BIENVENUE À NOTRE-DAME-DE-GRÂCE
CURRENT PROJECTS
INTERCULTURAL MEDIATION AGENT
With the support of the Bureau d’intégration des nouveaux arrivants de Montréal, the AMI – Intercultural Mediation Agent – project aims to promote the integration and participation of immigrant families from NDG in their new host society. The AMI project is a concerted initiative led by Bienvenue à NDG aimed at creating opportunities for intercultural understanding in the neighborhood, thereby increasing knowledge and experience of diversity. The objective of the project is to break the isolation of newcomers through intercultural dialogue in NDG.
The AMI project is funded through the MIDI-Ville 2018-2021 envelope from the Bureau d’intégration des nouveaux arrivants de Montréal, Service de la diversité et de l’inclusion sociale.
MY NEW NEIGHBORHOOD FREE OF BULLYING
Counting on the support of the Ministère de la Famille as part of the Together Against Bullying Financial Support Program, the My new neighborhood free of bullying Project was developed in partnership with Prévention CDN-NDG, a local organization that stands out for its expertise in matters of urban security and crime prevention. The project aims to raise awareness among neighborhood families, mainly newly arrived families with children attending school, about the problem of bullying (definition, possible solutions and lines of intervention). Bullying goes far beyond linguistic and cultural differences. That’s why it’s important to work together to help build a bullying-free community.
NDG DIVERSE AND WELCOMING
As part of Canadian Heritage’s program of support for communities, multiculturalism and the fight against racism, Bienvenue à NDG has developed the “NDG diverse and welcoming” project. This extends over a period of 12 months (2018-2019) and has four (4) objectives: 1) strengthen the communication skills of Bienvenue à NDG; 2) ensuring the transferability of the knowledge acquired to the member organizations of the NDG Intercultural Table (TINDG); 3) develop a guide and additional training promoting diversity and inclusion in the neighborhood; 4) inspire other stakeholders to develop complementary initiatives to help create a community free from discrimination and racism.
TABLE INTERCULTURELLE DE NOTRE-DAME-DE-GRÂCE (TINDG); DEVELOPMENT OF INTERCULTURAL SKILLS
Thanks to the support of the Programme Montréal interculturel, Bienvenue à NDG and the members of the NDG Intercultural Table have implemented a project to develop the intercultural skills of Table organizations and raise their awareness of the challenges of diversity and to promote intercultural dialogue between the population and the Table organizations.
The NDG Intercultural Table develops and supports initiatives promoting the inclusion and participation of cultural communities and encourages learning about intercultural differences and respect for diversity. The development of intercultural skills in member organizations will lead to the development of innovative activities targeting the needs expressed by the community (in the workplace, in the community, in businesses, etc.). The Table will have a more targeted impact allowing it to consolidate a permanent space of cultural mediation in and for the whole district.
List of training and activities organized as part of the project:
- Intercultural relations – offered by TCRI
- Immigration 101 – offered by TCRI
- Immigration status and access to health care – offered by Médecins du monde
COMPLETED PROJECTS
LOCAL CONSULTATIONS ON RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION
This program aimed to collect testimony from victims of discrimination and racism. Le Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) et la Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ) associated with non-profit organizations (NPOs) working with racialized people from various regions of Quebec.
Thus, in the fall of 2017, Bienvenue à NDG organized consultations in the neighborhood with people who had experienced discrimination and racism in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighborhood, in order to be able to develop concrete solutions.
REPORT (PDF) – will be uploaded later
NEIGHBORS TALKING
As part of the Canadian Heritage Inter-action Program. The Neighbors Talking project took place over a 12-month period from April 2018 to March 2019. The project facilitated a series of intercultural community dialogues in order to produce a model and a checklist for neighborhoods who wish to implement an approach adapted to immigrants within neighborhood life.
More than 100 participants took part in these community dialogues, as well as 800 other participants in four larger community events. All project activities took place locally in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) neighborhood in Montreal; targeting four vulnerable sectors. In total, nearly 900 participants, including local citizens, new immigrants, as well as federal, provincial, municipal and community service providers and local businesses, participated in these activities. A steering group of six diverse participants, called Conversation Starters, participated in meetings to plan and develop the structure, discuss the content and spirit of intercultural dialogues; supervise the summary of exchanges and discussions.
MY FINANCES, MY FUTURE
This project was made possible thanks to the support within the framework of the Fonds pour l’éducation et la saine gouvernance Fund, granted by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The workshops organized during 2018-2019 allowed more than a hundred newcomers in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce to receive quality information, reliable resources and clear answers to their questions on the field of finance
in their new home, Quebec and improve their skills in terms of financial choices; banking system, investments, insurance, budget and fraud. The program aimed to improve the quality of financial literacy support for low-income newcomers during the earliest stages of their settlement.
INFORMATION BOOKLET (PDF) will be uploaded later
SCHOOL SYSTEM WORKSHOPS
The need for information on the Quebec school system is necessary – if not essential – especially for newly arrived families whose children are starting school, especially kindergarten. For several years, thanks to the support of the Table 0-5 Cavendish and in collaboration with the Table de concertation jeunesse NDG, Bienvenue à NDG has been organizing multilingual workshops on the school system and school transition. The material presented is provided free of charge by the TCRI (training and interactive tools).
In 2019, the workshops were given in partnership with the CIUSSS Center-Ouest-de-l’île-de-Montreal school team, Integrated Front Line Services. The first part of the workshop offered by Bienvenue à NDG speakers dealt with the school system and the second, offered by members of the CIUSS school team, presented the important elements in the school transition to kindergarten.
INFORMATION SHEET (PDF) will be uploaded later
FOCUS GROUPS ON HEALTH
In collaboration with the NDG Seniors Council, Bienvenue à NDG organized a series of multilingual discussion groups about health and community services for seniors and their experiences with the health system.
The results of these meetings were shared during the Health Community Forum which was held on October 20, 2019.
The objective of the forum was to address the problems related to access to health; develop greater clarity of the existing health system; and show how users, organizations and institutions can work together to improve access and quality of health and social services. The day included thematic workshops to discuss the elements of the health system, followed by a plenary panel with representatives from front-line services, the Ombudsman’s office, and the Cavendish User Committee to better understand how we can defend our interests and those of others.
FOCUS GROUPS ON CHALLENGES RELATING TO FAMILIES THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY
The Table 0-5 and Bienvenue à NDG organized a series of multilingual focus groups to better understand the needs of parents and families with children aged 0 to 5 in our neighborhood. The participants discussed the main characteristics of an ideal community for their families and young children and of their personal experience as parents.
The participants discussed issues concerning families throughout the community, in particular those that are their priority: access to quality public and community spaces and infrastructure (community centers, parks, etc.); access to health and social services; access to services to provide support regarding parenting (workshops, tools, etc.); access to the childcare center and other childcare services; sufficient activities for families with young children (family events, sports and culture, etc.); a real community life centered on young children and the family; cultural, linguistic or social services for immigrants / refugees / permanent residents, etc .; a safe environment for young children and families (cycle track, own parks, etc.). The focus groups helped highlight the different challenges faced by families in the neighborhood. Participants were also invited to reflect on a new service or activity for families in NDG.