Beurling Academy’s Work Oriented Training Path (WOTP) students went volunteering this past Wednesday to Robin des bois restaurant. Located in the Plateau Mont-Royal, Robin des Bois is a not-for-profit organization which donates all its profits to four field organizations working directly in the urban setting. It is staffed, for the most part, by volunteers, and all the profits made by the restaurant and through the sale of merchandise are redistributed to local charities working directly within the community to ward off solitude, social isolation and poverty.

Along with their teacher and coordinator, Dawn Campbell, and project agent at CJE Verdun, Robin Kaseka, WOTP students were greeted by Laurence Simard, volunteer manager at the not-for-profit restaurant. Mrs Simard then trained the students for customer greeting & seating, table service, general cleaning duties and kitchen work.

Students were then split into smaller groups to perform the following tasks:

– Dishwashing
– Bar cleaning duties
– Customers greeting and seating

We would like to thank Robin des bois‘ team for their warm welcome and support. The students benefited greatly from this very interesting and rewarding experience in the catering industry. It is also worth noting the excellent work of the students, who listened well to the instructions and demonstrated initiative, which allowed them to accomplish their tasks successfully!

In collaboration with CJE Verdun, Beurling Academy’s WOTP students is conducting a monthly volunteer activity during the school year.

About the Work Oriented Training Path (WOTP)

In the context of the diversification of learning paths for students, the Work-Oriented Training Path enables young people with learning difficulties to pursue their studies through adapted instruction in different contexts, and to obtain certification through qualifying training which prepares them for the job market. This program gives students the opportunity to obtain practical training in the workplace. It is for students who have not been successful in English and Math and who are at least 15 years of age.

About the « Créneau carrefour-jeunesse » (CCJ) program

The CCJ program, under the responsibility of the Secrétariat à la jeunesse du Québec and coordinated by it in collaboration with the Regroupement des carrefours jeunesse-emploi du Québec and implemented by the Carrefours jeunesse-emploi (CJE), aims to foster school perseverance, personal and social autonomy, as well as the participation of young people in entrepreneurship, community work and volunteering projects. This program is aimed for youth aged 15 to 29 years old.

As part of the CCJ project development’s component, volunteer projects are opportunities for young people to get involved in their community, which promotes their social inclusion and allows them to develop skills and competencies that can be transferred to other areas of their lives. Volunteer projects are aimed primarily at students in the second cycle of secondary school.