ACE (Arts, Community, Education) Initiative Update

Back in June, more than 50 artists and educators gathered together to imagine projects that would incorporate art and education in new ways, ensuring that more schools and communities could access the benefits of arts and culture in the English language. This was the first phase of ELAN’s Arts, Community, Education (ACE) Initiative, funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Strategic Program.

In November, the ACE Initiative entered its second phase, choosing five partners with unique pilot projects. These projects are being implemented as we speak, including programs to connect seniors and students, to support Indigenous reconciliation and to create access to art in suburban, rural and remote areas (as far as the North shore!).

On January 25, ELAN made a presentation about the ACE Initiative at the annual LEARN conference, encouraging educators from around Quebec to explore the benefits of combining arts and education. We connected with new allies and advocates along the way.

We’ll be following the progress of each project, talking to the project coordinators and posting information and documents on our website and social media as each one takes shape.

If you’d like to be the first to receive ACE updates, send an email to ace-initiative@quebec-elan.org with ACE in the subject line.

Land Acknowledgement

ELAN is an official minority language organization within a country that recognizes two languages as official. ELAN is located in Tiohtià:ke, the original name for Montreal in Kanien’kéha, the language of the Mohawk—also known as Mooniyang, which is the Anishinaabeg name given to the city by the Algonquin. While we are based in this city, our projects have also taken place in many regions across Quebec.

We acknowledge the colonial origin of English and French in Canada, and recognize that both languages benefit from official status throughout the land. The province that we know as Quebec is an amalgamation of the traditional territories of the Innu and Inuit nations, Algonquian nations, as well as the Mohawk nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Kanien’kéha and Anishinaabemowin are but two of the original languages of this province; Atikamekw, Cree, Inuktitut, and Innu-aimun are also among the many Indigenous languages spoken across Quebec as majority languages, all well before French and English.

ELAN acknowledges the important work being done by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to revive the traditional languages of these territories, and their advocacy for the official status of Indigenous languages.