RAWQ is Back in Action

 

The Regional Association of west Quebecers is delighted to announce we are back in our offices at both the Gallerie d’Aylmer and in Shawville. We are looking forward to new beginnings in this “New Reality” we are living during the pandemic. Our offices will be open five days a week between the hours of 10am to 5pm. All Covid-19 health and safety precautions recommended by the Quebec government will apply and we are asking all visitors to please wear a mask when entering our premises.

We are excited to begin our French Second Language courses again, under the guidance of our Coordinator Jeanne Nivischiuk. The classes will be online and will be taught by many of the same teachers from the last session. Preparation for the Fall session is ongoing, with open registration for classes taking place on our website at www.westquebecers.ca from September 2nd to September 11, 2020. Our virtual classes will be designed with the assistance and guidance of LEARNQuebec whose expertise in online instruction will be invaluable. LEARNQuebec will also help train our teachers and participants on the nuances of online instruction.

The pause in our services allowed us to retool and revise our programming and be more creative in how we engage the community. Many of you have already received our revitalized quarterly Newsletter. We will also contact our members and community via a monthly E-Bulletin featuring events and announcements taking place in the English-speaking community in the Outaouais

Hayley Campbell is our Outreach Coordinator in Shawville. Hayley is assisted this summer by Kendal Lang, working with us on a grant from the Canada Summer Jobs Program. Hayley and Kendal are focusing on youth outreach and our community and business directories. Hayley will also maintain our website and multimedia platforms, as well as work on the many fundraising projects and events we have planned.

We will continue to participate in important community initiatives within the English-speaking community like the Access Committee on Health and Social Services in English, Heritage College Foundation and the Comité Vivre Ensemble with the City of Gatineau. We are committed, along with our partner MTV Outaouais, to continue bringing quality programming on CityLife and Showtime at the British.

We hope to involve you in new programming designed to bring the community together on a more informal basis featuring online  Trivia, Morning Coffee Chats, RAWQ Talks on engaging topics, community surveys on local issues touching youth, adults, and seniors. Our focus will also be on local businesses who are suffering from the effects of the pandemic and continue to provide access to YES (Youth Employment Services) for business counselling,  to local businesses, artists and entrepreneurs to assist them in achieving their respective business goals.

We are adjusting to our changed circumstances during the pandemic while maintaining the same high level of service to our community. Despite the challenges ahead, we will strive to continue our service to the English-speaking community in the Outaouais

Looking forward to meeting you online and out in the community.

Linton Garner

Executive Director

Regional Association

of West Quebecers