On Monday March 30, 2015, Nelligan O’Brien Payne hosted a group of 12 high school students from Rideau and Queen Elizabeth high schools for lunch and a tour of our firm as part of Ottawa’s Dare to Dream program.
Dare to Dream is an innovative justice education and outreach program for First Nation, Métis and Inuit youth aged 11 to 14 in Canada. It is run by Canadian Lawyers Abroad (CLA) in collaboration with Indigenous leaders, the legal community and like-minded non-profit organizations. The program is aimed at breaking down barriers to justice early by building relationships between Indigenous youth and the legal community. Dare to Dream operates in Calgary, Ottawa, Saskatoon, the Siksika Nation, and Toronto.
The lunch and firm tour were organized by one of our articling students, Melinda Andrews, who volunteers for the Dare to Dream program, along with other lawyers and students in the Ottawa area. Throughout the afternoon the students learned about the work our firm does, and different careers related to the practice of law. They visited areas like our Aboriginal Law Practice Group, our library, the Marketing Group, the IT Department, as well as some of our law clerks and legal assistants.
Melinda, who is an active and enthusiastic volunteer with Dare to Dream said, “This is a great program and the firm’s support has been very much appreciated.” For more information about the Dare to Dream program, you can view our previous blog post on the Dare to Dream Mock Trial, which took place in January.
