Alternatives
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1994, Alternatives, Action and Communication Network for International Development
, is a non-governmental, international solidarity
organization based in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
.
Alternatives works to promote justice and equality amongst individuals and communities worldwide. Active in over 35 countries, Alternatives supports local, community-based initiatives working towards the greater economic, social, and political rights of people and communities affected by poverty, discrimination, exploitation, and violence.
The organization publishes the Le Journal des Alternatives newsletter, a publication inserted every three months in Montreal's French paper Le Voir. Alternatives also publishes the Alternatives International Journal, a monthly publication in English distributed electronically.
Alternatives Montreal is the headquarters of an International Federation consisting of nine NGOs spread across the world. Alternative-Niger, Alternatives Asia (New Delhi), Alternative Information Center
(Jerusalem), Forum Macrocain des Alternatives Sud, Initiative Pour un Autre Monde, Institut Alternatives Terrazul, Khanya College
, and Teacher Creativity Center.
• In this world, women, men and children will live in dignity and respect, and will equitably share the power and resources they need to live and thrive.
• In this world, the diversity of peoples and persons will be respected, as will the human, civil, economic, social, and cultural rights of all of its inhabitants.
• In this world, solidarity, cooperation, respect for the environment, participatory democracy, and peace will be the pillars that hold it aloft.
• In this world, founded upon sustainable, just, and democratic social and economic development, construction has already begun at a local, national, and global level.
The organization says that it wants to "strengthen citizen action and reinforce the contribution of social movements in the construction of sustainable societies."
, Africa
, Europe
and the Middle East
, as well as Central, South and Southeast Asia
.
Alternatives Montreal is the headquarters of a federation consisting of nine NGOs spread across the world. Alternative-Niger, Alternatives Asia (New Delhi), Alternative Information Center
(Jerusalem), Forum Macrocain des Alternatives Sud, Initiative Pour un Autre Monde, Institut Alternatives Terrazul, Khanya College
, and Teacher Creativity Center.
In each of these regions, the organization works in direct partnership with groups of women and men who are struggling for progress, respect and justice; as well as the peace and sustainable development
of their community, their environment, and their region.
Alternatives supports network creation between groups so that they can benefit from their shared experiences and successes. Network formation is crucial since it allows for a deepened analysis and comprehension of the conflicts affecting their communities from the outside.
Alternatives’ and its partners’ international solidarity projects are centered upon:
program), with the aim of developing a sense of solidarity and curiosity about other regions within youth. These internships emphasize understanding Third World
realities and encouraging actions that will advance Alternatives’ message of justice. Thanks to the internships, hundreds of young people have had the opportunity to participate in uncommon professional, cultural, and human experiences.
Alternatives’ Internships Program for 2009-2010 offers internships funded by the Québec Sans Frontières Program of Québec’s Ministère des relations internationales.
The 2009-2010 Program offered 4 types of internships, under the following 3 themes:
Bolivia: Andale! An environmental voice for workers in Bolivia
Ecuador: Documentaries for the rights of youth and children in Ecuador
Mali: Roots around the world : urban agriculture in Bamako
Cameroon: When communities take the information highway : education in Yaoundé
Also, one position of the OCI program of Québec Sans Fronitères was available at Alternatives' offices in Montreal:
Assistant to the Québec sans frontières (QSF) program : from Africa to the Americas
As part of the Youth Eco Internship program of YMCA of Canada, Alternatives offered 2 internship positions in Montreal:
Assistant to the environment and urban agriculture program
Urban agriculture mobilization and education officer
The Alternatives newspaper, a monthly compendium of international, national, and cultural news, has a distribution of 50,000, creating a window of alternative information on the world.
Whether in Quebec, Canada, or the world, Alternatives works to raise public awareness of international and local policy debates and keep people informed of the links between them. Through its information and educational campaigns, reflecting our concerns with equality and justice for the South, Alternatives goes beyond the general public to reach policymakers. At the local level, our work involves environmental concerns, participatory democracy
, out-reach and solidarity programs with immigrant communities and the promotion of pro-social policies.
For the last 16 years, Alternatives has been hosting the Journées Alternatives, a three-day retreat with Alternatives volunteers at Camp Papillon de St-Alphonse de Rodriguez. The retreat promotes reflection, engagement and education and has hundreds of participants yearly.
The new green community spaces have been designed as collective gardens, making participation possible in both public and private areas. This is founded in a desire to offer some simple food production models that are affordable, environmentally friendly and easy to adapt for use in both the South and the North, in a response to growing urbanization, pollution and growing urban poverty.
In 2008, the Rooftop Garden Project earned the highest environmental distinction in Quebec, the Phénix de l’environnement, and received the 2008 National Urban Design Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) for its collaborative project with McGill University
’s Minimum Cost Housing Groupe and Santropol Roulant.
Many activists, journalists, and public figures from Quebec, Canada, and the world support Alternatives. Among these are:
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
, is a non-governmental, international solidarity
International Solidarity Movement
The International Solidarity Movement is an organization focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using nonviolent protests. It was founded in 2001 by Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian activist; Neta Golan, an Israeli activist; Huwaida Arraf, a...
organization based in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Alternatives works to promote justice and equality amongst individuals and communities worldwide. Active in over 35 countries, Alternatives supports local, community-based initiatives working towards the greater economic, social, and political rights of people and communities affected by poverty, discrimination, exploitation, and violence.
The organization publishes the Le Journal des Alternatives newsletter, a publication inserted every three months in Montreal's French paper Le Voir. Alternatives also publishes the Alternatives International Journal, a monthly publication in English distributed electronically.
Alternatives Montreal is the headquarters of an International Federation consisting of nine NGOs spread across the world. Alternative-Niger, Alternatives Asia (New Delhi), Alternative Information Center
Alternative Information Center
The Alternative Information Center is a joint Palestinian-Israeli non-governmental organization which "engages in dissemination of information, political advocacy, grassroots activism and critical analysis of the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict"...
(Jerusalem), Forum Macrocain des Alternatives Sud, Initiative Pour un Autre Monde, Institut Alternatives Terrazul, Khanya College
Khanya College
Khanya College is an independent non-governmental organisation based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Established in 1986, the primary aim of Khanya College is to assist various constituencies within working class and poor communities to respond to the challenges posed by the forces of economic and...
, and Teacher Creativity Center.
Vision
Alternatives knows that, through the development of sustainable societies, another world is possible. This belief is grounded in the engagement, experience, and values of Alternatives’ members and the social movements to which they belong.• In this world, women, men and children will live in dignity and respect, and will equitably share the power and resources they need to live and thrive.
• In this world, the diversity of peoples and persons will be respected, as will the human, civil, economic, social, and cultural rights of all of its inhabitants.
• In this world, solidarity, cooperation, respect for the environment, participatory democracy, and peace will be the pillars that hold it aloft.
• In this world, founded upon sustainable, just, and democratic social and economic development, construction has already begun at a local, national, and global level.
Mission statement
Alternatives' mission statement (2009) reads: "Strengthened by our vision and national and international experience, Alternatives is an organization that works for solidarity, justice, and equity the world over. Alternatives' aim is to help the networking, building, and promoting of innovative initiatives in popular and social movements that are fighting for economic, social, political, cultural and environmental rights."The organization says that it wants to "strengthen citizen action and reinforce the contribution of social movements in the construction of sustainable societies."
International program
Alternatives is present in Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, as well as Central, South and Southeast Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Alternatives Montreal is the headquarters of a federation consisting of nine NGOs spread across the world. Alternative-Niger, Alternatives Asia (New Delhi), Alternative Information Center
Alternative Information Center
The Alternative Information Center is a joint Palestinian-Israeli non-governmental organization which "engages in dissemination of information, political advocacy, grassroots activism and critical analysis of the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict"...
(Jerusalem), Forum Macrocain des Alternatives Sud, Initiative Pour un Autre Monde, Institut Alternatives Terrazul, Khanya College
Khanya College
Khanya College is an independent non-governmental organisation based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Established in 1986, the primary aim of Khanya College is to assist various constituencies within working class and poor communities to respond to the challenges posed by the forces of economic and...
, and Teacher Creativity Center.
In each of these regions, the organization works in direct partnership with groups of women and men who are struggling for progress, respect and justice; as well as the peace and sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
of their community, their environment, and their region.
Alternatives supports network creation between groups so that they can benefit from their shared experiences and successes. Network formation is crucial since it allows for a deepened analysis and comprehension of the conflicts affecting their communities from the outside.
Alternatives’ and its partners’ international solidarity projects are centered upon:
- The environment and sustainable development
- Democracy
- Rehabilitation of communities affected by war
- Good governanceGood governanceGood governance is an indeterminate term used in development literature to describe how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in order to guarantee the realization of human rights. Governance describes "the process of decision-making and the process by which...
- Socio-economic justice and equality
- Civil, political, economic, social and human rightsHuman rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
- The fight against poverty
- Women’s rights, equality between genders, the inclusion of women in all spheres of society
- Education and inclusion of youth
- Civil society development, management, and autonomyAutonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
- Freedom of organization, of information, of the press, and of religion
Youth Internship Programs
Alternatives organizes overseas youth internship programs (such as Alternatives' NetCorpsNetCorps
NetCorps was a volunteer-organizing coalition consisting of nine Canadian non-governmental organizations , funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and managed by the NetCorps coordination unit...
program), with the aim of developing a sense of solidarity and curiosity about other regions within youth. These internships emphasize understanding Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
realities and encouraging actions that will advance Alternatives’ message of justice. Thanks to the internships, hundreds of young people have had the opportunity to participate in uncommon professional, cultural, and human experiences.
Alternatives’ Internships Program for 2009-2010 offers internships funded by the Québec Sans Frontières Program of Québec’s Ministère des relations internationales.
The 2009-2010 Program offered 4 types of internships, under the following 3 themes:
- Communications et journalism:
Bolivia: Andale! An environmental voice for workers in Bolivia
Ecuador: Documentaries for the rights of youth and children in Ecuador
- Environment and urban agriculture:
Mali: Roots around the world : urban agriculture in Bamako
- Information and Communication Technologies
Cameroon: When communities take the information highway : education in Yaoundé
Also, one position of the OCI program of Québec Sans Fronitères was available at Alternatives' offices in Montreal:
- Community sector management and institutional development
Assistant to the Québec sans frontières (QSF) program : from Africa to the Americas
As part of the Youth Eco Internship program of YMCA of Canada, Alternatives offered 2 internship positions in Montreal:
- Environment and urban agriculture:
Assistant to the environment and urban agriculture program
Urban agriculture mobilization and education officer
Alternatives in Quebec and Canada
Alternatives is an organization that produces and participates in many conferences, that publishes a newspaper and several Web sites, and that organizes educational and informational activities.The Alternatives newspaper, a monthly compendium of international, national, and cultural news, has a distribution of 50,000, creating a window of alternative information on the world.
Whether in Quebec, Canada, or the world, Alternatives works to raise public awareness of international and local policy debates and keep people informed of the links between them. Through its information and educational campaigns, reflecting our concerns with equality and justice for the South, Alternatives goes beyond the general public to reach policymakers. At the local level, our work involves environmental concerns, participatory democracy
Participatory democracy
Participatory Democracy, also known as Deliberative Democracy, Direct Democracy and Real Democracy , is a process where political decisions are made directly by regular people...
, out-reach and solidarity programs with immigrant communities and the promotion of pro-social policies.
For the last 16 years, Alternatives has been hosting the Journées Alternatives, a three-day retreat with Alternatives volunteers at Camp Papillon de St-Alphonse de Rodriguez. The retreat promotes reflection, engagement and education and has hundreds of participants yearly.
Alternatives' Rooftop Gardens Project in Montreal
Since 2003, Alternatives has funded and promoted promotes a rooftop gardens project, which has been exploring new ways to interact with urban man-made environment and the food cycle, for a greener city and healthier communities. The Rooftop Garden Project is a combination of hydroponic cultivation, permaculture, organic agriculture and collective gardening. It has inspired numerous initiatives in Québec, Canada and elsewhere in the world.The new green community spaces have been designed as collective gardens, making participation possible in both public and private areas. This is founded in a desire to offer some simple food production models that are affordable, environmentally friendly and easy to adapt for use in both the South and the North, in a response to growing urbanization, pollution and growing urban poverty.
In 2008, the Rooftop Garden Project earned the highest environmental distinction in Quebec, the Phénix de l’environnement, and received the 2008 National Urban Design Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) for its collaborative project with McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
’s Minimum Cost Housing Groupe and Santropol Roulant.
Finances
Alternatives garners its financial support from a combination donors and members, as well as partner organizations working alongside Alternatives including major unions and church groups, International Organizations and governments.Supporters
Individuals across Canada contribute to Alternatives either as donors, members, or by subscribing to the newspaper.Many activists, journalists, and public figures from Quebec, Canada, and the world support Alternatives. Among these are:
- Margaret AtwoodMargaret AtwoodMargaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
, award winning novelist and poet - Judy RebickJudy RebickJudy Rebick , arrived in Toronto at age 9, and is a Canadian journalist, political activist, and feminist.-Career:...
, politically engaged writer and researcher - Françoise DavidFrançoise DavidFrançoise David, CQ is the spokesperson, with Amir Khadir, of Québec solidaire - a left-wing, feminist and sovereignist political party in the province of Quebec, Canada. Quebec Solidaire was born from the merger of Option Citoyenne with l'Union des Forces Progressistes...
, leader of Québec SolidaireQuébec SolidaireQuébec solidaire is a democratic socialist and sovereigntist political party in Quebec, Canada, that was created on 4 February 2006 in Montreal. It was formed by the merger of the left-wing party Union des forces progressistes and the alter-globalization political movement Option Citoyenne, led...
, ex-President of the Quebec Federation of Women, co-founder of the World March of Women - Gil CourtemancheGil CourtemancheGil Courtemanche was a Canadian progressive journalist and novelist in third-world and international politics. He wrote for the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir.Courtemanche was born in Montreal, Quebec...
, activist journalist and writer - Madeleine Parent, feminist and long-time union leader
- Ariane Émond, General Director of Culture Montréal, journalist and researcher
- Stanley Péan, writer and cultural broadcaster for Radio-Canada
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
winner - Asmaa Jangir, Human Rights Commission of PakistanHuman Rights Commission of PakistanThe Human Rights Commission of Pakistan , or HRCP, is an independent, non-profit organization, founded in 1987, which is not associated or affiliated with the government or any political party. It is committed to act with impartiality and objectivity in all matters...
- Noam ChomskyNoam ChomskyAvram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and political activist.
External links
- Journal des alternatives (the organization's French-language online journal)
- Alternatives' Rooftop Gardens Project in Montreal
- Journées Alternatives - an article about their yearly activist conference in the Quebec countryside, bringing together speakers from various countries on progressive issues.
- Alternatives International, the 9-member federation of international development and solidarity organizations of which Alternatives Montreal is the Canadian representative.