The Great Youth Rally (GRJ) is the official youth event of the Congrès mondial acadien 2014 (CMA 2014). It is an initiative of the Société Nationale de l'Acadie (SNA) with Youth Commission of Acadia (CJA). Since 2004, a special place is given to the youth during the festivities of the CMA, and it is in the form of GRJ that they mainly occur. For its third edition in 2014, the GRJ will be held from August 12^th to August 17^th in Témiscouata, in the city of Pohénégamook.

Being the key event for the youth of Acadia, the GRJ will gather between 300 and 400 Acadians and francophiles. They will come from the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, all around Canada, Maine and Louisiana, as well as France and Belgium to celebrate Acadia.

By offering a full range of activities, the GRJ wants to allow the exchange between young people from different backgrounds, to get them to think about their future and reinforce the importance of the French language in their minds. Also, the 2014 GRJ wants to give the participants an unforgettable experience of the Congrès mondial acadien in a way designed by and for young people.

During the five-day event, GRJ's participants will be engaged in several activities surrounding the CMA 2014. The whole program revolves around three main themes: Arts & Culture, Leadership and Politics.

The arts and culture component will be offered to young participants aged from 12 to 16 years old and offer various workshops, run by professionals, that will focus on arts, music, visual expression and the new media.

The leadership component will be offered to participants from 16 to 19 years old. With activities based on scenarios, exchanges and discussions, the leadership component's participants will be actively engaged in the success of the event.

Finally, the politics theme will be offered to participants from 19 to 25 years old and will be developed under the watchful eye of social politics and led by important figures of modern Acadia. The component will aim to promote a reflection on the current French and Acadian cultures in Canada.

On the sidelines of the three components, cultural activities, meetings and performances will allow all participants to explore the host city and the territory of the CMA 2014 and will fill GRJ’s program. During the five days of the event at the heart of the Congrès mondial acadien 2014, the GRJ 2014 will provide the young participants a privileged environment in which to develop lasting relationships and discover their place in today's Acadia.

For any question or for more information, please contact, Dominique Gaudet, Coordinator of the Grand Youth Rally by e-mail at: [email protected]

Visit the GRJ 2014 website: grj2014.com