Jeunes explorateurs

High school students welcomed into local businesses to try a day on the job

Alison Leroux

Since 2005, Jeunes explorateurs d’un jour, a non-profit program, has allowed young students to discover a career of their choice by participating in a one-day internship experience in the workplace of their chosen job. Meant to act as a reference for orientation assistance, the organization helps young people at a stage of their lives when they have to start thinking about which career path they want to follow. With nearly 300 professions and trades available throughout Quebec, Jeunes explorateurs is a great program for anybody struggling to decide what they want to do in the future.

Alison Leroux, a student from the Collège Saint-Alexandre de la Gatineau and Katianna Mennie, a student from Polyvalente Le Carrefour, both got accepted to do their internship at the Bulletin d’Aylmer, an independently owned award-winning weekly newspaper. There, the two grade ten girls got to discover what a day at their dream jobs would look like, an eye-opening experience for both of them.

With her love for writing and passion for photography, Alison Leroux spent a day discovering journalism with her sponsor Lily Ryan, Co-publisher and editor of the Bulletin d’Aylmer. There, she had the opportunity to cover a book and bake sell hosted by the Aylmer Christ Church, taking pictures and getting to write her own article about the event. The experience deepened her desire to follow her studies in journalism and was one she thoroughly enjoyed. 

Katianna Mennie, a talented artist and a fanatic for all things creative, spent her day as a graphic designer with the  Bulletin’s production manager. She was taught how to use Adobe InDesign, a desktop publishing software used to create works such as posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, presentations, books and ebooks. She then got to create her own publicities and news article layouts, a task she utterly adored. Her day at the Bulletin allowed her to realize that working as a graphic designer wouldn’t even feel like a job for her because she loves it so much, confirming what career path she wants to follow.