Guided visits to discover Verdun

(PV) The project Discover Verdun and put down roots gives immigrants and new arrivals to the borough an opportunity to get to know better the area that will now become their home. The program is part of a plan of action that the City of Montreal has implemented.

For the 2006-2007 year, an agreement was reached between the City and the Ministry of Immigration and cultural communities, in this respect. Interactive workshops will be welcoming participants this fall and the same will take place in the spring of 2007. Longtime residents, interested in a multicultural exchange, can also participate in these activities.

The first of these workshops has as a theme “Discovering Verdun’s hidden treasures�. It consists of a guided visit, by bus, aiming to enlighten new residents of the borough’s history and its many community organizations. Visits will take place from 9:45 a.m. to noon, on Wednesday, October 25 and November 1, on Mondays, November 6, 13, 20 and 27, and on Monday, December 4. The meeting point will be the Centre communautaire Marcel-Giroux (4501 Bannantyne).

The second workshop, entitled “Discover my borough�, takes participants to the Centre culturel de Verdun, where it familiarizes them with the library and even introduces them to a Verdun resident, who has lived in the borough for more than 50 years. The workshop takes place on four different occasions: On Mondays, October 23 and 30, as well as Wednesdays, November 8 and 15, from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Participants meet at the entrance to the Centre culturel (5955 Bannantyne).

Finally, the third workshop, entitled “The ABC’s of Verdun� introduces participants to the Borough Office and the Centre communautaire Marcel-Giroux, so they can understand how a borough functions and meet the representatives of various community organizations. This workshop will be offered on Monday, October 30, as well as Wednesday, November 8, 15 and 22, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The meeting point is the Borough Office (4555 rue de Verdun).

There is no cost to participate at any of these workshops, but you must reserve a place, by calling Murielle Swift, at 514-765-7175. The borough urges everyone to take advantage of these planned activities.