Inspiring the next generation to keep it cool for the environment's sake.
This is the motto of the DreamRider Productions Society and its Planet Protector Academy campaign for kids and youth, and thanks to some recent grant funding, it'll have the means to reach a wider audience.
On Wednesday (July 6), the Port Moody-based company was awarded $47,000 from the B.C. government to produce and release a French-language version of one of its classroom videos.
Planet Protector Academy's "Keep Cool!" is an educational campaign that aims to teach young people on ways to consider switching transportation habits in order to preserve energy and combat climate change.
Using a superhero theme, DreamRider created a curriculum filled with "missions" for elementary-aged students watching the video, including lessons on climate, electricity, heat, transportation and physical activity.
DreamRider was one of six non-profit organizations granted a combined $250,000 to enhance its resources to provide educational material with French-language options.
Adrian Dix, B.C.'s minister of health and responsible for francophone affairs, says the funding will help serve the needs of local francophone communities.
"I look forward to seeing the positive results these projects will have on the lives of francophones, francophiles, communities and businesses," he said in a news release.
The money is part of a five-year, $1.25-million commitment to expand B.C.'s French-language services, the province states, stemming from Budget 2018.
According to DreamRider, more than 50 per cent of families involved with its programs are reporting driving and idling less thanks to their kids' influence and roughly 70 per cent are choosing to save energy at home.
"Through story, music, interactive media and live theatre, we create inclusive, meaningful, and full-throttle experiences that children adore and that instill positive environmental values in their hearts – and in their actions," the company's profile reads.
"After experiencing our programs, kids feel energized, happy, and eager to put into practice what they have learned!"
For more information about DreamRider Productions and its Planet Protector Academy program, you can visit its website.
