The University of Ottawa is the first Canadian university to take part in the program and the first to open a School of the Greats centre in Ontario. The school is an extracurricular mentorship program that allows local francophone students to enjoy this support at no charge.
April 1, 2023, marks the graduation ceremony for the first cohort of the School of the Greats at the University of Ottawa.
Every Saturday, for eight weeks, 50 or so students got on a bus heading to the uOttawa campus to spend the morning with their mentors. First, the group ate breakfast together. Then, students practised their lessons and took part in scientific experiments, as well as computer science workshops. As they progressed through the program, students improved their skills in French, math and science, as well as built their self-confidence.
Twenty uOttawa students from different programs and years of study volunteered as mentors with this first cohort.
“For our students, this is not only an opportunity to get involved in the community, but also a chance to make a real difference in the lives of local students. The program allows all University students, whatever their academic standing, to go have a rewarding experience and even to have a positive spinoff through their own success,” says Jill Scott, uOttawa provost and vice-president, academic affairs.
The School of the Greats is an extracurricular program that has offered science education and homework assistance to those most at risk, including newcomers, in the greater Montreal area since 2015. Offered under the aegis of the Foundation W. and through the leadership of creator Alisha Wissanji, the project is funded entirely through community donations.
“The School of the Greats program is the product of a real collaboration between actors in the area of education and the community. This commitment of civil society to education makes the program possible! We’re very pleased to have opened a School of the Greats centre at the University of Ottawa,” says Wissanji, who holds a PhD and is CEO of the Foundation W.
“The program allows all University students, whatever their academic standing, to go have a rewarding experience and even to have a positive spinoff through their own success”
Jill Scott
— uOttawa provost and vice-president, academic affairs
The formula has proven itself in the fight against social inequality and school drop-out rates. The impact of the initiative is also measured qualitatively and quantitatively through a study. The program not only allows youth to get the help they need, but also for university members to enhance their own experience through mutual support and knowledge sharing.
The first two participating elementary schools are Sainte-Anne (Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est) and Mauril-Bélanger (Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario). The next cohort is expected in the fall of 2023.
This project was made possible through funding by the Government of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, under the Canada–Ontario Agreement on Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction, as well as a partnership with the Foundation W.
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