February 19, 2019

The best advice from the Together at School launch

For over 20 years, our Alouettes have spent their off-season speaking to students of the province about the obstacles they had to personally face in school and in sports. Last Thursday, when the 2019 edition of the Together at School program was launched at Dorval-Jean XXIII High School, laughter and questions were coming from all sides. Although the kids aren’t all shaped like football players, they can identify to these grounded guys who, just like them, had to overcome their fears and persevere through difficult situations.

 

“I wasn’t an athlete in high school. My passion was music. It taught me the importance of failure. When practicing, you’re constantly failing, but you push yourself to find solutions. That’s perseverance; not giving up.” – Luc Brodeur-Jourdain

 

“My biggest difficulty was focusing. I was always bothering the people around me. I realized, however, that to play football you have to be focused so I chose to surround myself with people who had the same drive as me.”Stephen Adekolu

 

“I come from a big family. Seven boys and two girls. A lot of egos in the house! I had a hard time in many classes in school, but I put aside my ego and asked for help even if I was afraid that my brothers would make fun of me. Once you understand that asking for help is not a weakness, you start getting better.”Khadim Mbaye

 

“The most important thing to get through difficult times is your mindset. You have to be in the moment and make sure you do everything in your power to open as many doors as possible.”Jean-Samuel Blanc

 

“I was incredibly shy. I was afraid of public speaking, for example. Football taught me to speak up, it allowed me to be myself and to let others be themselves.”Jean-Gabriel Poulin

 

“My biggest fear was not to make any friends. I never asked questions because I didn’t want anyone to think I was stupid. Then, my mom taught me that, often, asking for help only makes you stronger.”Martin Bédard

 

“School teaches us how to function in a work environment, as well as to adapt to others and live in society.”Chloé, élève