On October 13, the team at MWCN organized a retreat on Île Saint-Bernard in Châteauguay. Along with the MWCN was ARC and MEPEC. The retreat was facilitated by CHSSN (Community Health Social Services Network) and RDN (Reguinal Development Network). ARC stands for the Assistance and Referral Centre and MEPEC stands for Montérégie East Partnership for the English-Speaking Community. ARC serves the area of Montérégie-Centre (which includes the cities of Brossard, Greenfield Park, Chambly, and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu). MEPEC serves the area of Monteregie-Est (which includes the cities of Saint-Hyacinthe, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Boucherville, Otterburn Park).
(Photo MWCN)
At the retreat, we learned about the important work that each organization is doing in their community. For instance, we learned that MEPEC recently opened a community library at their location in Beloeil. We also discussed how MWCN and ARC joined in a partnership to manage a wellness centre in Candiac.
Later, we broke into groups that had people working in similar jobs at each organization. As the Employability Coordinator at MWCN, I work on employability issues. I am working with our partners in employability to improve the capacity of employment services organizations to give services to clients in English. It was fitting that I joined a group of employability coordinators. We discussed how each organization was approaching this very important issue. I learned a lot from this encounter because it reaffirmed the importance of knowing the profiles of our communities. As well, it is important to bring partners to the table to tackle the issue together. These are lessons that I will take home.
We heard a presentation about the “Gaspesian Way” where the English-speaking organizations CASA and VISION got together and pooled resources to strengthen the community in the Gaspé. This “way” means several things. Firstly, the Gaspesian Way is an actual brand associated with the area. It even has a website! On another end, the Gaspesian Way is also a way of doing things in the Gaspé region. In this sense, the organisations there decided to pool their resources together and work together to create a vibrant and resilient partnership for English-speakers in the Gaspé.
This presentation gave most of us in the room a moment to reflect: What if we did create The Montérégie Way? This is where we discussed about how we could achieve this goal. We talked about collaborating closer. For example, my fellow employability coordinators at MEPEC and ARC talked about how we could meet regularly to exchange notes.
I hope that this retreat will be a beginning: one where we can have our own version of the Gaspesian Way: The Montérégie Way. It will be a way of doing things and a way to ensure we not only preserve the English-speaking community in the region but cherish it.
Chateauguay – 255 Blvd d’Anjou, Suite 203, Chateauguay QC J6J 2R4 – 450 691-1444
Vaudreuil-Soulanges – 117D Cardinal-Léger, Pincourt QC J7W 7A8 – 514 425-0399
Haut-Saint-Laurent/Châteauguay Valley – 72 Dalhousie, Suite 201, Huntingdon, QC J0S 1H0 – 450 264-3596
Candiac – 9 Blvd Montcalm N, Suite 512, Candiac, QC J5R 3L4 – 438 455-2747
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