The arrival of Syrian refugees in Canada from year 2015, followed by an increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving via Roxham Road in Quebec, has brought to the forefront the precarity and vulnerability in which refugees and asylum seekers find themselves upon their arrival in their society of settlement. In that context, the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI) and Centraide, set up the “Vivons nos quartiers” initiative in order to participate in the construction of welcoming and inclusive neighbourhoods. This initiative offers support based on three main aspects, always at the neighbourhood level: training for front-line workers, the establishment and support of communities of practice, and awareness-raising and citizen bridging activities (this last component has evolved over time to become a training for facilitators of citizen bridging activities).
The BMRC-IRMU research team associated with “Vivons nos quartiers” has accompanied and documented the implementation of this project in various Montreal neighbourhoods, in order to observe simultaneously the transformation of local environments that welcome newcomers, with particular attention paid to the reality of refugees and asylum seekers.
The objective of this project was to identify promising practices and initiatives contributing at the neighbourhood level to the establishment of welcoming communities and avoiding the isolation of the most vulnerable immigrants.
What was our approach?
This project was based on a partnership research approach with the TCRI team that is implementing the “Vivons nos quartiers” initiative. Inspired by an ethnographic method consisting of participatory observation and semi-directed interviews, the research team actively participated in various field activities and meetings. It also followed step by step the various action committees taking part in the “Vivons nos quartiers” project in their organization and realization of activities. A close relationship of proximity has been created between the field and research teams throughout the project.
This project consisted of interviews with key players in the immigration sectors as well as photovoice interviews with immigrants and refugees. It included an on-site review of the project to understand its structure, identify the stakeholders and the supporting activities that were documented in 2017. From August 2017 to August 2018, the project consisted of field data collection, field notes compilation, and interview summaries as well as networking with the stakeholders from Montréal and Québec that were working on the development of welcoming communities that promoted active social participation for refugees and immigrants.
- Principal Investigator:
- Chedly Belkhodja, Concordia U. chedly.belkhodja@concordia.ca
- Co-investigators:
- Gabrielle Désilets
- Community Partners:
- Florence Bourdeau
- Stephan Reichhold, TCRI
- Pierre-Constantin Charles, Centraide du Grand Montréal
- Policy Preview
- Désilets, G., & Goudet, A. (2019). La mise en œuvre des politiques d’accueil des migrants à l’échelle des quartiers montréalais: l’étude de l’initiative Vivons nos quartiers. Lien social et Politiques, (83), 230-248.
- Goudet, A. « Les territoires de l’accueil des personnes immigrantes à Montréal : quelles échelles pour quelles actions ? ». Symposium sur l’État de la recherche en immigration au Québec, Montréal, 26 août 2019.
- Research Digest: Des pratiques inclusives à l’échelle des quartiers
- Research Digest: Inclusive practices at the neighbourhood level
- Résumé de recherche IRMU, Octobre 2018. « Comment renforcer la résilience des communautés d’accueil ? “Vivons nos quartiers” soutient les quartiers de Montréal et leurs nouveaux arrivants » par Gabrielle Désilets.
- Résumé de recherche IRMU, (December 2018). « Résilience et migrations : lectures anglophones et francophones. Une comparaison des revues de la littérature anglophone et francophone (2000 à 2018) » par Anna Goudet et Gabrielle Désilets.
- New Scholar Report – BMRC-IRMU KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE EVENT. June 2018. What did we learn? BMRC researchers presented two dimensions of the transversal project. By Gabrielle Désilets.
- Désilets, G. (2018). « Making Montreal neighborhoods more welcoming and inclusive towards newcomers: a social resilience analysis.” Panel entitled: Geographies of Immigration and Resilience in Urban Canada: From Multi-Level Policy Discourses to Neighbourhood Spaces. Congrès régional de l’UGI – Congrès annuel de l’ACG – Congrès annuel du NCGE 2018 “Apprécier la différence”. Université Laval, Québec August 6-10 2018.
- Désilets, G. (2018). Panellist, Session 1 « Ensemble pour une pleine participation de tous ». Sommet du Vivre ensemble de la Ville de Gatineau, 20 avril 2018, Maison du Citoyen, Gatineau, Québec.
- Désilets, G, (2018). Session chair and co-organizer with Florence Bourdeau (TCRI) for the workshop entitled : Towards a Comparative and Pan-Canadian Study on the Implementation of the Principles of the Sanctuary City. 20th National Metropolis Conference, Immigration Futures: Marking 20 years of The National Metropolis Conference, WESTIN, CALGARY – March 22-24 2018.
- Désilets, G., A. Goudet et F. Bourdeau. « Documenting the Initiative ‘Live Well and Celebrate Our Neighbourhoods’. Capturing the Dynamics of Different Places at the Montreal City and Neighbourhood Levels ». Pathways to Prosperity 2018 National Conference – Workshops. Montréal, 23 novembre 2018.
