Camp Franco-Fun project finalist for the Ovation municipale 2025 award
The City of Vaudreuil-Dorion is pleased to announce that its Camp Franco-Fun project has been selected as a finalist by the jury members of the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) Ovation municipale 2025 award, in the Culture and Recreation category. The project will be presented at the Pavillon de l'innovation municipale, which will be open to visitors at the UMQ conference on May 15 and 16 at the Centre des congrès de Québec.
In all, the jury selected 20 projects from the 124 submitted by municipalities this year. Projects were evaluated on the basis of their innovative approach, processes and results; the optimization and mobilization of internal and external resources; and the project's impact on the municipal organization, the territory and the community.
Offered for the first time in 2022, Camp Franco-Fun is a day camp program designed for allophone children in Vaudreuil-Dorion, enabling them to continue developing their French language skills during the summer months, through a specially dedicated day camp. The program is designed to promote social and linguistic integration through leisure activities. The program is the fruit of a collaborative effort between the town, Animation Jeunesse and the Centre de services scolaires des Trois-Lacs. Two other partners joined the project in 2024: Réseaux and the Fondation des enfants de Vaudreuil-Soulanges. In the summer of 2024, 50 children aged 5 to 12 benefited from this two-week service.
Vincent Bastien, Director of the Service des loisirs et de la culture, and his team were delighted to learn that the project was a finalist for the Ovation municipale award: “This recognition follows on from those received last June at the Gala Nomina, and then at the Association québécoise du loisir municipal. We've believed in the impact of this project in the community since its inception, and seeing it shine at the provincial level proves once again that we were right to innovate in order to offer such a service to our citizens. I'd like to thank everyone involved in making a difference in the lives of our families through Camp Franco-Fun every year.
“Camp Franco-Fun is a perfect example of an initiative aimed at developing mechanisms for welcoming, integrating and supporting our residents. In fact, it's one of the objectives behind our policy of living together. Over the years, Vaudreuil-Dorion has undergone significant change. Many of our new citizens are immigrants. It's essential for our organization to participate in the development of a welcoming and inclusive community life. Next May, we will be proud to present this project to our peers from all over Quebec, who will be inspired to set up similar initiatives in their municipalities. I would like to extend my warmest thanks to all the employees and partners who contributed to the success of the Camp Franco-Fun project,” added Mayor Guy Pilon.
