Top Scores in Canadian High Schools to Help Passport to Education Build Canada into a Nation of Graduates

TORONTO, June 1, 2011 / CNW / - Passport to Education Canada is calling on all high school students with the highest marks to help it in its national campaign to make Canada a better Nation of graduates. With a high school dropout rate of over 70 % in some of Canada's poorest communities, Passport encourages top students to deliver their graduation speeches by spreading the message that all students deserve the support and opportunities to complete their studies. The best students answering the Passport call and posting their speeches on the organization's Facebook page will have the opportunity to be recognized nationally.

“High school firsts have the unique opportunity to speak to the future leaders of our country and to individuals who know firsthand the importance of secondary education,” said David Hughes, President and CEO of Passport to Education Canada. This is a perfect opportunity for them to explain to their fellow students how important it is to reduce dropout rates and make it a national priority to complete high school. "

The initiative Nation of Passport Graduates is a five-year plan to help Canada become a country where all young people have an equal opportunity to complete high school and make the often difficult transition to post-secondary education or training. The investments made will help establish and sustain the proven Pathways program in more than 16 high-need communities by 2016, supporting more than 10,000 students and alumni when these programs are operating at full capacity.

Starting today, for everyone who visits and "likes" the page Nation Graduation (Nation of Graduates) from Facebook (facebook.com/pathwaystoeducationcanada), Ernst & Young will donate one dollar to Passport to help young people across the country complete high school.

Working with the education system through a team of volunteers, the Passport program offers one-to-one tuition, group and career mentoring, student advocacy, and financial aids, including transportation tickets or meal coupons, as well as university scholarships for post-secondary studies. This program has had considerable success in reducing dropout rates and increasing the rate of students going to college or university.

AT About Passport pfor my success Canada – www.pathwaystoeducation.ca
Pathways to Education Canada is a charitable organization that helps young people from low-income communities graduate from high school and successfully pursue post-secondary education or vocational training. Passport eliminates systemic barriers to education by offering its skills, expertise and community program that has been proven to reduce the dropout rate. Founded in 2001, Passeport now operates in eleven communities across Canada, with programs in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Manitoba.