This text is part of the special notebook Center of Montreal Memories
The opening of the Montreal Memories Center is accompanied by educational programming for schools aimed at primary and secondary students as well as reception and francization classes.
This new program offers eight activities covering several subjects in the Quebec school training program such as history, geography or French. Teachers will be able to choose from themes such as immigration, mobilization or even housing.
Highlight identities
To build this program “we started pretty much from scratch, because it’s a new museum, a new mission, a new exhibition,” explains Laure Barrachina, educational and cultural program officer. The MEM aims to place the emphasis on people. The collection is mainly composed of everyday objects and testimonies. To stick more closely to these new developments, the activities attempt to highlight Montreal identities.
While respecting the criteria of the school program, the MEM had the flexibility to move away from it to develop the critical sense and empathy of the participants. Activities lasting just over an hour are led by museum facilitators. Participants will be able to pack their suitcase as if they were leaving a country in conflict, redraw the map of Montreal or discuss universal accessibility in the city.
Laure Barrachina was able to count on the help of 15 teachers and museum education specialists. “It’s always interesting to have professors who come to provide food for thought. » The museum has also surrounded itself with organizations to enhance certain themes. AlterGo fueled questions about disability and accessibility. Je suis Montréal brought its expertise on the theme of immigration and the Institut du Nouveau Monde on citizen participation.
Provoke the meeting
Among the eight activities offered, the MEM takes for example the You are part of history program, developed at the time by the Montreal History Center and which invites young people from reception classes to explore the history of Montreal while adding their contribution to it. It all ends with an exhibition of the “treasures” brought by the participants.
With the new Roots to Grow project, the center also offers a twinning between a regular class and a reception or francization class. The goal: to provoke discussions between participants about their family and their country of origin. “This allows us to build both a friendly and social network. This type of initiative is developing a lot in the community environment and we wanted to try to apply it in the school environment, explains M.me Barrachina. Because one of the observations we made with You Are Part of History is that reception classes are often separated from regular school. » This program thus forces meeting and sharing since at the end, the groups create a large common tree symbolizing both their links and each other’s roots.
According to Laure Barrachina, trips to the museum offer a context that “takes students out of the textbooks”. “We are not in heavy academic learning, but it is still a place where we can find a lot of information,” she specifies, adding that one of the strengths of the educational aspect of the museum is the learning through experimentation. In addition to visiting the exhibition, activities are always accompanied by discussions, sometimes crafts or workshops. “However, when you have an experience, it can facilitate learning,” she believes.
Value everyone’s experience
The different activities are adapted to the target age group and cycle. For example, francization students are invited to speak to help them practice their French. “We receive a lot of young people from immigrant backgrounds,” adds M.me Barrachina. Listening to and valuing their experience is just as important in the workshops. »
Another question, the lack of knowledge that some have of Montreal. Sometimes you have to “explain very concrete things that you wouldn’t explain to someone who has always lived in Montreal,” says Laure Barrachina. In Montreal 101 in particular, newcomers explore the most basic subjects of the city, up to the most zany, such as understanding a parking sign… which is certainly complicated for a newcomer, but just as much for a native!
And when asked if she has a favorite activity, Laure Barrachina replies that she has a weakness for Éncelle citoyenne, with which young people explore mobilization through history. They will have to think about a project to implement in their school… And who knows, maybe they will take the opportunity to actually implement it once back in class.
One thing is certain, according to Mme Barrachina, by giving these young people a voice, the facilitators learn about themselves. “Every time, we get something out of these young people,” she says.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.