Local education project aims to support vulnerable families

Record Staff

Three community organizations in Sherbrooke are teaming up on a new project to support local kids. Named “Boîtes aux trésors,” or Treasure Boxes, the project from Ascot en santé, Concertation école LaRocque-communauté and the Comité vie de quartier Nord will support nearly 200 young people between 0 and 17 years old from five Sherbrooke communities. According to a press release, it will have an impact on more than 125 vulnerable families.
The purpose of the project is to distribute boxes containing educational and recreational tools and materials. It goes out to who children who do not have the opportunity to return to school before September.
The COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools for several months and many institutions are stuck in limbo with regards to returning in the fall. The pandemic also weighed heavily on vulnerable populations.
Several Sherbrooke-based organizations report that parents and children are dealing with increased levels of stress. Without proper stimulation and entertainment found at school, and with some people lacking Internet access, family tension is on the rise.
It has also led to more parental exhaustion and even the risk of violence, the statement reads. The Treasure Boxes project provides an alternative form of entertainment throughout the summer months.
Martine Staehler, director of the Carrefour accès loisirs, said the project would help alleviate at-home tension, bring families closer together and stimulate children so that they are ready for the next school year. The boxes are set for delivery in early July.

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