The Story
In January of 2009, the QCGN published a significant report entitled, “Creating Spaces for Young Quebecers: Strategic Orientation for English-Speaking Youth in Quebec”. This was the first time that a significant percentage of English-speaking youth in Quebec came together from across many regions to address the barriers young people face. The document remains relevant even four years after its publication as it outlines many strategies that have to be developed and implemented. The Executive Summary stated the following:
Young English-speakers in Quebec acknowledge the charged political history of the province and are ready to fully leave the “two solitudes” behind them through open collaboration and bilingualism. We are now in a unique position to directly address challenges facing English-speaking youth in Quebec in an inclusive, sensitive and non-threatening manner. Youth favour strategies such as fostering bilingualism, increasing collaboration, breaking down socio-cultural and linguistic barriers, and frank discussion.
A few years later in 2012, QCGN Director General heard about a young Montreal-based hip-hop artist, David Hodges, watching Sunday news on CTV. The segment demonstrated how David Hodges works with youth in the schools using music and interactive workshops to help youth defeat isolation and bullying. We tracked him down and asked him to pen a bilingual song based on what youth said in the Creating Spaces report. David came back to us with the song “Notre Home”, with touching lyrics expressing what many of our English-speaking youth feel in terms of a sense of belonging within their communities here in Quebec. As a talented and committed peer, his message affects and is heard by our target group in a way that a published study never will.
The QCGN had then found a clever way to mobilize youth from urban and rural communities through music. From this moment, we knew that Notre Home could become a rallying point for youth of all origins because its unifying message while diminishing the gap between the various cultural and linguistic groups in Quebec.
During the first phase of the project, the song had a great success among members of the English-speaking community and created a real buzz throughout the province. The QCGN then decided to take on the creation of a music video. In order to embody inclusiveness and openness, we also decided to adapt the song is a more French version, allowing us to outreach to the Francophone majority of Quebec.
Here are the main objectives of Notre Home awareness Tour:
Young English-speakers in Quebec acknowledge the charged political history of the province and are ready to fully leave the “two solitudes” behind them through open collaboration and bilingualism. We are now in a unique position to directly address challenges facing English-speaking youth in Quebec in an inclusive, sensitive and non-threatening manner. Youth favour strategies such as fostering bilingualism, increasing collaboration, breaking down socio-cultural and linguistic barriers, and frank discussion.
A few years later in 2012, QCGN Director General heard about a young Montreal-based hip-hop artist, David Hodges, watching Sunday news on CTV. The segment demonstrated how David Hodges works with youth in the schools using music and interactive workshops to help youth defeat isolation and bullying. We tracked him down and asked him to pen a bilingual song based on what youth said in the Creating Spaces report. David came back to us with the song “Notre Home”, with touching lyrics expressing what many of our English-speaking youth feel in terms of a sense of belonging within their communities here in Quebec. As a talented and committed peer, his message affects and is heard by our target group in a way that a published study never will.
The QCGN had then found a clever way to mobilize youth from urban and rural communities through music. From this moment, we knew that Notre Home could become a rallying point for youth of all origins because its unifying message while diminishing the gap between the various cultural and linguistic groups in Quebec.
During the first phase of the project, the song had a great success among members of the English-speaking community and created a real buzz throughout the province. The QCGN then decided to take on the creation of a music video. In order to embody inclusiveness and openness, we also decided to adapt the song is a more French version, allowing us to outreach to the Francophone majority of Quebec.
Here are the main objectives of Notre Home awareness Tour:
- Foster a positive, inclusive and unifying message between the Francophone majority and the English-speaking community
- Build more bridges between the Francophone majority and the English-speaking community
- Promote English-speaking Quebec’s culture in Quebec society and demonstrate the ongoing commitment of English-speaking citizens towards the uniqueness of Quebec’s French culture
- Contribute to youth retention in the regions and to their full participation in Quebec’s social fabric
