Addressing Community Vitality through Community Learning Centres

1. Quebec Community Groups Network Addressing Community Vitality through Community Learning Centres Le Nouvel Hotel, May 6th 2010

2. Why the QCGN • Regional Associations are key stakeholders • Sector Organizations are/can be key contributors • Community Learning Centres are funded to support the vitality of the English-speaking Community of Quebec. • The QCGN is the Government of Canada’s official representative of the English-speaking Community of Quebec

3. Community Learning Centres • CLC as Community Hub • Community Economic and Social Development • Health and Social Services • After-school Programs for Students • Family Support Services • SUN initiative, A Promising Direction for English Education in Québec Building community

4. Community Religious/ Ethnic/Cultural Communities Federal: Official Language Minority Community, “English Speaking Community of Quebec”. Provincial: MELS focus is on the ‘education’ community Ground level: heterogeneous linguistic mix that defies binary definitions. Communities. Functional Communities (Education) Linguistic Communities Geographic Communities

5. Minority Language Educational Rights “The purpose of s. 23 (Minority Language Educational Rights) is the protection and promotion of the minority language community in each province. Section 23 is of prime importance given “the vital role of education in preserving and encouraging linguistic and cultural vitality.” Gosselin (Tutor of) v. Quebec (Attorney General)

6. Community Responsibility “…minority language groups cannot always rely upon the majority to take account of all of their linguistic and cultural concerns.  Such neglect is not necessarily intentional: the majority cannot be expected to understand and appreciate all of the diverse ways in which educational practices may influence the language and culture of the minority.” Mahe v. Alberta

7. School and Community • “Every school board shall adopt a strategic plan… stating: the context in which it acts particularly the characteristics and expectations of the community it serves.” • Section 209.1 of Quebec’s Education Act • None of the English Language School Boards discuss the characteristics and expectations of the English-speaking community they serve. (survey of strategic plans, mission statements, and other key organizational documents)

8. Youth voice • Community’s youth want to be able to explore and celebrate their identities, bond with and carry the Community forward, and feel like a valued part of Quebec society in their roles as members of the ESCQ. • Creating Space for Young Quebecers

9. Service vs. Community • Treating minority language education as a service will cause its disappearance. • Demographic reality • Province obligated, “where numbers warrant” • Treating education as a staple of Community life is more likely to result in the institutions sustainability.

10. Community Responsibility • To understand, exercise, disseminate and protect Canada’s minority language rights. • Rights ownership. • To understand and ensure that the English schools of Quebec are a centre of Community vitality and culture that play a critical part in our unique identity as English-speaking Quebecers; • Sustainability. An appreciation of the Community’s place in the fabric of Quebec. • To work in partnership with the Governments of Canada and Quebec to ensure the success of the Community’s education system. • Ensure equal consideration and equitable support for Canada’s English OLMC, and Quebec’s English-speaking Community • Ensure that bi-lateral agreements related to Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction reflect the needs of English-speaking Quebec, and that federal funding therein allocated fully benefits the English-speaking Community.

11. CLC - Community Governance • The definition of community changes at each operational level • The principle of education as a vital community institution remains unchanged • The health of community rests on the health of its schools • Community is governed by community members

12. Concerns • The definition of ‘community’ must be rooted within the context of a minority language community • CLCs are funded to support the vitality of the English-speaking Community of Quebec, not the general population. • There must be a coordinated approach to planning and implementing CLCs at the National, Provincial, and local level. These approaches must reflect the development priorities of the English-speaking Community (ies) they serve • The English School Boards and the English-speaking Community have a responsibility to help principals, directors general and CLC coordinators understand and implement Community priorities. Community Vitality