Dawson College will be hosting the Winter School (École d’hiver) in partnership with the Institut du Nouveau Monde on March 4, 5 and 6. The Winter School will bring together students from colleges and secondary schools to discuss and exchange on social and political topics, and to develop their abilities to be active members of society, under the general rubric of Without Limits. This is the first time the École d’Hiver will be held in Montréal and the first time it will be at an Anglophone cegep, with all activities in both French and English.

Programming

At the École d’Hiver will be round table discussions on the Refugee Crisis, on First Nations after Idle No more, on Radicalisation in Québec, and on the link between our society and mental illness. Students will then chose what are termed “profiles” from among Young Women and Involvement, Identities and Dialogues, Democratic Reform and a special profile for secondary students called Initiation. More information can be obtained in the attached document.

Some of those that have already confirmed their participation in the École d’Hiver are Denise Otis from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (who will also be speaking at Social Science Week), Émilie Gauthier-Paré from the Red Cross, Widia Larivière from Québec Idle No More, Geoff Kelley Québec Minister of Autochthone Affairs, Jean-Guy Lacroix philosophy professor CEGEP Vieux-Montréal and Youssef Shoufan founding member of Syrian Eyes of the World and Art for Syria.

Students will be exposed to many interesting ideas, interact with many active, engaged members of Québec society and politics, and work together to develop their own abilities to be active members of our society. At the end of the École d’Hiver, we are planning that each of the profiles produce a statement or product to be sent to decision makers in society that reflects their discussions and perspectives.

More information about this conference can be found on the École d’hiver website.