Mon ami, mon village

1) Category:
• General program

2) Issues Behind the Program:

• The inhabitants of Chute-aux-Outardes, a village near Baie-Comeau, have what they call
the "567 syndrome," their term for low self-esteem.
• The village is very insular. Newcomers (notably teachers) have a hard time being
accepted.
• Vandalism is rampant.

3) Objectives:
• Enhance children’s and parents’ self-esteem on the individual, social and community
level.
• Promote cooperative and nonviolent behaviors and self-esteem.
• Create trust between the school and families in order for them to work together for the
current and future development of Chute-aux-Outardes children.
• Strengthen the sense of belonging to the community.
• Improve parenting skills so that parents can help their children keep at their studies.
• Prevent the trivialization of violence and vandalism.

4) Environment:
• Primary schools
• Community

5) Target Group:
• Students from 5 to 12 years old
• Parents

6) Key Words:
• Mon ami mon village, coeuréaction, school-family-community partnership, general
program, North Shore community program, prevention of violence and vandalism,
developing a sense of belonging, self-esteem, joint action

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/. Page 1 of 4
7) Description:
• The impetus for the program was the community’s desire to take charge of its well-
being.
• A youth roundtable was formed (e.g. parents, students, community workers, teachers,
education partners, CLSC) to find a solution to the village’s problems.
• Five components were created to achieve program objectives:
o Self-esteem workbook (seven activities per grade)
o Mon ami, mon village slogan (e.g. crafts, music, games, homework, discussion)
o Lectures for parents and parent-child workshops to prop up parenting skills
o Campaign promoting the positive aspects of the village (e.g. village logo, sign at the
entrance to the village, key chains, videos)
o Joint action committee (six organizations that meet once a month to optimize the
preventive activities offered to the children).
• An Expression Room was set up where moderators work with students from kindergarten
to Grade 5 during class time on activities tailored to their academic level.
• The Expression Room is also available outside of class time so that the children can
express themselves and, through a combination of activities and games, discover
healthy ways of developing and of tapping into their full potential.
• Several times a year there are one-hour workshops (e.g. games) for the children and
their parents.
• The joint action committee rallies the education community, the municipal sector, the
community network, the health and social services network and parents.
• There are very close ties between the moderators, parents, teachers, school principal
and the joint action table.
• Self-esteem training is given to the moderators and community stakeholders.

8) Steps:
I. Define the needs of the community and ensure that the school is open to the program.
II. Recruit members of the community for a joint action committee.
III. Find funding.

9) Activities/Actions:
• Classroom workshops
• Lectures for parents
• Parent-child activities
• Teacher-parent-moderator evenings
• Expression workshops

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/. Page 2 of 4
10) Resources Required:
• Human resources:
o Moderators
o Parents
o Joint action committee
• Infrastructure:
o Expression Room
• Financial resources:
o Budget for program material and moderators’ salaries
o Grant of $35,000 to $40,000

11) Roles of the Participants:

• Moderators:
o tasked to support the school and to back up the program;
o act as educators with the students and parents;
o lead the activities;
o form ties between the family, the school, and teachers.
• Parents:
o take part in meetings and activities;
o enrol their children in the activities.
• Joint action committee:
o applies for grants and spearheads financial support.

12) Scientific Basis or Validity:

• Since 2006, the youth roundtable has been studying the program’s spinoffs in order to
see if parents consider the program a tool empowering them to enhance their children’s
self-esteem and to determine whether they have witnessed any positive outcomes.
• According to the study:
o All the parents (100%) were either very satisfied or satisfied with the program.
o The eight teenagers interviewed said that the experience had been positive and
that they enjoyed the program activities (i.e what they learned in terms of self-
awareness, the expression of ideas, control of their emotions and language, sharing,
self-confidence, self-esteem, and tolerance).
o 89% of the parents felt that their child was capable of acquiring a quality fostered
by the program.
o 89% of the parents considered that the program equipped the children to solve
problems.
o 84% of the parents said that Mon ami, mon village was conducive to a positive
atmosphere at school either to a large or a fair extent.
o Certain parents felt that the program helped the children make the transition to
secondary school because they learned to express themselves and to be aware of
their strengths.

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/. Page 3 of 4
 o The parents also believed that the program sparked positive discourse about the
village, with the resulting benefits across the board.
• The program is based on the following work: Duclos, Germain. (2000). L’estime de soi,
un passeport pour la vie. Montréal : Les Éditions de l’Hôpital Sainte-Justine.

13) Program Material:

• Chercher son trésor activity handbook
• Presentation document [in French only]

14) Additional Information:

• According to the school principal, Nancy Tremblay, there has been a sharp decline in
vandalism in the school since the program was established 15 years ago.
• The joint action committee also heads the Travail de rue program (street and school
supervision to prevent violence and vandalism).
• The information contained in this factsheet was taken from:
http://www.agencesante09.gouv.qc.ca/Document.aspx?id=203&lang=FR.

15) Contacts:
• Nancy Tremblay, Principal
École Sainte-Marie
11, rue des Loisirs
Ragueneau (Qc) G0H 1S0
Tel.: (418) 567-2291, extension 5301

École Richard
4, rue de l'École
Chute-aux-Outardes (Qc) G0H 1C0
Tel.: (418) 567-2525, extension 5201
Email: Nancy.Tremblay@csestuaire.qc.ca or mamv@hotmail.com
(Note: Ms. Tremblay is easier to reach by telephone)

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/. Page 4 of 4