WELLINGTON – Nov. 29, 2021 – A new, innovative and unifying project will help break the social isolation that Acadian and Francophone seniors in the Evangeline region have experienced since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and well before by directly addressing the subjects of employability, housing and home care services.

The “Impact – Aîné.e.s Évangéline” (Evangeline Seniors Impact), an Atlantic collective impact project extending over three years, will be carried out through the efforts of the Association des francophones de l’âge d’or de l’Î.-P.-É. (FAOIPE), in partnership with the Conseil scolaire-communautaire Évangéline (CSCÉ), RDÉE Prince Edward Island and CBDC Restigouche. Its funding comes from the Government of Canada, through Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and the New Horizons for Seniors Program.

At a press conference held in Wellington Nov. 29, 2021, FAOPIE president Claude Blaquière explained that “The employability/housing component of the project aims to allow Acadian and Francophone seniors in the region to share their expertise with the community while offering them employment opportunities adapted to their needs. It will also promote the retention of seniors in the Evangeline region, either in their own homes or by finding alternative housing for them. This will allow Francophone immigrants to find affordable and accessible housing in the region, while avoiding the exodus of seniors to the cities.”

Blaquière added that “The home services component aims to implement new home services in French for seniors in the region to enable them to remain in the community as long as possible and to integrate more easily into the community. These services include Meals on Wheels, transportation and others.”

With the participation of government, municipal and provincial stakeholders, and various community agencies in the Evangeline region and at the provincial level such as the Réseau de Santé en français de l’Î.-P.-É. (RSFIPE), the Société acadienne et francophone de l’Î.-P.-É. (SAF’Île), the Collège de l’Île and the Regroupement consultatif communautaire Évangéline, the services implemented by the Impact – Aîné.e.s Évangéline project will be able to continue afterwards, in whole or in part, and thus perpetuate the efforts made during the original three years of the program.

-30-

 

PHOTO 1: At the official launch of the Impact – Aîné.e.s Évangéline project, Nov. 29, in Wellington are representatives of the three partner organizations, from left: from the Conseil scolaire-communautaire Évangéline, board member Diane Richard and executive director Nick Arsenault; the president of l’Association des francophones de l’âge d’or de l’Î.-P.-É., Claude Blaquière; and representatives of RDÉE Prince Edward Island, executive director Bonnie Gallant and project officer Aubrey Cormier.

PHOTO 2: The president of l’Association des francophones de l’âge d’or de l’Î.-P.-É., Claude Blaquière officially launched the Impact – Aîné.e.s Évangéline project, Nov. 29, in Wellington.

 

 

For more information, please contact
Claude Blaquière
President
Association des francophones de l’âge d’or de l’Î.-P.-É. (FAOIPE)
902-854-3256
claude2.blaquiere@gmail.com