A Webzine about International Issues Earns the Innovation Award 2016 from the ACPQ
The Profweb team discovered a very interesting project that is sure to capture the attention of several teachers and students who are concerned with the major international issues. The Monde68 Project: participatory webzine (in French only), developed by the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, won the Innovation Award 2016 from the ACPQ (Association des collèges privés du Québec or The Private Colleges of Quebec Association). It is a participatory web platform managed by a board of teachers and students in social sciences concerned with social issues.
Monde68 homepage
Monde68: Because International Is Not a Foreign Affair
Monde68 allows teachers and students to both share their analysis of international current events, and then make their work public, and doing so through modern communication tools. A good way of opening up to the world and a good window to showcase the expertise of teachers on international questions.
Since March 2014, 117 articles have been published by means of this webzine, of which:
- 40% by teachers
- 35% by students of whom the articles are chosen among the best assignments or from a voluntary contribution
- 25% by external collaborators partners (notably CÉRIUM)
Since September 2015, the trend has slightly reversed: there are more students being published than teachers, proving that the model has many followers. Their articles are selected by a group of 4 teachers who have the responsibility of monitoring the analytical, informational and argumentative quality of the papers.
Monde68 aims to reinforce the editorial competencies of students by giving them the opportunity to write condensed analytical reviews, which are clear and precise in a multidisciplinary perspective. Students must adhere to the requests of the supervising teachers with respect to their subject by showing: rigorousness, consciousness, and profound knowledge, so that they are able to contextualise a complex international issue by making it accessible to all in a clear, concise, precise and complete manner.
Beyond the academic reinforcement, Monde68 accompanies students in their learning of efficient, structured and argumentative communication. Without being stuck in a strict academic framework, these youth learn how to speak to society and express themselves in a way that is as clear and concise as possible.
An article on Monde68
This project was developed under the voluntary and discretionary responsibility of 4 teachers in the department of Social Sciences:
- Marc Bordeleau, History Teacher
- Jano Bourgeois, Political Science Teacher
- Armand Sebbag, Economy Teacher
- Guillaume Callonico, Political Science Teacher
Credit © ACPQ. The names of the people in the photo are, from left to right: Thomas Faustin (student in the Bachelor of International History, Daniel Beauregard (History Teacher), Marc Bordeleau, (History Teacher), Jano Bourgeois, (Political Science Teacher), Guillaume Callonico, (Political Science Teacher), Pierre L’Heureux, (General Manager of ACPQ) and Christian Corno, President of the Commission of Directors of Studies
Marc Bordeleau adds that Armand Sebbag, Teacher, has also contributed to the project, as has Frédérick Mérand, the manager of the Montreal Centre for International Studies (CÉRIUM) of Université de Montreal. He indicates that the team of teachers would like for Monde68 to become, little by little, the go-to reference for everyone who wants to not only consume opinions, but also and above all, obtain unbiased information that is well-informed about international societal issues.
The articles in a “journalist” format, written by our teachers, students in Social Sciences, specialized contributors from around the world or involved citizens, allow us to offer a dissemination tool for major international issues.
Guillaume Callonico, founder of the project, reminds us that Monde68 is a collaborative virtual magazine aiming to clarify the civil society (academic or not) about the major debates and issues in international relations, because international is not a foreign affair.
In an effort to ensure the longevity of the project, Monde68 functions as a small newspaper with its board of directors made up of 4 teachers who divide up the roles of:
- General manager
- Editor in chief
- Proof-reader
- Webmaster
- Treasurer
A selected student is partnered up with each of these administrators to develop their decisional competencies and to represent Monde68 with the student population of the college. These students must also write an article annually as well as arouse interest among their colleagues to write an article. Decisions are made by consensus most of the time to ensure a full commitment from their members, whether they are teachers or students.
Students are approached by their teachers in certain courses, after an exceptional assignment has been produced. Teachers will encourage students to publish their work on the webzine or the Huffington Post. This could call for some corrections or reformulations, but students understand that their work is going to serve for much more than to be evaluated. They can participate in the public debate as they prepare to enter into society with their full rights as a new citizen.
Positive Impacts for the Students
This extracurricular activity allows students of the Social Science Program to:
- Be initiated to the work of writing for the web and editing scientific text
- Favour collaboration with the media and university research centres
Jano Bourgeois insists on the importance of the collaborative component and networking, because the project opens new horizons for the students. He explains that the project has even lead to the organisation of a presentation in collaboration with CÉRIUM on the theme of “NATO, Evolution and Challenges”.
TheACPQ Innovation Award highlights innovative achievements of a person or a group of people from a college institution that have undeniably positive outcomes, notably about the quality of the training, student success, recruitment of clientele, the economy of the region and the notoriety of private teaching. Congratulations to the teachers of Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf and all the best to the webzine Monde68! Don’t hesitate to share this news with your network!