We get together and give back. We pivot and adapt.

I remember precisely what I was doing and where I was on March 13, 2020: a long weekend skiing in Baie-St-Paul with a friend. I had taken the day off on Monday the 16th, but of course, my schedule quickly filled up with meetings to manage the unmanageable: orchestrating the partial closure of the Notman House, implementing sanitary measures on campus and setting up a COVID-19 protocol. As for all Quebecers, it was the beginning of a long journey in troubled waters, in a thick fog. But nobody knew that yet.

There is a lot of talk about the new normal post-pandemic. We wonder what habits or rules will remain; for better or for worse. I was touched by the human closeness despite the physical distance, by the tightening of the communities around me, by the beautiful movements of solidarity, compassion and generosity that I witnessed.

There is a lot of talk about the new normal post-pandemic. We wonder what habits or rules will remain; for better or for worse. I was touched by the human closeness despite the physical distance, by the tightening of the communities around me, by the beautiful movements of solidarity, compassion and generosity that I witnessed.

I loved seeing small businesses adopt new technologies or pivot to adapt. To see Quebecers turn to local purchasing because of the lack of international supply or simply to help the small businesses that are most affected. Also to see that in 2021, individuals are leaving their jobs to find a job that does not pay them better, but that satisfies their desire to have an impact on society.

With Techaide, it’s always a bit of that. We get together and give back, we pivot and adapt. Every year when the results of Centraide are announced, it proves to me that it is possible to have a concrete impact when we have a strong sense of belonging, when we are open and creative and when our desire is to have a positive influence rather than to have control.

Two years after the beginning of the pandemic, the sun is making its way through the fog and the swell is no longer rocking the ship. The worst of the storm seems definitely behind us, but it will have done a lot of damage in the process. It will also have allowed some industries to make record profits. It is in this context and with ever greater ambition that in 2022, Techaide volunteers will continue their mission to spread the giveback culture.

Annie Devriese
Techaide Ambassador