44th Annual General Meeting: A Time for Gathering and Productive Discussions

Article from Parenthèse published on 5 December 2023, in the Annual Conference category.

Election of the Board of Directors

This year, several newly elected members of parents’ associations, as well as a number of former members, participated in the general meeting of the Fédération des parents and exercised their right to vote in the election of members of the Board of Directors of the Fédération des parents for a two-year term.

Geneviève Pellerin, the new member for the North Vancouver Island Region, was elected to the Board for the first time, and the members for the Northern B.C. Region and the Fraser Valley Region were re-elected for new two-year terms.

Read the portraits of each member here.

The 2023-2024 Board of Directors is now as follows:

  • Christian Leclerc, President;
  • Lucie Vallières, Member for the Metro Vancouver Region;
  • Marie-Hélène Hinse, Member for the Northern B.C. Region;
  • Laura Grefford, Member for the Fraser Valley Region;
  • Marie-Christine Cadieux, Member for the Okanagan-Columbia Region;
  • Michael Cameron, Member for the South Vancouver Island Region;
  • Geneviève Pellerin, Member for the North Vancouver Island Region.

The Board of Directors noted the departures of Suzana Straus, outgoing President, and Marc Paris, outgoing Member for the Okanagan-Columbia Region, and warmly thanked them for their commitment to the Fédération des parents over the past years.

 

Reports 

It was, like every year, an opportune time to present the reports of the President and the Executive Director. These documents highlighted the accomplishments and progress of the Fédération des parents over the past year, including the support, throughout the year, of the Fédération’s school parents’ associations members, as needed. Of particular note is the customized support according to the needs of each parents’ association, workshops on various topics of interest to them, and the creation and distribution of informative videos, all with the goal of equipping parent volunteers in their work. Also of note is the launch of a new initiative to directly support parents across the province: conversations between parents!

Important milestones have been reached with child care centres, steps which are very important for the growth and future of our communities. In fact, in the past year, two new Francophone child care centres managed by Le Phare C.-B have been opened, much to the delight of parents. First, there was the preschool of la garderie Les aventuriers in Langley, a joint project with the Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF), followed by the school child care Le tournesol in Vancouver, a project made possible thanks to a collaboration with l’Association des parents de l’école Anne-Hébert.

In addition, informative videos on careers in early childhood education were created to promote these careers and raise awareness about opportunities in this sector, and also to meet recruitment challenges. This project was made possible thanks to the support of partners of the Fédération des parents. Strategies have also been put in place for those interested in continuing their education in the field of early childhood.

The Fédération also continues to represent Francophone parents at various meetings, and to collaborate with provincial and national community partners in the education continuum (from early childhood to post-secondary). In this way, the Fédération strengthens its ties with community partners throughout the year.