InterCom Project
Get involved to get better! Here is the project’s slogan! It was developed as a result of several focus groups with youth from our partner’s various backgrounds.
InterCom Project is :
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(1) Inter for intervention;
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(2) Com for community;
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(3) a co-construction project with the youth, the public and our partner’s communities.
It is in this spirit of collective well-being and mutual aid that the project was born. A collective crisis calls for a collective solution. As a society, we must think collectively to act quickly in the face of collective crises, such as the current pandemic.
Through various interactive workshops and conferences, we aim to foster identity clarity and collective resilience in these times of social and health crisis. In the long term, the InterCom Project aims to be ready to face future crises, regardless of the context.
Overview of our activities:
Since our first intervention in december 2020, more than 50 discussion groups, workshops and conferences have been offered to more than 1200 participants. These participants included young people and workers from different community settings, high schools, cegeps and universities, as well as the general public. The communities in which we gave our workshops and conferences included the Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi de Laval, community centers, the Centre Jeunesse de Laval, the Université de Montréal, the Collège Montmorency as well as different other high schools in the city of Laval.
In summary, as of June 24, 2022 :
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more than 1952 people affected
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34 conferencies
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4 trainings for facilitators
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62 workshops
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3 presentations in scientific conventions
Workshops: Understanding Social Change
1. Reflecting on our Values to Go Better
Social disruptions such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic can be
destabilizing. This group workshop provides an opportunity to share what we have
experienced and also to reflect on our values and future actions for a better collective
and personal well-being.
This workshop will allow us to :
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Better understand the social change that is happening to us right now;
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Identify the repercussions that social upheaval has on us;
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Discuss these changes and our individual and collective values together;
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Identify concrete actions to getting involved to go better.
2. Practicing Kindness to Go Better
Do you find that you are sometimes hard on yourself, especially when everything around you is changing? In this workshop, you will be led to reflect on how you can take caring actions towards yourself and others.
This workshop will allow you to :
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Become aware that we are often harsher on ourselves than on others and that this can be detrimental to our well-being;
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To reflect on the fact that we are not alone and that we can rely on the strength of the group;
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Reflecting together on how to take concrete action while showing self-compassion and compassion for others.
3. Helping each Other to Go Better
Can diversity of opinion bring us together? In this workshop, you will reflect on the benefits of social support and also develop concrete strategies to foster openness to others in a challenging context.
This workshop will allow you to :
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Reflect on the importance of mutual aid: better offer and better receive;
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Discuss strategies for providing better social support;
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Develop actions to get involved with our loved ones and our community.
Conferences : Understanding the Impacts of COVID-19
1. Addressing Mental Health Challenges Together with (Self)Compassion
This conference will allow you to (1) better understand the changes we are experiencing, (2) become familiar with scientific findings on the psychological impact of COVID-19 related to emotions (e.g., loneliness, anxiety), and (3) develop strategies to improve individual and collective well-being with (self)compassion.
2. Restoring Anchor Points by Building on Past Success
This conference will allow you to (1) better understand the changes we are currently experiencing in relation to identity processes, (2) become familiar with scientific findings on the psychological impact of COVID-19 related to the threat to the self, and (3) develop strategies to improve individual and collective well-being by restoring anchor points and building on past successes.
Contact
For more information, contact us at : info@projetintercom.ca
The InterCom Project was co-founded by Roxane de la Sablonnière and Caroline Lebeau and is organized into three committees:
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an administrative committee that ensures the overall organization of the project (funding, partnership, content development and educational tools);
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a clinical committee whose main role is to develop the content of workshops and conferences adapted to the different environments as well as to train facilitators;
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A research committee which aims to ensure the scientific quality of the content of conferences and workshops.
Here are the resource people for the InterCom Project :
Roxane de la Sablonnière, Ph.D.
Professor, Psychology Department, Université de Montréal
Caroline Lebeau, M.Sc., Ph.D (c).
Director and Founder of Regard9 and of Tournée Édu4tive.
France Landry, Ph.D., D. psy.
Associate Professor, Psychology Department, Université du Québec à Montréal.
Educational Psychologist at Services à la Vie Étudiante de l’Université du Québec à Montréal.
Éric Lacourse, Ph.D.
Professor, Senior Methodologist, Sociology Department, Université de Montréal.
Media Appearances
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de la Sablonnière, Roxane (24 février 2022). Bouleversement collectif, solutions collectives. La Presse.
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Simard, Valérie (14 février 2022). Une approche de groupe pour aider les jeunes affectés par la pandémie. La Presse.
The InterCom Project is possible thanks to the invaluable contribution of our many partners, whom we warmly thank :
