Investing in QCGN roundtables and activities
The ESCC’s ongoing collaboration with the Quebec Community Groups Network as the backbone organization to the 2024-2027 Community Development Plan for English-Speaking Quebec has deep roots. The Council’s recent investments toward the cocreation of a peer-led workshop on the retention of human resources notably took the shape of researching and proposing a working definition of best practices adapted to the environment within which we serve and are called to evolve. The drive of the members of the Organizational and Network Health and Representation roundtables that have united to pilot a workshop is to help one another build organizational capacity, agility, and social impact. The volunteers that are honing the workshop format and content for a launch and test soon received further key input from the QCGN and roundtable members in March. Onwards together!
On April 2, the ESCC partook in the QCGN’s member consultation. The meaningful one on one dialogue had many proactive facets: helping us prepare for ongoing pre-consultations on the Part VII of the Official Languages Act hosted by the Treasury Board of Canada is but one example.
The ESCC also partook in the QCGN’s April 14th bilingual conference, French in Decline? New Perspectives on the Issues and Challenges of French as a Common Public Language of Quebec Society. The panelists’ knowledge and ongoing scholarly work highlighted that the “dialogue to achieve a better vivre-ensemble regarding linguistic vitality in Quebec” must deepen and be more data-driven.
Liaising with PCH and its Official Languages Branch
In February, the Council benefited from renewing its dialogue on its activities and accountability in the stewardship of its 2023-2025 PCH grant. It then joined many sister organizations for an online consultation session on the Implementation of the New Centre for Strengthening Part VII of the Official Languages Act. In March, the ESCC partook in a dialogue session with Quebec English-Speaking communities that relates to the upcoming second tranche of bonuses specific to years 2 to 5 of the 2023-2028 Action Plan for Official Languages -Protection-Promotion-Collaboration. The ESCC hopes to qualify so its interest in contributing to the identification and validation of the main principles guiding the allocation of these bonuses is clear!
Aiming to contribute to building trust in community organizations
Evermore aware of the importance of building deeper relationships and trust, the ESCC benefited from the Greater Montreal Foundation’s April 10 webinar La philanthropie basée sur la confiance. The change in paradigm they are aiming to drive locally is inspiring! The myths they are enlisting the community sector’s help to debunk include: “Complex, detailed application forms and processes lead to better results” and “Funding agencies are limited to offering grants”.
Photos: Betty Esperanza, Courtesy of the QCGN