CORNWALL, Ontario – Centre De Santé Communautaire De L’Estrie decided to celebrate and recognize the boys in our community on Saturday, May 11, hosting fun activities at St. Lawrence College (SLC).
Ivan Labelle, Community Health Agent, was thrilled to see over 120 guests registered for the International Boys Day fun. Attendees had the opportunity to learn briefly about careers and organizations within the community and take part in brief activities, like learning how to build a bird house, longboarding, learning about healthy eating and communication. They also had the chance to see the inside of firetrucks, ambulances and police cruisers.
“We have taken a wholesome, global approach to all of this and hope it helps to get a few boys on track,” said Labelle. “I’ve been telling my boys, if they say what they mean and mean what they say, and honour their word, they’ll go a little further in life. So, we hope we have some success with the boys today.”
Labelle said the idea for the event stemmed from International Girls Day, so staff looked into International Boys Day opportunities and quickly made the plan come to fruition.
“Boys aren’t doing as well as girls in school, they’re dropping out at a higher rate; their literacy is lower than girls. At university, two women graduate (per) one guy, and our prisons are 80 per cent populated by males,” said Labelle.
Labelle said that technology might be impacting boys physical activity and healthy lifestyles in our era.
“We want guys to be okay with identifying with what was traditionally male in the old days,” he said.
