In addition to the support provided directly to community organizations, COCo also tries to have an impact on the wider community sector in Quebec. To achieve this, we have taken on different projects over the years that allow us to start, deepen or pursue questions that are important to us and our members. Below is a brief description of our current and past projects; you can click on each one to have more information.
Naviguer l’univers des données (Navigating Data)
In 2019, COCo started a project looking into challenges community organizations face with respect to data and the new technologies in that field. We developed an outline for a data literacy training and started accompanying groups with their data questions.
This project is occurring in partnership with Centraide of Greater Montreal.
The Learning Organizations Lab
In 2017, COCo began a research project looking to redefine the idea of learning organizations for the nonprofit context. We developed our own model of “community learning organizations” and are looking to develop the project into concrete support for community groups in Montreal.
This project is occurring in partnership with Centraide of Greater Montreal.
Conflict and Diversity
In 2018, COCo started a project called Conflit à l’oeuvre, which focusses on understanding the links between conflict and “diversity” (systemic oppression, and more specifically anti-racism) in the context of community organizations. The project includes a research component and a popular education component.
It was funded by the Ministère d’éducation et enseignement supérier du Québec (MEES) and COCo.
Diversité d’Abord
In 2017, COCo began 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.
It was funded by the Ministère d’éducation et enseignement supérier du Québec (MEES) and COCo.
Quebec on the Move
Quebec on the Move explored the subject of social movements and Quebec’s English-speaking communities. It included a traveling art exhibit organized in 2015 and involved 22 video segments of community organizers in conversation with each other.
It was funded by Canadian Heritage.
By Us and For Us: The Community at the Head of the Organization
By & For Us? The community at the head of the organization was an initiative held in 2015 focusing on the experiences of community organizations that are run by the community they serve. The project took the format of three forums, where representatives of community organizations came together to learn from one another’s experiences, discuss challenges, create solutions, and build new relationships, partnerships and networks.
Communities Connecting the Digital Dots
In 2013, COCo launched Communities Connecting the Digital Dots. 12 community organizations got 5-weeks of intensive training in video-making. They learnt the basics of video production, editing, and promotion by creating a video series about communications technology for community groups.
Portes Ouvertes: Reducing Social Exclusion in the Community Sector
Portes Ouvertes was a collaboration between community group leaders and popular educators who collaborated to develop anti-oppression tools for use in community organizations across Québec.
In the Know: Identifying Multiple Facets of Quebec’s Community Sector
COCo began the community-based action research project “In the Know: Identifying multiple aspects of Quebec’s community sector”, in October of 2008 to help develop a better understanding of the diversity of groups working for social change in Quebec. The study aimed to survey English-speaking, bilingual and ethno-cultural community groups across Quebec over a 3 year period. The research was carried out between 2009 and 2012.
It was funded and supported by Quebec’s Secretariat à l’Action Communautaire Autonome et aux Initiatives Sociales (SACAIS).