An Intentional Community of Practice in Equity, Social Justice and Francophonie
The Canadian Francophonie is increasingly culturally diverse. Immigrants make up 21.9% of French-speaking Canadians, while 22% are visible minorities (according to the 2016 Census).
Francophone and Acadian communities have everything to gain by drawing on the strengths of all the individuals and groups that make up their communities. However, the real integration of issues such as diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice in the day-to-day operation of organizations and communities is a complex challenge that requires approaches adapted to each environment. The lack of tools and knowledge in this area can lead to misunderstanding, conflict and fragmentation. Their use, however, leads to communities that are stronger and more mobilized than ever!
This is why the FCFA has set up an Intentional Community of Practice in Equity, Social Justice and Francophonie.
This initiative is the starting point of a promising strategy that focuses on intentionality and the creation of altruistic habits in order to co-construct solutions and knowledge.
What is an intentional community of practice (ICP)?
“Communities of practice are groups of people who interact regularly over an extended period of time to:
- Share common concerns
- Consolidate their expertise
- Develop new knowledge
(…) Some are interdisciplinary, while others are more associated with a particular issue or sector of activity. They may include individuals from the same organization or individuals from several organizations.”
Definition from: http://www.saco.uqam.ca/activite/communaute-de-pratique
Core objectives
This project has two basic objectives:
- To help facilitate practices that integrate issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice in our Francophone communities
- To impart the knowledge built through this collaborative process
The core objectives of this project address complex issues for which effective strategies and specific practices have yet to be developed. These types of issue require a rigorous, informed and grounded exploratory approach.
Why “intentional”?
The core objectives of this project become the fundamental intentions around which the community of practice is built and that guide all its actions.
In other words, its members are involved from the outset, with the aim of uniting their efforts around these two intentions. Once the group has been formed as an ICP, its members identify specific objectives in order to structure their collaboration, step by step. These specific objectives should:
- Be linked to the original intentions
- Target the creation and maintenance of this ICP such as it is
Members of the Community of Practice
- Josiane Barebereho, Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario
- Aja Besler, Fondation canadienne pour le dialogue des cultures
- Louise Chaynes, la Boussole Centre Communautaire Francophone
- Lamia Gharbi, Communauté francophone accueillante de Labrador
- Kevin Jourdan, Société franco-manitobaine
- Ida Kamariza, Réseau en immigration francophone de l’Alberta
- Jean-Samuel Lampron, Association canadienne Française de l’Alberta Régionale de Red Deer
- Gilles LeVasseur, Université d’Ottawa
- Catherine Mire
- Laurent Francis Ngoumou, Université de Laval
- Robert Suraki Watum, Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de l’Alberta Society (AJFAS)
