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A
brief history: 1963 – 2012
The adventure began in 1963 with Jacques Langlais,
priest of the Holy Cross congregation, which joined in 1967, Robert
Vachon, Franco-American priest of the Congregation of La Salette,
United States, and in 1971, Kalpana Das, educator of Indian origin
and Hindu tradition.
Incorporated in 1968 as the Centre Monchanin, it subsequently
took the name Monchanin Cross-Cultural Centre in 1979. Since 1990,
the new name, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, has reflected
the organisation's mission and activities.
Commitment
The Intercultural Institute of Montreal is a non-profit
research and social action organization, dedicated to promoting
an ever-deepening understanding of cultural pluralism, intercultural
relations and social change. Its scope is at local, national, and
international.
Although harmonious ethnic relations and cultural
diversity are generally recognized as desirable, little is understood
about the transformative possibilities they offer our pluralistic
world.
IIM is committed to exploring these possibilities
in order to meet contemporary economic, ecological, social and civilizational
challenges. These can only be met by a sincere search for wisdom
and cosmovision from each and every culture, through dialogue, understanding
and co-operation.
The philosophy and practices of IIM find their roots
in the non-institutional and community sectors of our societies.
The Institute’s spirit has been one of engaging itself in
a dynamic interaction between the public and private or the formal
and informal sectors, without compromising its identity as a community
organization.
Characteristics of IIM’s programs and approach
IIM has always sought to offer proposals, not to erect
rigid opposition to the dominant approach, but towards the introduction
of alternatives as regards pluralistic societies throughout the
world. IIM offers a series of programs and services in a spirit
of cooperation. Since its foundation to this very day, its programs
have run a long and innovative course. The evolution of its programs
and services were marked by the following characteristics:
The 60’s: The intercultural
socialization of youth and adults with the background of different
life-styles and different cultural and religious origins; the experience
of culture-learning and of intercultural/interreligious dialogue;
the establishment of an information and documentation service on
cultures, religions and intercultural studies; the founding of the
international Journal InterCulture.
The 70’s: The development of
closer links with Indigenous Nations; the creation of programs to
support and sensitize the public to the way of life of First Nations,
to the socio-political issues with respect to their self-determination;
the introduction of a program of intercultural education for children
and workshops of cultural sensitization for teachers; intercultural
consultation and reference services; the promotion of the rights
of minority cultures.
The 80’s: Intercultural forums
on social topics of the day; training in intercultural relation
and communication: 45 to 60 hours training programs for professionals
in education, social and health services in many institutions and
community organizations; training programs for agents of international
development and cooperation, and for agents of human rights.
The 90’s: Setting an International
Network for Cultural Alternatives to Development (INCAD); promoting
movements of regeneration of local communities and of their systems
of knowledge throughout the world; establishing a data base on local
and indigenous knowledge systems; research-action projects on specific
issues, with regard to groups such as youth, elders, and immigrant
families within ethnocultural communities of Quebec and, more recently,
on interculturality within community development and social action.
2000 to today: Events of September
11th 2001 have incited IIM to reorient its reflection and action,
with regard to interreligious dialogue. Hence, IIM has constituted
an Interreligious Committee for social action. Within the framework
of this Interreligious Committee and in collaboration with the Chair
of Religion, Culture and Society at the University of Montreal,
IIM has developed an action project within the school milieu on
the theme: “Youth, Identity and Religiousness: the role of
the school”. Participants in this project comprise students
from the secondary IV and V, parents, teachers and spiritual animators.
In 2007, IIM held the Colloquium, in collaboration with the Chair
on Interuniversity research Group on diversity in Quebec (CRIDAQ),
at the University of Quebec in Montreal, “Pluralism here and
elsewhere” in order to deepen its reflection on the diversity
in our society from an intercultural perspective.
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