CONSEIL DES ÉCOLES CATHOLIQUES DU CENTRE-EST
CECCE Celebrates Launch of École communautaire citoyenne : Achieving Success Through Engagement and Innovation

On October 3, at École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité in Ottawa, the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) officially launched a major new undertaking called École communautaire citoyenne, accompanied by Marty Carr, city councillor for the Alta Vista ward. This certification program is an opportunity for CECCE schools to boost citizen engagement and step up their contribution to the community.

At a glance: 

• École communautaire citoyenne is a school certification program that recognizes citizen engagement. Drawing on the principles of our 2021-26 strategic plan, it fosters the development of a Catholic francophone identity, supports sustainable development goals and broadens participants' horizons. 
• The concept of this project was originally developed by the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones (FNCSF). The CECCE was inspired by it and created its own program, adapting it to the specific needs of its school community and adding a certification component.
• Schools earn certification based on their level of participation: bronze, silver, gold and platinum levels in recognition of their degree of involvement and the excellence of their citizen initiatives.
• The program gives students, staff and school communities the tools to strengthen their environmental citizenship, social engagement and sense of belonging and pride as members of the Francophonie. 

Concrete results:

The twelve schools that participated in the pilot project during the 2023-24 school year introduced the following remarkable initiatives:

• They organized 10 community projects, including: 
  • ​Mon premier Noël au Canada (My first Christmas in Canada) organized by École secondaire catholique Sainte-Marie-Rivier to support the integration of newcomer families in Kingston. The event featured a typical Canadian Christmas dinner, gifts for the children, clothing donations and many other fun activities.
  • Fête familiale FrancoFun at École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges featured all kinds of fun activities for students, their families and the community. The goal was to raise funds for the CECCE Fondation and promote francophone community services.
  • Bingo intergénérationnel brought residents of a Chartwell home in Orléans and Grade 1 students from École élémentaire catholique Lamoureux together for a fun and enriching opportunity for intergenerational connection and learning.
  • Unis pour CHEO, a community event that took place at École élémentaire catholique Alain-Fortin, featured lots of fun activities and raised more than $3,000 for research at CHEO. The initiative was the brainchild of a Grade 5 student, who, with help from school staff, put together a committee of 25 students who all worked hard to organize the fun-filled day.
• Some of the participating elementary schools set up "acti-leader" brigades, teams of students in Grades 4 to 6 who animate activities in French during recess. Acti-leaders develop their leadership skills and encourage students to interact in French outside of the classroom. 
• La Boussole de l'engagement communautaire, a brand-new web-based platform, connects students and their families to local organizations to encourage volunteering.

Quotes: 

CECCE Chair Johanne Lacombe highlighted how important this program is for the strengthening of relationships between schools and local organizations. "This project is an expression of our commitment to building vitality in local francophone communities. École communautaire citoyenne creates long-lasting ties between our schools and local, provincial and national organizations. Our community will thrive as a result, achieving great things through concrete, collaborative initiatives."

Director of Education Marc Bertrand added, "With more than 4,500 students involved in meaningful projects, École communautaire citoyenne enables our youth to develop essential leadership, citizenship and collaboration skills. This program has a direct impact on shaping engaged citizens who are ready, willing and able to help build a more sustainable and supportive society."

A successful launch

Community partners, staff, students and parents came together to celebrate participating schools' achievements and discuss future collaborations. 

Community partners such as MIFO, Mosaïque Interculturelle, and the Union of Congolese Youth shared ideas for new enriching initiatives they would like to pursue in collaboration with schools to further fortify ties between schools and the community.