Geraldton – REGIONAL – The Centre culturel francophone de Geraldton is proud to present its website to the public. It will give greater visibility to the Centre and to the Francophone community as a whole. The two clubs that organize various activities at the Centre culturel francophone – the Club canadien français and la Joie de Vivre – will also benefit from this new communication tool to reach their members and the public. The website address is www.centrefrancogeraldton.ca.
The site was created in collaboration with AFNOO, thanks to a grant from the New Horizons for Seniors Program. This program funds projects that encourage the involvement of seniors and intergenerational ties.
More than a hundred people were involved in some way in the project. Consultations were conducted with members of the Francophone clubs, English-speaking residents and community organizations. More than 80 people responded to a short survey. The board members of the three groups also gave their opinions on the content of the site, with the support of a consultant. Subsequently, 20 people volunteered during the summer to be part of a test group. They had the chance to see site before anyone else, but more importantly, to give their opinions and to have an impact on the project. Test group participants mostly came from Geraldton, but a few people in Thunder Bay, Longlac and Red Lake were also involved to give an outside viewpoint of the website.
A partnership was created with the Centre de formation pour adultes de Greestone for the maintenance of the website. The staff will be able to train others volunteers as needed. Basic training was also provided to directors of the Centre culturel francophone, Club canadien français and La Joie de Vivre.
The Centre culturel francophone hopes its new site will attract new people to its premises and raise awareness of the French activities in Geraldton.