Getting Connected Is the Real Deal

Photo Credit: Santana Briggs

March 30, 2022 | Montréal

Being the Roaming YCA made me realize how many English-speaking communities there are outside of Montréal.

As a Concordia student, my sphere of awareness is often limited to the island of Montréal. Taking on this role forced me outside of my comfort zone, both literally and physically, and pushed me to explore Québec at large.

One of the other organizations I worked with was the Montérégie West Community Network (MWCN). As an organization that aims to serve the Anglophone community in the Montérégie region, they put on programming for everyone from youth to seniors. I met with Lorie, MWCN’s coordinator for community development, and she and I discussed how our organizations were similar. I learned how entrenched MWCN was in the Montérégie Anglophone community and how it used a lot of personal connections to host events. When we were planning the paint night, the pub, where we had planned to host the event, belonged to someone she knew. One of the most important parts of a community is the connections you have. And seeing how they support each other within the Montérégie region was heartwarming.

“Tapping into existing community networks made my job as Roaming YCA easier”

As YCA I also wanted to visit some of the communities I was trying to connect with. I went to the Laval Rapids, right outside of Montréal. There were a lot of people, especially families, enjoying the winter weather and walking along the shore with young children or pets. I loved how family-oriented it was. I also took my sister to Magog. In Magog, we learned about local artists working within the community to bring in visitors and bring the town to life. At the Musée d’art contemporain des Laurentides, I went through the permanent exhibit and learned about the works and lives of the artist on display.

Trying to create connections where we previously had none is super challenging and not for the weak of hearts. But as soon as you’re able to get your foot in the door, it’s so much easier to make space for the things you want to do. Working with organizations like MWCN makes the work we’re doing more meaningful because we get to add to work already being done in the community. Tapping into existing community networks made my job as Roaming YCA easier and gave me better access to the Anglophone communities around Québec. Getting connected was the real challenge.

Learn more about Montérégie West Community Network (MWCN).
Learn more about Musée d’art contemporain des Laurentides.

Author
Santana Briggs
Youth Cultural Ambassador (Roaming)
for Y4Y’s You are Here: The Belonging Project