April 2020 Newsletter

Update on the Network team

This past November, the Peace Network team was pleased to welcome Anna Krol into its ranks as Program Coordinator, specializing in Diversity and Inclusion. Recipient of a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Grenoble Alpes (France), Anna specializes in the ethics of interpersonal communication and in language analysis. As part of her doctoral work, she was invited to join an interdisciplinary team on the fight against discrimination. To this end, she participated in studies carried out for the Defender of Rights and the General Commissariat for the Equality of Territories. She also conducted an evaluation of public policies related to the fight against discrimination in a municipality in the Grenoble basin. Her work experience in the private sector and her collaboration with the Association of Executives for Social and Economic Progress in Lyon, combined with her academic knowledge, led her to teach Intercultural Management.

The City of Montreal commemorated the 17^th edition of Martin Luther King Day on January 20th, through a collaborative effort with the Peace Network for Social Harmony and local NGO Youth in Motion. The event’s central activity was a panel moderated by Michael Farkas, with a discussion of actions that can be taken on campus to promote diversity and inclusion as well as practices of non-violence.  All four of Montreal’s major universities were part of the panel including:  Dr. Nalini Mohabir, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Town Planning and Environment at Concordia University; Marie-Livia Beaugé, lawyer and former law student at UQAM; Julie Guernier, undergraduate student in International Studies and project manager for humanitarian and community action at the University of Montreal; and Lina Bensaidane, a law graduate involved with Muslim Awareness Week at McGill University.

Muslim Awareness Week

Through a platform of joint programming that took place from January 25^th to 31^st, a panoply of intercultural and interfaith activities took place, uniting a multitude of dedicated partners. These activities provided opportunities for citizens to meet “others” different than themselves and to become more aware of the concerns of Muslim Quebecers. For its part, the Peace Network participated in several activities, assisted with promotion, and facilitated a number of partnerships. We plan to contribute again to the 2021 edition, given the importance of this unique bridge-building initiative.
 

At the time of the forum’s postponement, the Peace Network – an MSWSV partner since 2018 – was working on the creation of a panel looking at sexual violence in schools and the tools available for effective intervention. We hope that this valuable initiative will take place at some point soon, at which time it will assist participant stakeholders to increase the impact and efficiency of their work. 
 

The 21^st edition of the Action Week Against Racism and for Equal Opportunities, scheduled to take place from March 21st to 31st, had to be postponed. Under a theme of "How to respond to racism in the digital age,” a variety of activities related to prevention, awareness and public education were to be offered, thanks to the efforts of the initiative’s many dedicated partners. The Action Week website explains that “the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia is essential for the protection of everyone’s fundamental rights and for the advent of social solidarity which promotes the participation of each citizen in the development of a more just society.”  A partner in the initiative since 2019, the Peace Network is dedicated to continuing its involvement in forthcoming editions, as we work together to put an end to all forms of discrimination, which remain too prevalent in our society.
 

 An innovative website for preventing youth violence

Update on the Institute of Social Emotional Education (ISEE)

The team at the Institute of Social Emotional Education (ISEE) has completed its first commercial game, which incorporates their proprietary social emotional learning tools. The game is called Connect Cards: Feelings and Needs. Having been tested with families, young adults and in classrooms, orders have come in from a corporation in Europe (which will use the cards as a way to 'check-in' with their team members at the start or end of meetings), a CEGEP administrator, and teachers and families who participated in the focus groups. ISEE is also working towards the publication of its CS3: Core Skills in 3 Domains Me-You-Us Teacher Guides (K-3 & Gr. 4-8) in English, as well as finalizing CE3: Compétences essentielles dans trois domaines du développement relationnel (CE3): le moi, le toi et le nous. The Peace Network has long been an active partner of the ISEE and its co-founder Dr. Tara Wilkie, and looks forward to continuing the collaboration.

Informational Tour on Montreal's Muslim Diversity:
postponed to a later date

This unique event teaches participants about people of Muslim faith or culture in Montreal, as well as helping them reflect on cultural and religious pluralism as a whole. Participants are invited to meet at a café in St-Michel to start the conversation, followed by a bus tour covering different areas of Montreal where they can retrace the history of the city’s Muslim cultures. It also includes a lunch served in the warm atmosphere of the Centre justice et foi, the organization behind the event, after which participants take place in a “Living Library” activity, at which they learn about the lives of ordinary Muslim Quebecers. Finally, the day ends by visiting a mosque in Côte-des-Neiges. The Peace Network, proud partner of the event, invites you to participate and live this day of solidarity and shared citizenship. We will be sure to inform you once a new date is confirmed.
 

Since 2018, the Peace Network has collaborated with various grassroots partners to highlight the May 16th International Day for Living Together in Peace.  Working in partnership with organizations focused on diversity and inclusion, the Network has taken part in a variety of activities related to vivre-ensemble (Cuisine ta ville, a Blanket Exercise, various exhibitions, interfaith walks, etc.) in order to emphasize and publicize the cultural richness of Montreal’s communities and to help build bridges among cultures and religions. This year, in an effort to continue the collaborative work and to encourage new alliances, the Peace Network brought together a dozen partners from the diversity and inclusion field in order to help them get to know each other better, to discuss and coordinate activities to be undertaken within the framework of the IDLTP, and to consider possible partnerships, as well as discussing the possible creation of a Forum on Diversity and Inclusion (to be held in 2021).  

Over the course of two meetings, it was exciting and inspiring to see the emergence of partnerships between many of the organizations. The meetings also made it easier to organize joint efforts and a more coordinated approach to celebrations of the IDLTP. Unfortunately, the current global situation makes it likely that the activities planned for May will be postponed or canceled. Nonetheless, the alliances created during these two meetings remain intact, and the gatherings will make it easier to collaboratively and synergistically pursue future actions in favor of living together in peace.
 

The Montreal branch of the “Académie de la non-violence” is hoping to hold its scheduled event, the 4th Encounter of the Ambassadors of Non-Violence: My commitment, our strength of conviction,” if the situation allows, on May 12 at Gilles-Vigneault School. Taking place in the context of the International Day for Living Together in Peace, the event will highlight the hope that people will act together for a better world. The program will include:

• A presentation on the role of the Ambassadors as spokespeople and actors for peace;
• A description and explanation of the flagship Ambassadors of Peace program;
• Inauguration of the Wall of Peace.

The “Académie de la non-violence” collaborated with many organizations in developing the initiative, including the Peace Network for Social Harmony which has been an implementing partner. Last year, the 3rd Encounter of the Ambassadors for Non-Violence demonstrated the strength and conviction of these committed young people. In addition to having built bridges between students and adults of different ages and cultural backgrounds, the initiative also raised awareness of the importance of educating young people to remain calm in all circumstances in order to better manage their pressures, all thanks to their participation in non-violence education workshops.
 

The Peace Network, proud partner of ATSA, Quand l’Art Passe à l’Action since the 2019 edition of Cuisine ta ville, is pleased to provide assistance with another large-scale event promoting intercultural rapprochement and dialogue. Following on the success of Cuisine ta ville artistic and interactive event scheduled to take place in eight Montreal boroughs by next October. Neighbourhoods included in the initiative are Montreal-North, Côte-Des-Neiges, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Villeray Saint-Michel Parc-Extension, Saint-Laurent, Saint-Leonard, Pierrefonds Roxboro, and Lachine.