The Welcoming Community project is designed to promote the recruitment, integration and retention of French-speaking future health and social services professionals in communities in Central Southwestern Ontario.
Context
The Welcoming Community 2014-2018 pilot project demonstrated that community involvement helps to support and encourage the integration of bilingual students and future professionals by generating more community involvement, networking, and internship opportunities. Supported by these positive results, Health Canada agreed to extend the funding for 2018-2023 to launch the initiative in more regions of southern Ontario. This will allow more communities, health and social service providers, educational institutions, students and future professionals to benefit from this initiative.
Target partners:
- 5 Communities of practices and/or Interagency Network of Health and Social Service providers who wish to attract new francophone and bilingual human resources to their region.
- Francophone and bilingual students and future professionals from programs targeted by Health Canada during the 2014-2018 period: nursing, social work, medicine, psychology and speech pathology, as well as programs identified in the regions.
- Francophone and anglophone colleges and universities in southern Ontario that are offering these programs.
- Bilingual healthcare professionals who wish to be informed about community resources and career opportunities in these regions.
Welcoming Strategies aimed to:
- Support the identification of future professionals enrolled in health and social service programs.
- Set up and promote community welcoming activities to promote recruitment, integration, and retention of bilingual professionals in southwestern Ontario.
- Foster efforts to promote French and bilingual placement and recruitment with health and social service providers.
The Windsor and London Community
CPPBSUD-OUEST.CA is a website of information for professionals in the fields of health, addiction, social services, and wellness and access to an online community of practice on Healthchat.
A place for networking, improving French language skills, exchanging information, news and resources, seeking internship and job opportunities and discussing challenges and solutions to deliver quality services in French
A place for:
- Human resources and professionals serving the francophone population in the region.
- Agencies offering bilingual services and services in French.
- College and university students who are seeking resources in French and want to do internships in the francophone community
- Human resources and professionals seeking employment opportunities in the region.
2018-2019 Activites:
- Launch of the website and Healthline online community
- Launch activity in the London region
2019-2020 Activities:
Our community has made substantial progress with support from the Welcoming Community 2.0 and the Ontario Francophone Community Support Program (PAFO). Indeed, while the Community of Practice for Bilingual Professionals (CPPB) had only 40 members last spring, it now has 120 members. Collaboration between members has become stronger and more dynamic. New partnerships have been created, seven of which are currently supporting the work of the steering committee. Important communication tools including a new promotional card and banners have been developed. Finally, the launch in the Windsor area took place on February 28 at the Windsor Regional Hospital.
In 2020-2021, we aim to strengthen the sustainability of the CPPB. To achieve this, we are looking at several initiatives. For example, developing strategic links with regional organizations and building relationships with other communities of practice with complementary objectives to ours.
- 70 resource broadcasts, announcements and training
- 5 community-hosting activities
- 100 participants at fairs and events
- Collaboration with a group of 25 students from Western University.
- Regional representative on the FrancoDoc Liaison Committee of Western University
- 40 students join the community of practice
- Meeting with college program managers
- Creating a forum to disseminate internship and recruitment opportunities
- 2 employee recruitments to carry out CPPB projects
Visit the website CPPBSUD-OUEST.CA
To become a member of the online community of practice click here to ask about activities and placement opportunities in the Windsor and London areas.
The Waterloo, Wellington, Guelph Community
Lead by the WWG Round Table which brings together 15 Francophone agencies and service providers
2018-2019 Activities:
- The official launch of the WWG Round Table and the Welcoming Community project on March 28
- A survey conducted identified 30 students interested in improving their French language capacity at Conestoga College
- Launch of a questionnaire for agencies to determine interest in offering placements to French-speaking students
2019-2020 Activities:
The year 2019-2020 was a year of increased visibility for the Waterloo Wellington Guelph Francophone Consultation Table and for the Welcoming Community Project. In addition to new contacts with post-secondary institutions and future bilingual health professionals in the region, the regional project plans to expand its network this new year through the creation of a web page that will allow virtual visibility as well as a means of communication between health professionals and the consultation table. It will also include a testimonial video to highlight the importance of French health services in the region. We believe that these initiatives will have long-term benefits for the project and for the community.
- 1 website and three video testimonials in production
- 2 surveys to assess the needs and interests of internships
- “Café de Paris” style sessions led by French volunteers from Wilfrid Laurier University for students and employees.
- 29 students with the capacity to offer French-language services identified at Conestoga College
- McMaster University medical students from the region receive resources to practice their French and learn more about the region.
- New collaboration with Conestoga College’s School of Health and Life Sciences
For more information, please visit the Web page: www.FrancophonesWWG.ca
The Niagara region community
Lead by Niagara Interagency Table’s Health Committee, which brings together 35 Francophone agencies and service providers
Rendez-vous Carrières-santé at Brock University – February 26 2019
2018-2019 Activities:
- Job fair Rendez-vous Careers in healthcare organized and hosted at Brock University on February 26th, 2019
- Identification of 50 new French-speaking students and the creation of linkages with 13 agencies offering French-language services in the region
- One internship placement identified following the fair
- 2 identified students recruited
- Identification of 15+ new clients interested in the services offered by Francophone community agencies
2019-2020 Activities:
For the second year of the Welcoming Community 2.0 project, the Niagara Interagency Table (health committee) introduced a new and improved career fair in collaboration with Brock University, Rendez-Vous Health Careers, the Expo Experience Fair on January 26. A “French hub” with a dozen bilingual employers was included as part of the event. This boosted the visibility of French-speaking and bilingual organizations and highlighted opportunities for internships, jobs and volunteering in French in the region. As part of the fair, the committee also organized a Fireside chat session to highlight the testimony of a young bilingual professional recently recruited by a French-speaking organization in the region. The next edition of the Health Careers Rendezvous his already in planning for 2020-2021. The health committee is working to schedule of series of virtual meetings with regional service providers working in health and social services fields who are looking for bilingual staff. To promote these events, the committee will produce 6 to 8 short videos that will highlight these regional organizations.
- 10 local organizations proposing recruitment and internship opportunities to students
- Organizing and participating in a job fair event with Brock University Career Zone
- Networking with over 60 Francophone students during the fair event
- 7 potential recruitments for summer jobs made
- 3 potential summer internship matches created
- 6 new Francophone clients served by the community, thanks to the Fair
- Regional representation at the FrancoDoc Liaison Committee (McMaster University) meetings
- 6 to 8 short promotional videos being produced
- Participation in McMaster University’s health care professionals’ panel
- Interview and promotion during an episode of McMaster University’s radio show French Toast Café
For more information and to learn about activities and placement in the region, contact Annie Boucher, aboucher@entitesante2.ca
The Mississauga Halton Community
Lead by the Mississauga Halton LHIN French Language Service (FLS) Community of Practices (CoP), Representing 22 francophone organizations and service providers in the region
2018-2019 Activities:
- Survey of local health and social service providers to determine interest and needs around placements for students
- Production of a video clip to promote the opportunities identified to future professionals in the region
2019-2020 Activities:
Members of the Mississauga Halton French Language Services (FLS) Community of Practice (CoP), which comprises 20+ social and health service member organizations, working in partnership to advance Year 2 of its “Welcoming Community” Initiative.
- Launched of the promotional videos in both English and French to build awareness among bilingual students and internationally educated professionals of the opportunities to be involved in FLS in the region
- Launched of the FLS CoP Welcoming Community webpage in both English and French to raise awareness of our partnership and to promote current and upcoming activities
- Developed an 11-question online survey to identify the needs and interests of the Mississauga Halton FLS CoP members
- Compiled and shared survey results to develop collaborative welcoming practices with bilingual students from local colleges and universities and internationally educated professionals in the region
- Validated responses with 14 member organizations to determine potential matching opportunities with bilingual students studying in the health or social services field
- Developed a social media communication strategy to attract potential bilingual students/young professionals to view our promotional videos, webpage and inviting them to join our Welcoming Community
- Met with French-speaking Medical Students at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine to introduce our Welcoming Community initiative and explore collaborative working opportunities
- Connected with the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus Career Centre to seek their support in connecting us with students
- Organized a Guided Visit of the bilingual Credit Valley Family Health Team
- Contacted 27 new professionals following organized activities and networking events
- Six online training opportunities in French offered to participating students
- 2 French winter internship placements and one potential summer internship pending
Watch the CoP Welcoming Community video!
Visit the CoP Welcoming community web page www.rockonlearn.ca/welcomingcommunity
For more information and to learn about activities and placement in the region, fill the Join our Welcoming Community Form or send an email at welcomingcommunity@rockonlearn.ca
The North Simcoe Muskoka Community
Lead by the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN’s FLS Community of Practice (CoP) which brings together 11 agencies and health service providers
2018-2019 Activities:
- Development of promotional material to showcase CoP member agencies and providers
- Creation of a community partnership with La Clé d’la Baie to facilitate the promotion of recruitment and development of French language capacity for health and social services professionals
2019-2020 Activities:
- Created a descriptive document, a work and communication plan for the fair
- Participated in the development of a web page and a bilingual promotional banner: Come work with us!
- Identified 22 schools and 25 service providers and community organizations who will be invited to participate in the event
The fair originally scheduled for last spring will now take place virtually during 2020-2021.
Visit the website: www.lacle.ca/cfc
For more information and to learn about activities and placement in the region, contact Sylvie Boulet from Entité 4, s.boulet@entite4.ca
News Articles
Testimonials
Comments from participants:
Service provider partner
“This initiative has demonstrated the importance and the need to create and maintain connections between colleges, universities, students and service providers to ensure that there is a strategic collaborative effort to introduce job placements and employment opportunities in minority Francophone regions to Francophone and bilingual students entering the workforce.”
University partner
“Our students who speak French are eager to continue in French and participate in a francophone medical community. Some students wish to complete clinical training in French to serve francophone patients, while others wish to complete a residency in a francophone region or in a French medical school.”
Student participants
“I found the Je parle français badge very useful – in Toronto, francophone patients feel comfortable speaking to me in French. And of course, the internship really helped me learn the medical terminology in French.”
“Continue working with anglophone medical schools to let students know that these opportunities exist!”
“[This initiative] will help me to better communicate and transmit my experiences to the francophone community.”
Resources
New!
Welcoming Community initiative replicability poster in a community of practice style approach reproducibility_poster_v7
Summative Evaluation: Welcoming Community 2.0 Report, Mars 2020 Rapport final-Évaluation CommAccueillante 2-0_ juin 2021 vc
HR Strategy – www.hhrstrategy.ca (French www.strategierhs.ca )
Online resource platform to support managers from Anglophone or bilingual organizations to maximize their ability to serve francophone and Acadian minority populations.
The Franco Doc Tool Box
The Tool Box is a collection of resources for learning the medical French you need to improve your language and culture skills. It is also a database of learning opportunities in French.
Your Medical Interpretation Companion That Goes Everywhere You Go, download app
National Partners
This initiative is funded by Health Canada under the Action Plan for Official Languages – 2018-2023: Investing in Our Future. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.
