I would just like to mention that I have cut back the part of my presentation that deals with historical background, since the Association franco-culturelle has the same roots as the Fédération franco-ténoise. I will address it somewhat, but to a lesser extent than originally planned.
The Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife is very pleased to be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. From the organization's infancy, many different players have been successful in passionately promoting the French fact in a minority environment.
The tireless work of active members was certainly instrumental in consolidating our assets in terms of the development of French Canadian culture in Yellowknife. The first Francophone institution in the Northwest Territories came into being in 1978 under the name “Association culturelle franco-ténoise”.
Francophone culture has been present in the Northwest Territories mainly since the 19th century. The First Nations' enduring perception of the Francophone community can be described as bitterness resulting from the repression of their mother tongue in the colleges and convents administered by the different religious orders, but also the recognition that we are a benevolent partner, rather than a rival or oppressor. The following is an example of that.
Aboriginal leaders pay tribute to the French Canadians for having fought, for some 240 years, against the policies of cultural genocide adopted by a Canadian government controlled by an Anglophone Orangeman mentality, and enthusiastically take inspiration from their courage and their success as they, in turn, demand that their culture be preserved.
It was thanks to the initiative of members of the Association culturelle franco-ténoise that a new association was established to serve the capital. The new association was incorporated on September 18, 1985 under the name “Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife”.
In recent years, the Association has developed a number of important projects, including CIVR, Radio Taïga, the only French-language community radio station in the NWT. Since September of 2001, the Yellowknife community has been able to benefit from continuous programming in French, including at least 25 hours of local programming every week.
The mandate of the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife is to develop cultural life in the City of Yellowknife. For many people, culture is synonymous with art; for others, it involves social gatherings that are likely to create relationships and a sense of belonging because of similar societal references. However, the term “culture” is associated with several different categories of activity, such as the environment, history, the welfare of a society, the arts, and so on.
Over the years, the AFCY has succeeded in developing programming that meets the needs of Francophones and Francophiles living in Yellowknife. In order to attain the goals set by members of the AFCY, we need to establish multiple partnerships. The critical mass of Francophones and Francophiles is continuing to expand. It is therefore critical to ensure the necessary financial stability to cover expenses associated with fixed costs. Insecurity leads to poor distribution of tasks, something which causes burnout among both board members and employees.
Financial stability would allow us to strike a certain balance and enable our association to conduct research and diversify its funding sources. The AFCY is interested in focusing its attention on such areas as artistic dissemination, festivals, social and community activities, as well as youth-oriented programming.
In order to maintain the quality of the programming that is offered, AFCY employees are always seeking new volunteers who may be interested in supporting the Association. This organization would not be viable without the unconditional support of volunteers. Voluntarism is proving to be an excellent way of developing their skills in a variety of areas. Furthermore, our organization provides a meeting place for one and all, thus avoiding some people's sense of isolation. I also want to mention that our meeting place is a small “cabin”. So, we have about three square feet to accommodate people.
It is important that the government understand that arts and culture act as a preventative tool, particularly from a social standpoint. Three years ago, the AFCY had about 40 members. Now its membership exceeds 250.
The ultimate goal is to see a tangible increase in the number of people who communicate in French, through various cultural projects. The year 2010 was synonymous with success thanks to the celebrations organized for the 25th anniversary. The festival that took place as part of that commemoration was an opportunity to demonstrate a visibility never seen before in the City of Yellowknife. That is a wonderful stepping stone for the development of large-scale projects in the near future. The “Miroir sur la francophonie nordique” festival was funded primarily through the support of the government. Without that contribution, we would never have found 15 sponsors, multiple partners in the City of Yellowknife, 25 volunteers, 10 or more local artists, caterers, and so on. That event had positive spinoffs at the economic, cultural, community and tourism levels. Now we enjoy excellent credibility and hope that this can continue.
Let's move on now to talk about the Association's issues. There is inadequate funding to ensure that the fixed costs of AFCY and Radio Taïga can be covered. The extra workload prevents us from carrying out medium-term planning. The work space is inadequate, too limited. There is a lack of funding to hire additional resources. Funders do not consider the fact that Yellowknife is located in a remote area. Personally, I think it is even more important under the circumstances to ensure cultural vitality. The funders' response time is unrealistic and excessive. Indeed, I want to point out that when we work in partnership or under contracts awarded by other non-profit organizations, we are all subject to the whims of our funders. At this point, there are approximately five contracts for which we are unable to be paid because the organizations in question are still waiting for their funding to come through. Under those kinds of conditions, it never ends.
I would now like to give you an idea of the daily work schedule for the director. In that capacity, I have to draft project proposals, provide the necessary follow-up, look after administration and accounting, organize fundraising, take care of communications and advertising, find funding and partners, write up all the formal documentation, respond to visitors, carry out long-term planning, organize events and activities and find volunteers. In other words, the director manages, plans and executes.
With respect to our accomplishments, I want to mention that these activities are self-financed or partially financed by the government. My salary is still not covered by our operating fund. So, it is really out of passion for what I do that I take on these responsibilities.
Here is a list of our accomplishments: the four activities organized as part of celebrating Canada, which are funded by Canadian Heritage, the Miroir sur la francophonie nordique festival and the radiothon. We had a magician give a show at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre. That was a gift from the organization that enabled us to use the facility free of charge, and keep all the revenues that were generated. There was also the haunted house at the Maison bleue. That was done in cooperation with the Yellowknife Judo Association. We also had the Francophone Beer Festival, the silent auction, and the Epiphany event. We organized meetings, AGMs and special general meetings. We organized activities such as bringing the artist Gérald Laroche from Manitoba, the Youth Film Festival, the sugaring-off activities in the school, the igloo camp, weekly activities, the youth improvisation league, and so on. We are now part of the Coup de coeur francophone and Réseau des grands espaces network. I am still awaiting answers from my funders.