Some Words on the Shooting at the Centre Cultural Islamique de Quebec

On Sunday, we lost 6 men to a horrifying attack on a mosque in Ste. Foy. Their names were Mamadou Tanou Barry, Abdelkrim Hassane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Azzeddine Soufiane and Ibrahima Barry. The news of this mass murder, the stories of who these men were and who they are leaving behind, has filled those of us here at COCo with grief. It was important to us that this be the first thing we say today. Our hearts are heavy knowing how much harder this falls on Muslim communities. How much heavier this is for those around us who have been and are directly targeted by Islamophobic violence.

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What are your experiences with race in the community sector?

This year, COCo is undertaking Diversité d’Abord, an in-depth research project looking into the impacts of race and colonialism on the Quebec non-profit sector. For years, people have shared stories and personal experiences with COCo that point to a wider systemic problem, and it felt like it was time to dig deeper: to collect numbers, to collect stories, and to begin speaking about this together.

This month, we are launching Diversité d’Abord with two confidential surveys:

The “Community worker experiences” survey is for staff, board, volunteers and collective members at Quebec community groups. We want to know about how race has impacted your experiences.

The “organizational profile” survey will gather an overview of what the sector looks like currently, and some basic information about how race plays into hiring and recruitment. Anyone in your organization can fill out this survey, but it is best if it is someone who has basic knowledge of internal policies and budget. 

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COCo is Recruiting for our Board of Directors!

Becoming a Board member at COCo means becoming a part of a community that is trying to build relationships and strength with organizations and movements for social change, and who understand that learning and growth are key to the health of the Quebec community sector.

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Quebec’s Non-Profit Mobilization Becomes More Widespread, Unified

Over the past couple of years, we have seen a steady increase in nonprofits and community groups coming together to fight systemic underfunding at the provincial level in Quebec, including a letter-writing campaign and series of occupations over this week and next. This kind of mobilization is unprecedented in Quebec and unique in the North American context. Whether these actions will be fruitful has yet to be seen, but COCo has been following these developments eagerly.

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Canadian Black History Month Roundup: Read Up!

As Black History Month starts up, we at COCo thought we would make a little roundup of some of the great things we have seen being posted this past month about #CanadianBlackHistory—to encourage people to learn all year round! Before we jump in, though, a couple of remarks on #BlackHistoryMonth and why non-profits should care.

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Three Crucial Steps to Avoid Destructive Conflict in Your NonProfit

Conflict is a normal part of human relationships, and it is certainly a feature of working in grassroots community organizations. In the work that COCo does to support organizations through conflict, we see that some organizations have the tools and practices in places to deal with conflict as they arise, and for these organizations, conflict makes them stronger. In groups like these, conflict results in stronger relationships, deeper trust, and more nuanced, adaptable policies and services. In nonprofits or charities without these tools, conflict can instead become destructive, sucking up time, resources, and moving us away from the work we need to be doing.

Here are 3 practices used by organizations with good conflict cultures.

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