SEEnet’s Official Launch to Set the Stage for English-Speaking Communities to Take Their Place in Québec’s World-Leading Role in the Social Solidarity Economy
December 2, 2021 — Québec is a world leader in the social economy yet the English-speaking community has traditionally been much less involved. The Regional Development Network (RDN) is about to change all this with the launch of its SEEnet initiative—the Social Solidarity Economy English-Speaking Network.
With financial support from the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois de l’expression anglaise (SRQEA) and in partnership with the Coopérative de développement régional du Québec (CDRQ), RDN is undertaking a two-year effort to raise awareness and access to knowledge about the potential and possibilities of the social economy in English-speaking communities and to develop a service model that will engage these communities in creating meaningful employment opportunities that contribute to sustainable economic development and enhance community vitality.
SEEnet is adopting a multi-stakeholder approach as it launches in collaboration with over 50 representatives of English-speaking organizations and institutions, Québec social solidarity actors, and the Québec government. At the official SEEnet launch event, a presentation was shared on the challenges and opportunities in Québec’s social solidarity economy, the Council for Anglophone Magdalen Islanders‘ (CAMI) experience in setting up a social enterprise in the tourism sector, and the programs being undertaken by the Québec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN) through Concordia University.
With the SEEnet now moving forward and its new website live, next steps will be outreach and training activities with numerous interested English-speaking communities as well as assisting with the start-up and business planning for social enterprises in partnership with CDRQ. To stay connected, sign up for the SEEnet newsletter and follow the SEEnet initiative on your preferred social media platform Facebook, LinkedIn, and/or Twitter.
For more information:
Olivia Champagne
Social Economy Officer
seenet@regdevnet.ca
