Townshippers’ Association supports future health care workers through student bursary program
Each year, Townshippers’ Association works with Dialogue Mcgill on a province-wide initiative to help recruit and retain bilingual health and social service workers in the province of Quebec and, more specifically, in the Eastern Townships region.
This initiative includes a health and social services student bursary program, which enables Townshippers’ Association to distribute bursaries to bilingual students from the Townships who are studying full-time in the fields of health and social services. In return, these students commit to working within the local health care system for a specified period after their graduation.
This year, Townshippers’ Association is thrilled to give out a combined total of $50,000 worth of bursaries to students in its two community networks. In this article, we would like to introduce you to the two bursary recipients from the Montérégie-east region of the Eastern Townships: Chloé Van Doorn and Daphné Landry, both future health and social services workers from Granby. We are very excited to see what they will accomplish in their chosen fields!
Originally from Granby, Chloé is currently studying Speech and Language Pathology at Mcgill University. Chloé’s connection to the English-speaking community comes from her paternal grandparents. Her family’s experiences have helped her to develop a better understanding of the realities and the needs of the region’s English-speaking community.
In recent years, Chloé has volunteered in elementary schools, where she worked with children who required speech exercises, and at a long-term care facility for older adults living with dementia, where she helped the recreational services director test out a memory stimulation machine. Although her volunteer experience so far has been primarily within the French-speaking community, Chloé has worked with English CEGEP students learning French, an experience that increased her awareness of the challenges that the English-speaking community faces as a minority language group.
As a result of her experiences, Chloé has a great desire to be able to offer the best possible level of care to Englishspeaking patients once she begins working in her field. We are confident that Chloé will be a great asset to our region in the years to come.
DAPHNÉ LANDRY
Daphné is from Granby and is currently completing the DECBAC program in social work at the Université du Québec à Trois-rivières’ Drummondville campus. Since the time she was in sixth grade, Daphné has been organizing fundraisers and helping people in need. She has volunteered for organizations dedicated to supporting individuals with multiple sclerosis and she has helped to organize Christmas gift campaigns for vulnerable children
in Granby. Daphné has also helped organize events in the Sherbrooke area, such as the Nuit des sans abris (Night of the homeless), and a benefit concert to raise money for homeless women. In addition to her volunteer work, Daphné has worked at a safe house for men experiencing problems since 2018, where she has helped English clients and had the opportunity to observe and better understand the realities and needs of English speakers.
Growing up in the towns of Waterloo and Stukely also gave Daphné the opportunity to get to know the Englishspeaking community. As a result of her experiences, she understands just how important it is for English speakers to have access to services in their first official language. Going forward, we are certain that Daphné’s kind nature and generous heart will offer tremendous support for all her clients.
To learn more about the health and
social services bursary program, visit our website: https://townshippers.org/ mcgill-bursary-program.