The contest is organized in partnership with the Government of Canada and Francophone organizations around the province as well as neighboring provinces
As part of the Mois de la Francophonie (Francophonie Month), an Innovation Lab (FrancoLab 2019) will be held on March 30 and 31, 2019, at the University of Alberta's Campus Saint-Jean, in Edmonton.
For about 35 hours, 16-to-32-year-old students and recent grads, from Edmonton and other parts of Alberta, will come together to participate in a contest to create mobile or web application models providing solutions to various challenges faced by the province's Francophone community. More specifically, the goal is to develop prototypes that integrate open data from various fields: culture, health, education, early childhood, tourism and entrepreneurship. The young participants will also have access to official languages data provided by the Government of Canada and other partners. This event will be a chance to innovate and to meet the needs of the Franco-Albertan community while contributing to its vitality.
An innovation fair will be held on the second day, where the young participants will get to present their prototypes to a jury, their families and friends, and many special guests. The weekend will end with a closing ceremony.
This contest is organized by the University of Alberta's Campus Saint-Jean in partnership with the Government of Canada and Francophone organizations around the province as well as neighboring provinces, namely Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta (ACFA), Regroupement artistique francophone de l'Alberta (RAFA), Francophonie jeunesse de l'Alberta (FJA), the Economic Development Council of Alberta (CDEA), the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, the Government of Alberta (Francophone Secretariat), the Fédération des Conseils scolaires francophones de l'Alberta, Conseil jeunesse franco de la Colombie-Britannique, Canadian Parents for French (Alberta Branch), Conseil économique et coopératif de la Saskatchewan, Association jeunesse fransaskoise (AJF), Réseau Santé albertain, Conseil scolaire FrancoSud and Conseil scolaire Centre Est.
Dr. Pierre-Yves Mocquais, Dean of the Campus Saint-Jean stated that "[TRANSLATION] the Francolab 2019 presents a unique opportunity to highlight Francophone talent in the digital world and create a useful product for the entire Franco-Albertan community. The Campus Saint-Jean is proud to include this innovation laboratory in its digital transformation program."
"Over the generations, Canadians have kept their official languages and culture alive and well," said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie. "English and French are at the heart of our identity and values. Ensuring their vitality is essential and depends on building strong and vibrant communities. Projects like FrancoLab contribute to the vitality of these communities and the sustainability of Francophone culture and heritage throughout Alberta."
FrancoLab 2019 website: http://francolab.csj.ualberta.ca/