Community development in English-speaking communities in Québec : Développement des communautés au sein des communautés d'expression anglaise au Québec : leçons tirées d'un projet de recherche-action participative

After presenting the background to the project, including an overview of the situation of English speakers in the province, we will discuss the conceptual framework for the project as well as the methodology used. [...] The graphs below show changes in the size of the English-speaking population from 1996-2006 and changes in the proportion of the English-speaking population for the same time period. [...] In the case of the community portraits described below, only a portion of the English-speaking population was involved in the process and while their perspectives may well represent those of the community as a whole, this cannot be assumed to be the case. [...] In general, PAR refers to “a school of approaches that share a core philosophy of inclusivity and of recognizing the value of engaging in the research process (rather than including only as subjects of the research) those who are intended to be the beneficiaries, users, and stakeholders of the research” (Cargo & Mercer 2008: 326). [...] The regional associations and NPI coordinators also participated in the project at the stage of the community portraits, by planning the process, identifying and collaborating with other stakeholders, documenting the community, organizing a consultation and ensuring follow-up.