Thanks to Sab, you can now check out a scan from a Canadian free newspaper called “24h”, which recently included a page about Jeff’s recent involvement with the presentation of a Simple Plan Foundation/GRIS grant to the La Rive high school, for their efforts to stop homophobia and for the children to be more tolerant to different sexual orientations. The scan of the press and the translation of the article into English (thanks Sab, again) can be seen below, and also make sure to check out the pictures from the event for a couple more of Jeff.
“Groupe de recherche et d’intervention sociale” (GRIS) launched yesterday its 9th found-raising which theme was “L’homophobie, ca suffit !” (Homophobia, enough!) at the school Atelier, situated in Ahuntsic area, in Montreal. The volunteers from GRIS visited 199 schools last year where they told their personal stories about their sexual orientation.
“About 23 000 young people had the opportunity to hear some genuine and moving testimonies and they left the room with a little less prejudices than before” said the comedian and GRIS’ spokesman Vincent Bolduc.
“These young people are happy that we can talk about homosexuality and bisexuality easily, without any taboo” said the comedian Macha Limonchik, other spokesman for GRIS. “They are happy to be able to understand what it is to open their mind a little more. When we ask questions to the others, we slowly notice that we are not that different one from the others.” According to GRIS, after one hour of talks, young people declare enjoying their experience. The changing is noticeable in the classroom’s atmosphere.
GRIS-Montreal aims at collect 160 000$ with this year’s campaign.
Le campaign’s launch was the opportunity to give the GRIS-Fondation Simple Plan price to the secondary school from Laval for their Homophobia Against Committee.
Here during the ceremony, Jeff Stinco, guitarist from Simple Plan, also greeted the project “Adoption d’un prisonnier politique” (adoption of a politic prisoner). This project which every classes took part of, permits to a Cameroonian politic prisoner to get letters and drawings every month.“The politic prisoner that we choose to adopt has been imprisoned for 3 years because of his homosexuality” explained 11yo Judith Lapierre, member of the project. “It moved us so much, because we think that this is unfair. Everyone has the right to their own sexual orientation. We can’t jail someone for that.”
The youth UNESCO committee, sponsored by the teacher Sylvie Deraiche, meets almost every month to discuss and set up activities to make people aware about homophobia and else.