The document summarizes activities and initiatives of the Memphre en Mouvement organization in the Magog region of Quebec. Key points include: 1) The early childhood and healthy lifestyles groups have merged and defined a broader mission to improve quality of life and well-being for children and youth aged 0-17. 2) Partners are working to better understand the needs of vulnerable families to develop support programs. This includes investing in an outreach program to establish trust with families. 3) Outdoor activities were organized for schools in the fall, and harvest festivals were held where children enjoyed food from school gardens.

1. SUMMARY
It’s happening right here!
Memphre en Mouvement…..! 2
Enhancing the ability of parents… 3
Équipe Ressources Relais is for families too! 3
Outdoor activities are an easy way to be more active! 4
Harvest Festivals 4
Did you know ?
The Appreciate Approach: supporting change 5
5/30 Health and Wellness Challenge 6
Info & links
Communauté de Pratique en Activité Physique: 7
CartoJeunes : 7
NaÎtre et Grandir : 7
1000 Days to Savour Life: 7
1
EDITORIAL
“Our pedantic mania for instruction is always leading us to
teach children things which they would learn much better
of their own accord (...) Is there anything more foolish than
the trouble we take to teach them how to walk, as though
any one had ever been seen who, through the negligence
of his nurse, was not able to walk when grown up?”
This is one view of the Appreciative approach,
according to Rousseau, in “Emile: Or On Education”.
Many of us believe that each person has positive
resources within him or herself. And yet, as Gaston
Michaud showed us recently, they’re often overlooked
as we try to address shortages and needs. In many
cases, individuals underestimate their own particular
strengths in order to respond to social pressure, but
it’s important to be true to one’s self.
The Appreciative approach can be conceptualized by
superimposing Maslow’s Pyramid of needs with the
same, but inverted, pyramid. The resulting image is a
star, which emphasizes a constantly evolving
continuum. We therefore avoid the stereotypical
passage from one state to another within a structural
hierarchy.
Implementing this approach means changing the way
we do things and focussing instead on building a
relationship of trust, in order to promote access to
services.
In fact, the partner group is very committed to making
services more accessible by tailoring them to the
specific needs of the most vulnerable families. An
example of this is the Parent’Aise initiative, which
gives parents an opportunity to be heard.
Could we apply the Appreciative approach to outdoor
activities?
Well, to do so, “we need to tend our own garden”.
Contact
Memphré en
Mouvement
1011, rue Sherbrooke
Magog J1X 2T2
Tél. : 819 847 3034
Tél. : 819 446 5005
Isabelle
Denis
Twitter : @MemenMouvement
Facebook
Site Internet
Rédaction
Denis Delbois agent de liaison et de communication
Isabelle Mercieca coordonatrice MeM
Partners
Newsletter
PartnersNewsletter,December2014

2. It’s happening right here!
Memphre en Mouvement…..!
The last partner meeting brought together 18 stakeholders in the MRC with the purpose
of finalizing the details of the merger between the ‘early childhood’ group and the
‘healthy lifestyles’ group. We worked hard to adopt operating rules and a territorial
governing style, while respecting the choices made by the partners. Interestingly, the
Youth Governance table agreed to consolidate its efforts with those of the new group at
every decision-making level. This new “global vision” committee will be mandated to
monitor, advise, influence and negociate.
We also defined our mission and our vision, an important and mobilizing step, to say the
least! The two texts that were formulated will soon be circulated among the territorial
committees, and formally adopted at the next meeting. However, following this reflection
exercise, we can already state that our mission is much broader now that our mandate
includes mobilizing the community and consolidating stakeholders in order to improve
the quality of life and wellbeing of 0-17 year olds. As for our vision, it’s accompanied by
the wish to see children and young people grow up happy, fulfilled and healthy in an
environment that promotes their full development and with which they live in harmony.
We also focussed on several values which we’ll include in our papers. These values
were strongly inspired by Mr. Michaud’s speech on the empowerment of an inclusive
community!
2
PartnersNewsletter,December2014
It’s happening right here

3. Enhancing the ability of parents…
During the second meeting of the Socio-Economic Committee, we highlighted the
importance of understanding the life context of vulnerable families so we could work
with them in developing concrete courses of action to better meet their needs when
they’re making a move toward reintegration. We also recognized how crucial it is to be
knowledgeable about the various employment resources that are available in our MRC
so that we might point families in the right direction when they need help. For a list of
the available resources, check this interesting link and share it: http://
portailressourcesestrie.com/
Équipe Ressources Relais is for families too!
Given that our action plan for 0-5 year olds was developed based an eco-systemic
approach, Memphré en Mouvement joined eight other partners in investing in Équipe
Ressources Relais (ÉRR), a support organization. This step was taken to improve our
understanding of the needs of vulnerable families with 0-5 year olds so we could better
meet these needs. The task of ÉRR outreach workers is to reach out to these families
and to support them in such a manner as to make the parent the main figure of this
undertaking. As a result of prior outreach actions, this work will be done in a more
global perspective, with regular and sustained interventions aimed at establishing a
meaningful relationship of trust. That way, families who receive support will be better
directed toward resources that are adapted to their present reality, and we believe this
will eventually help them move toward a more favorable and lasting reintegration.
Annie Beauregard, Psycho-edu., Partnership Development Consultant (0-5 year olds)
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PartnersNewsletter,December2014
It’s happening right here

4. Outdoor activities are an easy way to be more active!
The fall season included plenty of outdoor activities for schools in the MRC. Youngsters
went hiking on beautiful mountain trails - a great way to get them moving while
reconnecting with nature. Brassard-St-Patrice School hosted the post-hike event: the
9-12 year olds expended excess energy in a WIXX zone, while the younger kids
enjoyed a multi-game zone. St-Pie X School made the most out of the outing by getting
the children to take part in nature-related activities at the summit. And let’s not forget
the Potton schools who’ve launched “plein-air/études”, a program combining outdoor
activities with study in collaboration with the summer camp!
Harvest Festivals
Children from Potton, Val-de-Grâce and Princess Elizabeth enjoyed the crops from their
gardens. Bravo to the gardeners: students, teachers, children from the summer
camps, facilitators, parents and volunteers! And bravo the the chefs who prepared all
kinds of delicious food. Finally, a nod goes to Potton’s Nutri-Santé committee for being
quick on its feet when it realized that its vegetable lasagna was spoiled...it prepared a
last minute meal for 100 youngsters and their families who had joined the celebration!
Luckily, there was also a beet cake on the menu!
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PartnersNewsletter,December2014
It’s happening right here

5. Did you know ?
The Appreciate Approach: supporting change
Every day, we work to develop services that will enhance the quality of life of families in
the MRC. However, change can be seen as threatening, and therefore become a
source of resistance. But in working toward a desired outcome, do we always go about
it the right way?
The Appreciative approach involves highlighting positive aspects of either a person, a
group or an organization, in order to promote change. Instead of looking at the cause of
a problem, the latter is seen as an opportunity to create and evolve in a positive way.
The resource worker who supports a family guides the parents in their thinking process
and supports them in discovering their own resources so they can mobilize them and
enhance their potential. This approach has a few guiding principles:
- in every human system, there’s something that works well
- people are more confident and comfortable about moving toward an unfamiliar future
when they bring part of their familiar past with them
- the more we focus on something, the bigger it gets
- positive questions and images lead to quicker and more lasting change.
Indeed, this type of approach promotes an openness to communication and change.
Building on something positive increases self-confidence and affects one’s state of
mind, allowing individuals to impact their environment with greater motivation.
The Appreciative approach can be applied to many situations. So...maybe we should
use it in our everyday actions?
Pascale Gendron Daigneault, Psycho-edu., Early Childhood Education Consultant
5
PartnersNewsletter,December2014
Did you know ?

6. 5/30 Health and Wellness Challenge
The 5/30 Health Challenge is an ideal opportunity to get people in a community to be
more active. Many municipalities in our MRC have already decided to take part this
year. If yours hasn’t, I invite you to contact your elected official to discuss how his or
her municipality can benefit from participating.
“The 5/30 Health and Wellness Challenge is the chance for local municipalities and
communities to work in tandem with a provincial ‘healthy lifestyles’ campaign that was
developed to encourage a physically active lifestyle and healthy eating, especially
among young people and families. The ‘Municipality and families’ component of the
Health Challenge also encourages the creation of environments that foster healthy
lifestyles.
The participating municipality or community is called upon to:
- promote enrollment in the 5/30 Health and Wellness Challenge
- support participants by making sure they are aware of, and have acess to, sports and
leisure infrastructures, equipment and services
- submit a project, carried out in the municipality or community this year, aimed at
creating an environment that fosters healthy lifestyles.”
So, before January 20th, I invite you to register your organization and to urge your
municipality, not to mention you and your family, to participate.
You’ll find the details at www.defisante.ca
See you at the park...
6

7. Info & links
Communauté de Pratique en Activité Physique:
The PeP Community is a group of people who share a common passion and goal: the development of
young people between the ages of 6 and 17 through physical activity and pleasure. The community
includes an interactive website, face-to-face and virtual meetings, and is facilitated by a team from the
Université de Sherbrooke and several strategic partners in the project. The PeP Community website has
been open to all resource workers in Quebec since November 5, 2014. Be sure to register!
http://communautepep.ca
CartoJeunes :
An interactive mapping platform containing thousands of figures on the living conditions and educational
experiences of young quebecers (0-20 years old). This tool is helpful for purposes of diagnosis,
reflection, decision-making and action support, and was designed specifically for those who want to help
reduce inequalities in health and education experienced by young people at the local, regional and
provincial level.
http://cartojeunes.ca/
NaÎtre et Grandir :
Naitre et Grandir is launching a new campaign on the social skills of toddlers...a topic
that is very much in line with our plan’s goal for this age group! Check out the ads on
their website:
http://naitreetgrandir.com/blogue/dans-les-coulisses/2014/11/04/apprendre-a-vivre-avec-les-
autres-ca-commence-tot/
1000 Days to Savour Life:
On October 28, the OLO Foundation officially launched this initiative aimed at helping
thousands of toddlers and their families develop or strengthen healthy eating habits.
http://www.avenirdenfants.org/actualites/2014/montreal-%E2%80%93-lancement-de-
%C2%AB1000-jours-pour-savourer-la-vie%C2%BB.aspx
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Info & links
PartnersNewsletter,December2014
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