Reconnect!

Excerpt from the press release explaining the project [Translated]

MOTIVATING YOUTH TO STAY IN SCHOOL THROUGH VIDEO GAMES

Montreal, February 25, 2020 – Academies Esports Canada (AEC) is proud to announce the implementation of a pilot project in collaboration with the Desjardins Group.

The objective of the “Reconnect! “project is to demonstrate that the supervised practice of electronic sports (e-sports) is a major tool in the fight against dropping out of school, in the same way that the supervision of soccer or improvisation can have a positive impact on Quebec schools. In addition, it aims to offer solutions to prevent cyberaddiction and the many problems related to digital consumption among youth.

The project consists of using young people’s passion for video games as a motivating factor to get them more interested in school and teach them healthy lifestyle habits. The three-year pilot project will start with about 20 students in Quebec and Ontario. We will be able to have a positive impact on young people through extracurricular activities, conferences and our daily presence in the field. The project is also in line with the vision that a healthy mind in a healthy body is conducive to the development and balance of young Quebecers.

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Desjardins Group’s contribution to the project takes the form of $300,000 in financial assistance from the $100 million Desjardins fund. This fund allows Desjardins Group to support projects that are promising for its members and their communities, projects that are structuring and promising for the future, and that instill a new economic and social dynamism.

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