and professional journeys. These encounters help young people understand that success means work, perseverance and determination. They also demonstrate that encountering obstacles along the way is normal and that it's important to keep pursuing what inspires you.

"In addition to encouraging young people to excel and to value success, the program raises awareness among business people about the difficulties these young people experience and the realities and challenges they face," Michel Leblanc said. "We receive a lot of feedback from business people and teachers who are very glad that these meetings take place."

The Board of Trade would like to invite speakers who participated in Operation Back to School and the entire business community to take this partnership further by offering a one-week exploratory career internship this summer to help a young person choose a career. For more information about MR3 Montréal Relève's Student Business program, please contact Maude Lajeunesse at [email protected] or at 514 270-3300, ext. 4.

The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.

For further information: Sylvie Paquette, Coordinator, Media Relations, Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, [phone], ext. 4015, [email protected]