Office of Community Engagement
1455 de Maisonneuve Boulevard Montreal, QC, Canada

We invite you to take a look at the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) online programming which features work from Nicolas Renaud, Huron-Wendat and part-time professor at Concordia in Studio Arts, Cinema and First Peoples Studies. Métamorphoses is a portrait of Olivia Lya Thomassie’s journey to reconnect with her Inuk identity after leaving Nunavik to establish in Montreal. Watch the trailer : https://ridm.ca/fr/films/metamorphoses In addition, the Seeking... Communities section is collaborating with Wapikoni mobile to highlight the work of Indigenous film-makers such as "Kijâtai" a film by Kijâtai-Alexandra Veillette-Cheezo. The RIDM takes place from November 12 to December 2, 2020. https://ridm.ca//the-2020-montreal-international-documenta

After extensive discussions and consultation, the City of Montreal released a Reconciliation Strategy 2020-2025 to ensure that Indigenous self-determination and rights are respected. We are proud to have participated in this process and we will continue to promote reconciliation principles in our work. Read the full Strategy here:

Our friends at the SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation have a $120,000 available to support social change projects in Montreal! Read more below and apply by November 29.

This article in the The Link describes a number of urban agriculture strategies led by Concordia University Zeina El Omari whose work was supported in part by our Office through a partnership with the Sustainability Action Fund at Concordia. The funding strategy is seeing students take part in environmental and social sustainability initiatives at Bâtiment 7, a community space in Pointe-Saint-Charles.

Jen Gobby is an activist-scholar who works closely with communities and social movements to do action-research that aims for transformative change towards social and environmental justice. Jen is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Concordia's Department of Geography, Planning and Environment. She is the author of the recent book More Powerful Together: Conversations with Climate Activists and Indigenous Land Defenders. You can order your copy now at https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/more-powerful-together All royalties are being donated to Indigenous Climate Action.

Since 2018, Concordia University and Bâtiment 7 have worked on a 3-year partnership which has seen University students, researchers, and programs introduced to the site as part of a coordinated strategy facilitated by the Concordia Office of Community Engagement. Through this work, a number of initiatives stemming from the University have taken place on site. The partnership between Concordia and Bâtiment 7 is now coming to a close and is due to end at Fall 2021. Ahead of this, we are hoping to solicit feedback from members of the Concordia community who have been on site, in order to evaluate all aspects of this partnerships, and whether it should be considered, and in what form. If you are a Concordia student, faculty, staff or alumni who has been active on site during this time, we would appreciate your feedback!

On Saturday September 12, the Press Start Coop, in collaboration with Bâtiment 7, will once again be holding Hip Hop as Resistance, which showcases the talent of BIPOC artists and youth as well as explores how Hip Hop music and culture are part of individual and collective resistance. The event will take place outdoors on the grounds of Building 7 with social distancing and sanitary protocols in place.

On Tuesday December 1, the OCE's Andrea Clarke, Geneviève Sioui and Alex Megelas, will present on the OCE's mandate and programs, at the Engage Conference 2020, organized by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement - NCCPE in Bristol, UK.

Greet Sundus Noor studies journalism at Concordia University and is an intern at the Nipivut radio show. Nipivut is part of the Southern Quebec Inuit organization, and created by-and-for the Montreal Inuit community. Sundus is working on compiling a digital database where information from the episodes, time stamps (keeping track of time), guests, and organizations are gathered. As well, she assists with the production of English-language content.The show also consists of a ne...ws outlet for the Inuit community. The program amplifies Inuit voices and strengthens and unites the community. To Sundus, this work is crucial given that the realities of the Inuit community are not reflected in the history which students are taught during their education, Many schools do not teach Canadian history through an accurate lens. If people wanted to know more about the ongoing issues going on, then the Nipivut radio show would be a good source, so people would be aware of the issues the Inuit community faces. Sundus also has knowledge of radio work, community organizing, and was involved with the organization Occupy the Hood which denounces systemic racism in Canada and police brutality, through peaceful protests. You can listen to Nipivut every Tuesday to find out more about the realities of the Inuit community, and how you can support this work. https://soundcloud.com/nipivut See more

Espace Famille Villeray which offers more than 40 activities for future parents and young families with children between 0 and 5 years old. Workshops, prenatal courses, a daycare, and more services are provided. You can support them by following their newsletter or by donating.

Meet Lovina Brown, an intern at CARE Jeunesse, and a student who studies philosophy at Concordia University. CARE Jeuneusse is directly connected to the community through the help that they provide and the support they give to youth-in-foster-care and alumni of the foster system. They reach out to the approximately 1,200 youths within the community who must transition out of the foster system immediately following their 18th birthday. Through a placement program at Concordia,... Lovina has become a communications assistant at CARE Jeunesse. She manages incoming and outgoing emails; a member database; informs members of a Covid-19 gift cards program; created a workshop for tax filing, a new volunteer database, and a newsletter that explains the criteria to apply for the CERB and for the CESB. She assists teenagers in applying for this program which assists them when they have to move out from foster care. While talking to a young girl on the phone, Lovina had a powerful exchange with the youth who started crying and said "I didn't think no one cared about us anymore" a testament to the fact that it's a big step in life to live on your own. Lovina is devoted to helping others after her studies at Concordia and this internship gave her the chance to have an impact on a compromised community. As she explains; "As a co-op student I was placed with CARE Jeunesse I am passionate about helping marginalized people reach their full potential. Prior to being placed with CARE Jeunesse I was not aware of the challenges that youth in care face on their 18th birthday. Nor was I aware of the statistics of how many face economic challenges Many do not end up pursuing higher education due to the challenges that they are facing. If it wasn’t for the help of the organization, they would be their own to navigate life at such a tender age. CARE Jeunesse is critical to the community they serve, since they provide a lifeline for many." In addition to her studies and work with CARE, Lovina also volunteered at CU Cares during the pandemic, and volunteered to check on the well-being of alumni of Concordia. You can support CARE Jeunesse by becoming a member, volunteering or donating. See more

Atelier La Coulée is a cooperative which aims to support and encourage artists, artisans, and visual arts students in Montreal. They provide access to a shared workshop specialized in artistic and artisanal metalwork, more specifically dedicated to wax casting and soldering. It is a place of artistic creation, meeting and sharing between different communities. You can encourage them by donating.

Le Dépôt / The Depot works collaboratively with other community partners to address issues of food insecurity in NDG and surrounding areas. They have multiple programs such as green workshops, intergenerational meals, cultural cooking, collective creations, summer picnics, community nutrition and more. You can get involved by volunteering, donating, and following their newsletter.

Welcome Neerujah Ledchumanan an engineering student currently doing a Concordia University internship with Park-Extension housing initiative Brique par brique, which works on the creation of community-housing in the neighborhood. Through this work, she helped at the food bank in Park-Extension every week, worked on a project to create care packages that would meet community needs, compiled data for research on housing needs, helped find residents find apartments, and created ...a map of urban development in the Saint-Michel and Park-Extension area. All of this is different from the topics she considered through her studies in engineering at Concordia. Neerujah was able to quickly adapt to the community work environment and connect with organizations such as Afrique au Feminin. This work allowed her to reconnect to experiences in her own community. As she explains I usually volunteer in the Sri Lankian community. I am a Tamal instructor too, I teach my first language to younger kids on Sundays. Through her involvement at the food bank, she met people from other parts of South Asia, saw that her work made a difference, and that it was all complimentary to her engineering studies. You can support Brick by brick by investing in the community bonds which fund their model. See more

Maison Saint Columba House has been a pillar of grassroots organizing in the Point St. Charles neighborhood which has a rich history of community building. They offer programs for children, parents, teens as well as a lunch service, meet-ups, and special events. You can contribute by donating.

Projets Autochtones Du Québec Yesterday was International Indigenous People's day. The United Nations considers the struggles of Indigenous Peoples around the world: "As we fight against the spread of the pandemic, it is more important than ever to safeguard Indigenous peoples and their knowledge. Their territories are home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity and they can teach us much about how to rebalance our relationship with nature and reduce the risk of future pandemics." You can lend support by donating.

Oxfam-Québec is an organization which fights against poverty in Quebec and other countries. They are working on two projects in Quebec, 50e marche monde is a way for the youth to voice the world they want to live in. Azimut project which aims to help young adults against dropping out of school: C’est ce que je souhaite avec le projet AZIMUT. Offrir aux jeunes cet environnement favorable, leur offrir des moyens, une chance de saisir leur destin, leur offrir ce que j’aurais aimé recevoir says André Sauvé, comedian and spokesperson. You can get involved by volunteering, donating, or creating your own fundraiser.

Youth Stars Foundation - Fondation Jeunes Étoiles encourages kids to build skills, self-esteem, and strengthen their interpersonal skills. The children can develop these through many youth programs such as a summer camp, jouer en santé program, West Island Future Stars program, workshops, and more. You can lend them a hand by volunteering.

Greet Chloe Hart, a Concordia communications student which is presently doing an internship at AfriqueauFéminin. Chloe is on the left and Alicia Prosser intern at the Office of Community Engagement is on the right. She has many responsibilities such as being in charge of the website and social media platforms, building a financial database, and applying for grants. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the food bank became a priority in the Parc-Extension neighborhood to answer the n...eeds of the community, primarily composed of immigrant and low-income families. It was a difficult time, I didn’t know a lot about what was going on before I started working at Afrique au Feminin. I learned a lot about how the pandemic had impacted the Park-Ex community and the diversity in the neighborhood. It’s like the largest immigrant community in Montreal and the most people whose first language is neither English or French. as Chloe explains. You can get involved by volunteering, donating food, clothes, and household goods. See more

Centre for Gender Advocacy / Centre de lutte contre l'oppression des genres advocates for gender equality and empowerment particularly as it relates to marginalized communities. It is achieved through ongoing programming, campaigns, resources, services, advocacy and a commitment to accessibility. You can support them by volunteering or donating.

Have a look at the list of resources our colleagues at SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation compiled for non-profits, social enterprises, and citizen groups navigating the new normal.

CIUSSS Centre-Ouest Montréal / CIUSSS West-Central Montreal is offering a free online workshop on Food and Babbling to stimulate his/her language. There are multiple available to register. All families are welcomed.

Maisons Marguerite is a shelter whose mission is to welcome, feed and help women in difficult situations. They provide different types of accommodations, clothes, and hygiene products to the women who take part in the services. You can support them by volunteering, donating or giving material.

Meet Sarah Charlebois, a research assistant currently doing an internship with the Montreal Indigenous Community RESEAU autochtone de Montréal - Montreal Aboriginal NETWORK. The main project that we're working on is called the Strategy for safety, wellbeing, and belonging of Indigenous People living in Montreal. It is a research project that consists of collecting secondary and primary data about Indigenous people living in Montreal. Also, we realized that a lot of the infor...mation that comes out of Indigenous communities isn’t used by Indigenous people mainly because it is not made accessible to the community by the researcher who is publishing the information. I just want to emphasize that it’s not the fault of the Indigenous community, it’s just that they don’t have access to the research or the information provided isn’t useful to their specific living condition. More Indigenous research methodologies need to be utilized in research to better suit specific communities as a whole. [...] So, with this project we’re really trying to find a way to make the information useful and to better their own lives., says Sarah. In addition, Sarah creates summaries, pamphlets for the public to access the information contained in the Strategy quickly, and also works on other projects. It is through the organization’s mandate that she is learning about Indigenous communities. Sarah explains that through her studies she noticed that anthropology has an individualistic approach. Her experience with the NETWORK is making her consider the value of community perspective, something she wants to carry back to the classroom. When asked what needs to change in relations to our relationship with Indigenous people she mentions that Concordia needs more classes on Indigenous realities. People can provide support to Indigenous communities by being an ally, a co-resistor, and consult the ally toolkit or go on the website for volunteering opportunities and more ways to help. Get educated and have conversations with people around you to educate. You can access the NETWORK’s Indigenous Ally Toolkit by clicking on the pdf here: http://reseaumtlnetwork.com//uploads/2019/04/Ally_March.pdf

This summer, Office of Community Engagement - Concordia University collaborated with the Concordia Experiential Learning and Institute for Co-operative Education, Concordia University offered Concordia students an internship opportunity with community organizations. In the next few weeks, our Facebook page will highlight their work and the involvement of these students.

Indigenous Stream Chaire réseau jeunesse autochtone is a research network that guides the advancement of the 2030 Youth Policy. It is through a series of monthly videos which discusses many themes such as wellness, identity, and culture. In their first video, the youth advisors take us on a personal journey to show how important wellbeing is to them in the context of confinement. The youth advisory’s role is to guide researchers and partners and centre research on Indigenous youth’s priorities. You can watch the video here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClvBe32HXUw And get more information about the Chair is provided here: http://www.chairejeunesse.ca/jeunes-autochtones