Le samedi avant-midi, la discussion ouverte et les échanges constructifs étaient au cœur du programme préparé à l'intention des congressistes.

A Meeting with the New CSF Superintendent and his Team

On Saturday morning, conference delegates were invited to a special meeting with the new superintendent of the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF), Mr. Michel St-Amant, and members of the CSF team.

Mr. St-Amant, who took the reins of the CSF in August 2019, used the opportunity to set out the school board's priorities and objectives for the coming years.

In addition, his presentation addressed the CSF's vision regarding the role given to parents, who have always had a key part to play in the evolution of the school board.

The meeting resulted in lively discussions, held in sub-groups. All the CSF trustees, representing the various regions of the province, also took part in the discussion.

Workshop-discussion on Issues in Today’s Francophone Schools

The delegates from parents’ associations participated in an interactive workshop on issues related to Francophone education in British Columbia, from early childhood to secondary school. In small groups, participants were asked to visit several stations, each devoted to a different theme, with each station hosted by a Fédération des parents team member.

This exercise had multiple goals. Among other things, it sought to allow parents to:

• exchange information with each other about the realities, challenges, and successes of their parents’ associations, whether the association is an APÉ or an association managing a preschool centre;
• learn more about the resources that the Fédération des parents makes available to parents;
• express their views on the mandate and actions taken by their provincial organization;
• highlight their needs, both those of their respective parents' associations and their own needs as Francophone parents living in minority settings.

In addition to encouraging the exchange of ideas and the sharing of best practices between parents’ associations, the workshop allowed the Fédération des parents team to hold an open discussion with its members, to better understand their needs, and to obtain their opinions and perspectives on important issues.

The information and feedback collected are very relevant to the organization and will be included in the development of the 2020-2025 strategic plan.