Would you like to become a mentor for a local child?

Founded in 1979, Toujours Ensemble has been helping local kids improve their self-esteem, stay in school and do better while pursuing their education for close to three decades.

Now, this 28-year-old non-profit organization is teaming up with the Pathways to Education Program, which is being recognized as one of the best programs out there to combat the high-school drop out rate and encourage a love for education.

The Program is structured with four pillars of support: academic, social, financial and advocacy. This approach increases the chances for youth to continue on to secondary education. The program also encourages the student's parents to play a more active role in the education of their child.

Six years later and the results have been drastic. According to recent date gathered, the drop out rate was reduced from 56% to a mere 10%. As a result, the program is now being implemented throughout communities across the country.

According to their availability and interests, volunteers can offer their help with school work or animate a variety of activities. Volunteers should be available one hour per week between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and motivated to help young students learn. Since they're dealing with children who are having a difficult time learning or remaining motivated to learn, volunteers should display patience, understanding and a motivation to help them learn.

Study upon study has demonstrated that when young children graduate we all benefit as a society. Unemployed and uneducated youth translate into enormous health care, correctional and social services expenditures.

But at the end of the day, irrelevant of the direct benefits to all of us, don't we have a moral obligation to help a child, who may be disadvantaged or in a financial situation that doesn't make learning conducive? Don't we owe them a helping hand, a push in the right direction? An hour out of your week isn't much, but it might make a world of difference in their life.

Toujours Ensemble is located at 4926 rue de Verdun. Island residents interested in volunteering can contact Sophie Latour, at 514-761-7867, ext. 20 or via email, at sophie.latour@toujoursensemble.org.