ABLE2 is a partner of Kids Come First, and Thony is a participating member of the Kids Come First Francophone working group. “I learned about the Winning Strategies project through Kids Come First. Then Nathalie followed up to get us started. And really, the project is clear, the strategies are well defined, and the steps are easy to follow,” says Thony.
Approximately 30% of ABLE2’s clientele is French-speaking. The team of 19 staff members and more than 500 volunteers is primarily English-speaking, and about 20% of these individuals are bilingual. “Our organization operates in English, but with the help of Winning Strategies, I wanted to make sure we are taking all reasonable steps to properly include and serve our Francophone clientele, because everything is different when you are served in your own language,” adds Thony.
Thony became the project champion, who is the person responsible for implementing the strategies within ABLE2. Identifying staff members who can communicate in French and clients who prefer to receive services in French are two strategies that have already been put in place, allowing them to match employees with clients.
At the organizational level, ABLE2 has a French Services Committee that advises the organization on measures to be adopted, as well as a designated French Services position. In addition, ABLE2 sits on the Regroupement des partenaires francophones (Francophone Partners Group) consultation table.
“The Winning Strategies help us improve our French-language services. We work to raise staff awareness of the importance of communicating in French and encourage them to improve their skills by offering training. It’s important, so we really try to do our best to meet the needs of our clients,” concludes Thony.
