Ingenuity Required

Ingenuity, the ability to be clever, original and inventive, is a skill needed in every community.  People living across the Lower North Shore of Quebec have incredible ingenuity and resourcefulness.  One of the biggest challenges is that this region is a mix of 15 small, often isolated communities.  Some of the communities are only connected by ferry or airplane while others have roads.  Cell phone service is sporadic at best and if the weather comes in, forget it.  The communities, in the past have spent more time competing with each other, rather than leveraging their ingenuity to tackle their tough problems. 

But the seeds of change are blowing across the Lower North Shore.  A group of 97 leaders gathered in La Tabatiere, Quebec to engage in conversations about what is possible when you work together. 

Workshop participants heard about community and education success stories that were garnering national and international awards.  For example, students at Mecatina School developed a hydroponics initiative that grows vegetables in the winter when they are tough to get and cost a lot.   In St. Paul’s, a local cooperative is turning a variety of locally grown berries into juices, chocolates and make-up products under the brand name Parallel 51.  These products are currently being sold at high-end grocery stores across the United States. 

In a region that has witnessed significant out-migration of youth because of the lack of employment opportunities, there is a new partnership with the University of Trois-Rivieres where students can complete their Masters of Environmental Sciences program in their home communities. 

The community and education success stories all leverage the local environment which continues to be rich in fish, plant life and ingenuity. 

The collective impact gathering provided local leaders with tools and skills to work more intentionally together and leverage their individual and collective ingenuity and assets.