Serving the Eastern Townships English-speaking Community since 1979.
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A VITAL COMMUNITY
March 31, 2010
By Brenda Hartwell
Townshippers’ Association hosted two dynamic and informative one-day health promotion symposiums last week, one in Cowansville and one in Lennoxville. The New Insights: Eastern Townships English-speaking Community symposiums focused on such health determinants as education, employment, social support and others. They were very well attended with 121 participants from community organizations and educational, health and social service agencies.
Both days opened with presentations based on research concerning our community. Well-known researcher Natalie Kishchuk, Ph.D. was the first speaker to take the podium, where she presented recent findings relating to health promotion and health determinants initiatives for the Townships English-speaking community. William Floch, Manager of the research team for the Official-language Programs Support Branch of Canadian Heritage, followed with new census data illuminating the demographic evolution of the English-speaking population of the Eastern Townships, from 1996 to 2006.
These presentations provided rich fodder for thought, and conversations over lunch were lively as participants discussed the findings, networked, and reconnected with the familiar faces of their peers, who strive to better living conditions for members of the E.T. English-speaking community They were also the basis for afternoon discussions, grounding the forum with data relating to the evolution of our community, and supplying information that pinpointed areas of particular concern.
At each symposium, the afternoon began with a poster session, where 11 exhibitors shared best practices and research relevant to health promotion. The Eastern Townships is a vast territory, and so it is not unusual for people to be unaware of successful programs or projects in the next MRC. The poster session provided an excellent opportunity for exchange between among sectors and different regions.
The bulk of the two afternoons was devoted to discussion groups followed by a plenary session. Organizers had thoughtfully constructed each group to insure that various sectors were represented, providing wide expertise and animated input around each table. Lively discussion followed, with participants identifying priorities and possible solutions. Facilitator Russ Kueber from the Community Health & Social Services Network (CHSSN) brought all the groups together in a final plenary session to discuss the recommendations and areas of concern brought forward by the various groups.
The symposiums were organized by Townshippers’ Association and partners, through the Eastern Townships Partners for Health and Social Services, comprised of the Estrie Network and the Montérégie East Network, and the Eastern Townships Health Promotion projects.
Comments concerning the symposiums were overwhelmingly positive, and coordinators deserve a round of applause for organizing such fruitful forums. Christelle Bogosta and Kate Murray of the Montérégie-East Network, and Debbie Bishop and Shannon Keenan of the Estrie Network managed to attract and engage a real cross-section of people with wide-ranging expertise to the symposium. The days were well organized, and they provided a space for brainstorming, the exchange of ideas and concerns, the pinpointing of priorities, and possible solutions.
Townshippers’ Association extends hearty thanks to the people and partners who helped build these successful days. We would also like to thank everyone who took time out of their busy lives to participate, especially those who acted as facilitators during the discussions: Russ Kueber, Veerle Beljaars, Eric Lukacs, Jean-Guy Saint-Gelais, Josiane Bergeron, Heather Keith, Christine Meunier, and Marie Thibeault.
The Eastern Townships Partners for Health and Social Services networks were created by Townshippers’ Association in 2004, and the Eastern Townships Health Promotion project began in January 2010. Its aim is to collaborate in helping public health initiatives be adapted to improve the health and social wellbeing of the English-speaking minority. In this context, the health promotion symposiums were a vital step in discerning which needs to prioritize. Both projects are made possible in part by the financial support of the Community Health & Social Services Network and Health Canada.
Photo Credit: Daniel Ozon
Photo Cutline: In deep discussion during the poster session at the New Insights symposium in Cowansville: Jn-Guy Saint-Gelais, Quebec Provincial Coordinator of the Elder Abuse Awareness Project, Elder Abuse Team, NICE - National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly, and Veerle Beljaars, Director of the Caregivers Support Group of Brome-Missisquoi.