Free, monthly two-hour workshops for parents, guardians and families facilitated by McGill staff, faculty and Montreal professionals.
- Overview
- How Spaghetti Nights Work
- What We Offer to Families
- Past Spaghetti Nights Workshops
- Press Coverage
- Questions?
Overview
Launched in 2012, Spaghetti Nights Family Workshops are a series of free, monthly two-hour workshops for parents, guardians and families developed through a collaboration between Branches. the Kahnawa:ke Education Center and the Riverview Community Learning Centre (CLC).
In 2019-20 we are hosting workshops at Verdun Elementary (Verdun) and Karonhianonhnha Tsi Elementary (Kahnawa:ke). Many of the families who participate have children in Branches' Homework Zone After School Mentoring Program. The workshop topics are suggested by parents/guardians and facilitated by McGill staff, faculty and Montreal-based professional educators.
The goal of the workshops is to provide accessible, helpful information and practical tools for parents/guardians to support their children’s development academically, personally and socially. Spaghetti Nights is also a safe, supportive community space for families to learn together and from each other.
How Spaghetti Nights Work
Workshops are offered once a month in school spaces on Thursday evenings and begin with a free spaghetti dinner at 5:30 pm for families, volunteers, and facilitators. Following dinner, a workshop is given for parents/guardians from 6:00 – 8:00 pm while childcare is provided by volunteers under the supervision of a Family Care Animator.
What We Offer to Families
- Engaging workshops and discussions in school spaces that send families home with new ideas, shared experiences and concrete tools on how to thrive in school and at home
- Free spaghetti dinner
- Free childcare
Past Spaghetti Nights Workshops
These are the titles of some of our past workshops:
- How to create a home environment for learning and school success
- Attachment: The cornerstone of parenting
- Making healthy meals quickly and on a budget
- Parents’/guardians’ tools for helping kids with their homework
- Financial planning for secondary and post-secondary education
Press Coverage
"Breaking bread during free parenting workshops" - May 2017, Montreal Families Magazine
"Spaghetti Nights Family Workshops: Giving parents a helping hand" - April 2017, McGill Reporter
Questions?
For questions about the program, or if you'd like to volunteer, please contact our Community Engagement Coordinator, Anurag Dhir, at anurag.dhir [at] mcgill.ca.
