Testimonials

I wanted to do an internship in the regions, and I honestly don't think it would have been possible without this project. I am originally from Mégantic, and I love the quality of life in the regions. Most of the stages offered in Montreal are in anglophone environments, so it's very interesting to have an opening in a francophone hospital, especially one that also serves an English-speaking population and where bilingual professionals are much needed. In a field as linked to language as speech therapy is, and in an area where the waiting lists are so long, I am confident that I will be able to make a difference.

Gabrielle Pharand-Rancoeur
Speech-Language Pathology Student
Internship at Granby Hospital

I was placed at Toxico-Stop in my second year as a Social Work student at McGill. The McGill Project allows me to put in practice what I have learned. My duties at the centre range from co-animating workshops, encouraging residents to apply for a place in treatment centres, and doing one-on-one counselling. Most recently, I organized an outreach workshop on drug awareness and prevention at the Don Bosco Youth Leadership Centre in Rivière-des-Prairies for anglophone youth aged 11-17 years. I did a lot of research with this population before the workshop and discovered that there is a lack of information out there about substance abuse, how to prevent it and how to deal with it, especially among high-schoolers. I grew up as an anglophone in the East End, so I have always been aware of the lack of English-language health and social services in this area. Working at Toxico-Stop has been a unique experience; I have learned so much, I wouldn't trade it in for anything. It has been a pleasure to work with my supervisor, who was always open to my ideas, questions, and concerns, which he can testify I am full of.

Gloria Borsellino
Social Work student
Intern at Toxico-Stop

As part of my field placement in social work, I am working at the Avante Women's Centre in Bedford, Québec. I have been researching English-speaking women aged 18-35, conducting interviews to find out what they feel is needed and working with them to create programmes that could be run at Avante. There is a need for more accessible health and social services for anglophones. I feel that I am making a difference beyond individuals and their families.  I love the fact that this is a small community - you really see the impact that you are doing and there's a sense of connection that is very gratifying. Not to mention the fact that this is a beautiful are. In the fall, when I drive to the Centre and the leaves are falling, I think to myself, "Wow, this is work?" I think this is a great opportunity for anglophones to discover this area.  It's a wonderful place to live.

Kathleen Harrison, Master's in Social Work program
Avante Women's Centre

When we found out that the English Montreal School Board wanted to put together an event in the East End of Montreal to promote healthcare among adolescents we decided to get our nursing students involved. The McGill University's Training and Human Resources Development Project helped us accomplish our task.

Montreal's East End is an interesting area for our students to work in because it is close by but also allows them to work in a different environment. Our students have to attend classes during their stages so they can't go very far.

We organized a health information fair at the Laurier MacDonald School for their Secondary 3, 4 and 5 students. Our students researched the adolescent population, finding out what kind of health needs they have and kind of information they need. We came up with fourteen topics that were presented at fourteen booths.

As a nurse, you don't always get to work with many teens, as most of our patients are over 60 years old. It was good for our students to work with this population-teens need access to different kinds of information and services.

Rivka Guttman
Nursing Coordinator
Vanier College

The McGill project is an important project because it will increase the level of bilingualism in this area. I represent 3 regions-Victoriaville, Lévis, and Thetford-which are 99% francophone. People are enthusiastic to see young people coming back to our regions and of course they are thrilled to see bilingual interns working at the Centre de Santé.

If this project continues, I hope that some of our interns will come back and pursue a career here. It would be good for the community. In my opinion, the group that suffers the most from the lack of English-language health and social services is the seniors. When you get older, you become more and more shy and less sure of yourself, less apt to ask for what you need. In either case, young or old, when you become sick you also become vulnerable.

As internship coordinator, I have really enjoyed collaborating with the Centre-they have welcomed us with open arms. For a healthcare establishment, it is important to invest in this project, because it will allow them realize their objective of giving certain linguistic groups better access to healthcare.

Myriam Gayrard
Internship Coordinator
Mégantic English-Speaking Community Development Corporation

Toxico-Stop is a detox centre in the Saint-Michel neighbourhood in the East End of Montreal. Among other things, the student I have been supervising has been working with me with children in this area, educating them about drug and alcohol use. The population that we serve is 80% francophone and 20% anglophone. When I first came to this area, I was shocked to see that there were close to zero services for anglophones in this area. An English speaker with non-functional French will have a very difficult time finding services in his or her own language. In my opinion, the group that suffers the most from the lack of social and healthcare services in English is the elderly population who never learned French. They are the ones who are the most frustrated. The McGill project could make a huge difference in this area.

Manny Aliatas
Psychologist
THRDP Supervisor

I grew up in the West End of Montreal and trained as a social worker at McGill. I moved out to the Townships in 1978 and was hired by the Centre Jeunesse Montérégie, where I still work as a social worker in youth protection, servicing the English population in the Granby and Cowansville areas.

I fell in love with the lifestyle of living in the Townships and decided to stay. This area is about 25% anglophone. As a recruiter for the Training and Human Resources Development Project, I am essentially selling my lifestyle to potential interns.

Twenty-five years ago, I was exactly where some of these young people are today! My job is to connect each of the interns to the right establishments in the right towns, to welcome them and make sure they have proper housing, that they have social activities to keep them happy. I show them what this area has to offer them professionally and personally and hope that it fits in with the lifestyle they want.

The McGill project is all about making links - allowing Montreal to discover the Regions and vice versa. If it works out, it's worth the effort: That's one more professional in our agencies that can service the English-speaking population.

Michael Caluori
Townshippers' Association
Retention Program Coordinator

I am currently supervising a Master's of Social Work student. This entails the student and I maintaining regular contact in order to review her weekly tasks and evaluate their fit within the context of the community placement and McGill. I see my role as one that should both guide and challenge the student, to ensure that she has a rewarding field experience and that her research remains focused and pertinent. It is an opportunity for me that is both professionally rewarding and stimulating. As a social worker, I am all too aware of the impact that the serious shortage of social workers has on this semirural area. This in itself is unfortunate and yet ironic since this is such an abundantly diverse region - socially, culturally, linguistically and geographically. The McGill Project is truly a win-win situation for the community, for McGill, for students and for supervisors. It offers a hands-on opportunity for students to develop their skills and it permits McGill and the community to work together to share knowledge and expertise in a mutually rewarding manner.

Christine Lannaman, Master of Social Work program
THRDP Supervisor