October 30, 2008

NEW $1-MILLION BRIGHT FUTURES FUND ENCOURAGES AT-RISK STUDENTS TO STAY IN SCHOOL, PURSUE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY
Disadvantaged students who need added encouragement to stay in school and pursue a college or university education will receive community-based supports from the first four new initiatives funded under the province’s $1-million Bright Futures Fund, Advanced Education and Literacy Minister Diane McGifford and Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjornson announced today.

Besides additional encouragement and support, students participating in Bright Futures initiatives will also receive scholarships or a registered education savings plan (RESP) grant toward the cost of post-secondary education.

“Manitoba has one of the most affordable and accessible post-secondary education systems in Canada, but we still have many disadvantaged students who feel college or university isn’t an option for them. Bright Futures initiatives address specific social, educational and financial barriers that might otherwise discourage such young Manitobans from pursuing a post-secondary education,” said McGifford, who made the announcement at the site of a homework tutoring program today.

“All Manitobans deserve a quality education. By empowering low-income and disadvantaged students, Bright Futures equips students with the supports required to stay in school and the encouragement needed to continue with college or university,” said Bjornson.

The first four new initiatives under the Bright Futures Fund include:
· Power Up
This homework tutoring program is receiving $60,960 this year to expand to six Winnipeg sites. The initiative encourages at-risk secondary-school students to mentor younger peers, empowering them to succeed in school while improving the confidence, social skills and attitudes of both age groups. Each high-school teenage mentor in the program will receive a $1,000 RESP contribution for each year in which they successfully volunteer their time.
· Career Trek
This initiative, which exposes 10- and 11-year-old students to up to 80 careers in 16 fields, will be expanded in the Parkland region and established in Westman. Career Trek, which will establish a $500 RESP for each successful student in the new or expansion site, incorporates family involvement, mentors and opportunities for employment after post-secondary graduation. During 2008-09, Career Trek will receive $297,297.

· Community School Investigators’ (CSI)
Working with six‑ to 13-year-old Winnipeg inner-city students for five weeks over the summer break, students are engaged in activities that focus on literacy, numeracy, and science and field trips to keep them focused on learning. Receiving $287,162 in this fiscal year, the CSI Summer Learning Enrichment Program will contribute $400 to an RESP for each student who completes the program at any of its sites.

The Seven Oaks School Division is also working with the Winnipeg School Division, the Community Education Development Association (CEDA) and the Mount Carmel Clinic to develop an intervention program for grade 9 to 12 students that will include tutoring, mentoring and scholarship incentives to empower students to complete high school and pursue post-secondary education. This project will receive $350,000 in funding during 2008-09 and will provide $1,000 scholarships to successful students in each of the four years.

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