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The first Canadian edition of the Airbus Foundation Flying Challenge has been launched in Quebec, in partnership with the Mirabel Youth Centres Association–bringing the total number of sites conducting this Airbus Foundation flagship program to 17 worldwide.
The Airbus Foundation Flying Challenge is a youth activity and mentoring program involving 50 local students to interest them in aerospace and raise their awareness about training and future employment opportunities in the field.
“We are very proud to be launching the first ever Airbus Foundation Flying Challenge in Canada here in Mirabel, next door to the A220 partnership headquarters,” said Philippe Balducchi, head of Airbus Canada and CEO of the A220 partnership. “The Flying Challenge offers a fantastic opportunity to A220 employees to engage with young people from our local community by providing them with support and inspiration on their educational journeys.”
The planned first year of activities of the Mirabel Airbus Foundation Flying Challenge includes visits by participating youth accompanied by local Airbus employees to the A220 final assembly line in Mirabel, to the École nationale d’aérotechnique (ÉNA) in St-Hubert and the Cosmodôme in Laval. There will also be various conferences and workshops including STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities. Another important aspect of the Airbus Foundation Flying Challenge is to create mentoring opportunities between Airbus employees and local young people who are potentially interested in a career in some aspects of aeronautics.
“The Airbus Foundation is committed to bringing together all of its resources to help address the challenges of society today and tomorrow,” said Andrea Debbané, executive director of the Airbus Foundation. “One of our most important projects is the Airbus Foundation Flying Challenge to engage young people and encourage both personal and professional growth through STEM activities. We are very pleased to be expanding the Airbus Foundation Flying Challenge with this program in Mirabel to add to those already operating in France, Germany, Spain, the U.K., the U.S., and Brazil.”
Thanks to $45,000 in funding from the Airbus Foundation, the Mirabel program will be managed by the Mirabel Youth Centres Association, which operates six youth centres throughout the Mirabel community. The association also recruits the participants.
“We are very excited to be able to offer the Airbus Foundation Flying Challenge and its stimulating activities to the young people of Mirabel and we thank the Airbus Foundation for bringing this opportunity to our community,” said Sabrina Abdeddaim, director general of the Mirabel Youth Centres Association. “We are sure these fun but very educational STEM activities will inspire some young people to consider seriously what they need to do to pursue one of the many possible careers in aerospace.”
Running since 2011, the Airbus Foundation Flying Challenge has reached more than 4,800 students worldwide and involved over 1,900 Airbus employee volunteers. The program is now operating out of 17 locations across seven countries.
