Laurier Senior students take second prize for entrepreneurship in Laval
$2,500 bursary won for their Growth and Development project
Published December 1 , 2009
By Martin C. Barry • TLN

The Centre local de développement de Laval (CLD) took advantage of Global Entrepreneurship Week from Nov. 16 - 22 to mark the regional launch of the 12th annual Quebec Entrepreneurship Contest, while at the same time awarding bursaries worth a total of $5,500 to students who were provincial finalists in the contest over the past year. Supporters of the Quebec Entrepreneurship Contest say it is an excellent means for chanelling entrepreneurial values.

Unity in Diversity
Monique Sauvé, director general of the Carrefour Jeunesse-emploi (CJE) de Laval and president of the Réseau des CJE du Québec, with François Beauregard, handed over a cheque for a bursary with a value of $2,500 to students from Laurier Senior High School for their entrepreneurship project, Growth and Development through Unity in Diversity. The students won the prize during the 11th annual entrepreneurship contest, in the scholarly perseverance category of the Réseau des carrefours jeunesse-emploi du Québec.
The project, which combined music with a fashion show, brought together the different cultural communities and produced positive changes for the student community. Present during the presentation were Nathalie Plante, the coordinator for entrepreneurial development at the CLD Laval, and also the regional coordinator for the provincial contest. Also there were Nick Primiano, principal of Laurier Senior High School, Dominic Di Stefano, coordinator for the project at the high school, and the students themselves who worked on the project.

Wide range of prizes
The Quebec Entrepreneurship Contest is the only contest whose aim is to unite students from schools with new and future entrepreneurs. In Laval, the contest begins with its own finale and gala, to then bring together all the winners from the 17 administrative regions of Quebec to celebrate the provincial finale in Quebec. The promoters says this has value as a promotional tool for the development and valorisation of entrepreneurialism, and is also the only contest in Quebec that gives out bursaries and prizes ranging from $15,000 for local winners in Laval up to $300,000 for provincial winners.
For the second year in a row, the organizers were pleased to announce that François Beauregard will be honorary chairman for the 12th edition of the contest in the region. Co-founder and president of Pyxis Technologies since 2001, Beauregard stands out as an example to young entrepreneurs of the will to succeed. His words attest to his passion for entrepreneurship. “For me, this contest is a synonym for the creation of positive energy,” he says. “I hope to be the spark that encourages at least one person to create a project that serves as a motivation in itself as well as for those all around it.”

École Saint-Martin won
Robert Lefebvre, president of the Centre Local de développement (CLD) de Laval and the Association des CLD du Québec, said he was proud to hand over to the students who worked on Projet Bistro at École Saint-Martin a bursary for $3,000 won during the 11th provincial gala. The project will allow students at the school to eat in a healthy way, all the while developing the entrepreneurial values of creativity, leadership, a sense of responsibility, autonomy and solidarity.
Applications are now being accepted for the 12th edition of the Quebec Entrepreneurship Contest Laval. To qualify, projects must meet a need or resolve a problem; they must be innovative, educational and mobilizing; they must add value to the community; and they must achieve an established goal. Complete details on registering are available at: concour-entrepreneurship.org.