Eastern Townships Gathering: «Thinking Big for our Children»
On November 18, over 230 participants gathered to discuss ways of Thinking Big for Our Children. It was the first time the Collectif estrien 0-5 ans, the Partners for Educational Success in Estrie (Projet PRÉE) and the Public Health Department of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie - CHUS organized an event in the Eastern Townships to assess the current state of children in this region. The event was geared towards managers and professionals in Estrie organizations that work with children and their parents.
We were fortunate to take part in a very rewarding round table in which many experts offered a fresh perspective on childhood related issues. Topics covered included the vulnerability of boys, interventions in cases of neglect, parenting challenges, and barriers faced by families regarding access. Several research findings and promising courses of action were shared, including the reference framework «Mieux soutenir nos garçons», which was developed by the MRC des Sources Partners for Early Childhood as a tool to better support boys.
In addition, four workshops were offered to reflect on key issues, and were led by experts and actors in the field who spurred interesting initiatives:
- Supporting English-speaking children and their families: what are the needs and best practices?;
- Acting early: to screen or to intervene?;
- Anxiety and lifestyle habits in children: better understanding for better support;
- School transition: how to promote a smooth transition to school for all.
Finally, throughout the day, actors and organizations in the Estrie region were invited to sigh the new Eastern Townships Charter: Thinking Big for our Children, which was initiated by the Partners for Educational Success Estrie (Projet PRÉE) and the Collectif estrien 0-5 ans. The hope is that it will lead partners to take concrete actions to improve the wellbeing and the success of our children.
Here are the Charter’s four commitment principles:
- To acknowledge and support parents as the first allies in a child’s development
- To listen to parents and to acknowledge what they’ve learned through experience
so that they might have a positive influence on the decisions that affect their
children.
- To support parents in such a way as to respect their values and build upon their
potential and strengths.
2. To act early
- To take preemptive action regarding protective factors in order to have a real
impact on all children and all families, particularly during the most delicate
periods, such as transitions.
- To use early intervention, if needed, in order to modify or alleviate
any difficulties that might occur in the different areas of development.
3. To build upon promising approaches
- To help remove barriers faced by families.
- To adopt an outreach approach to reach families.
- To build on the alliances between practice and research in order to help bring
about innovative solutions. When we combine our knowledge, we can create
real benefits.
4. To take convergent and coherent actions
- To share a common understanding of the child’s needs.
- To promote complementarity and continuity of services and actions.
- To act in concert with all community actors.
