Note: The information placed between brackets describes the visual and audio content of the video other than dialogue or narration.
[Text on the screen: Together, we help disadvantaged youth regain their confidence.]
[Shot of La Ruche school.]
[Ambient music.]
[Text on the screen: Jean-Luc Dasté, General Manager of Caisse Desjardins du Lac-Memphrémagog.]
[Alternate shots of Jean-Luc speaking to the camera, and in profile on his bike, wearing a bike helmet and Desjardins jersey, then, students going in and out of La Ruche school.]
Jean-Luc Dasté: After I did the Défi Pierre Lavoie 3 times, I no longer had any real personal challenges. So I asked myself if I couldn’t use my great experience to set up a project to help students stay in school? That’s how the idea
began.
[Text on the screen: Jacques Bureau, special education teacher]
[Shot of Jacques speaking to the camera.]
Jacques Bureau: These kids have difficulties in school, difficulty learning the traditional way. With a book, a pencil, it’s harder. They often learn by doing things.
[While Jacques speaks, we see exterior shots of the school, the entrance, the hallways filled with students.]
Jacques Bureau: We always start with around 30 students. At 6:30 in the morning, they are spinning in the gym with us so that in April, they’ll be able to keep riding on Sunday mornings. We ride between 50 and 80 kilometres. The goal
of all this is to make sure the kids can do “Le Grand Tour des petites écoles”, a 200 kilometre ride over 2 days.
[View of students riding around the schoolyard.]
Jacques Bureau: The 2 best riders will do Le Grand défi Pierre Lavoie, a 1,000 kilometre ride that promotes the sport and proves our ability to do something really great.
[A montage of alternating shots: Jacques speaking to the camera and a dozen young people riding in single file on a country road.]
Jacques Bureau: For 4 years, the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie team was named “Caisse Desjardins Persévérance,” which is what helped us to attract young people to the event and organize all of this training. Without this involvement, the
project would have been completely impossible. We never would have been able to offer youth this experience.
[Shot of Réjean, facing the camera.]
[Text on the screen: Réjean, participant in the Grand Tour.]
Réjean: I really did the Défi Pierre Lavoie. When they told us that we’d be on a 5-person team, in an RV and that we’d divvy up the kilometres, I wanted to join in.
[Shot of Réjean riding his bike.]
[Text on the screen: Noémie, participant in the Grand Tour.]
[Noémie looks at the camera.]
Noémie: I decided to participate to take on an extra challenge and get in shape, and why not, to try something that I might love.
[Shot of Noémie riding her bike.]
[Text on the screen: Jérémie, participant in the Grand Tour.]
[Shot of Jérémie in front of the camera, then seated beside his fellow cyclists.]
Jérémie: I was on the verge of quitting school, but it’s been going well this year. Thanks to cycling, my grades went up. Before, they were in the 50s and now, they’re up to 90. I know it’s because cycling motivated me.
[Shot of Jérémie riding his bike along railroad tracks, then of each cyclist in front of him. We hear the voice of Jean-Luc Dasté.]
Jean-Luc Dasté: These were young people who, at the end of November and beginning of December, hardly said hello and didn’t look adults in the eye.
[Back to Jean-Luc speaking to the camera.]
Jean-Luc Dasté: Then, finally, when May came, it created a kind of little family, where they were friendly and open with each other.
[The video ends with the young cyclists riding on a path in single file toward the camera.]
Jean-Luc Dasté (voice off-screen): They became kids who are comfortable with the world around them.
[Text on the screen: To the millions of Desjardins members, thank you.]
[Image on the screen: Desjardins logo desjardins.com/together]
