Good morning. I am delighted to be with you today to speak about an exciting initiative that is having a growing and substantial impact on the anglophone minority community in Quebec. I am of course referring to the network of community and education centres in the anglophone education sector in Quebec.
My name is Paule Langevin and I am the director of the provincial management team, whose job is to guide the implementation of the network and to contribute to its upkeep in the province. With me today is Debbie Horrocks, Assistant Project Director and Community Liaison Coordinator.
The concept of community learning centres, or CLCs, is simple: the education and participation of students at school, their leadership and their commitment to the community are consolidated through family and community support. In the same way, the school helps the families and the community in which these students live. The basic principle is that of a school rooted in its community and open to all of its members. It requires a change of culture within the school structure and a change of perception of the school on the part of the parents and community partners. This is not always easy to achieve.
The primary goal of the CLCs, initially funded six years ago by Canadian Heritage, was to promote the social well-being and development of youth, as we knew that school education alone is not enough. We had to encourage the community in which the school is located to participate in programs so as to develop a sense of belonging and to breathe new energy into the school and the surrounding community.