28 August 2024 In Case studies By URelles

Case study: À GO, on lit !

À GO, on lit!: What is it?

À GO, on lit! is a multi-platform digital campaign where young people are invited to take an interactive quiz with the aim of finding out their reader.rice profile and then access personalized reading suggestions based on their interests. AGOL was created by Partenaires pour la réussite éducative dans les Laurentides (PREL) in 2018. This Instance régionale de concertation en réussite éducative, which allocates funds to local school retention projects, identified a gap in literacy services for teenagers and young adults. The movement was thus born to fill this need for this very specific clientele.

The challenge

For several years now, the À GO, on lit! campaign has aimed to get young people interested in reading by creating themed lists of personalized book suggestions. In 2023, the organization was confronted with criticism concerning certain potentially sensitive content, particularly with regard to the titles, images and descriptions of the themed lists.

The diversity of topics addressed in the lists, ranging from eating disorders to suicide to cultural and gender diversity, raises concerns about how these topics are treated and presented. Young people are exposed to a variety of topics, ranging from light-hearted subjects like sports to more sensitive ones like grief and racism. However, the way in which these topics were approached could sometimes be perceived as offensive or inappropriate by some people; all the more so as we know the deep interest of young people in DEI’s themes.

AGOL therefore wanted to find a solution to ensure that its thematic lists were as respectful and inclusive as possible, while continuing to engage young people’s interest and commitment to reading.

Proposed solution

URelles offered two types of support: content review and training.

Analysis and advice on content revision

We carried out an in-depth analysis of existing thematic lists, focusing on titles, associated images and book descriptions.

On the basis of this analysis, we:

Identified elements that could be perceived as sensitive, offensive or inappropriate
Took into account the tone, writing style and clientele of AGOL’s target audience
Proposed specific recommendations and customized reformulations for each content, suggesting alternative titles, more inclusive images and descriptions respectful of cultural and gender diversities.

Training on the basic principles of equity, diversity and inclusion

AGOL also wanted to offer a training webinar on equity, diversity and inclusion to the Instances régionales en réussite éducative du Québec. The training was aimed at raising awareness among teachers, library staff and any adult who works with teenagers and young adults. 43 people benefited from this training!

DEI impact

Improved inclusiveness of content: By revising the thematic lists and applying the recommendations provided during DEI training, AGOL has been able to ensure that its content is more inclusive and respectful of the diversity of young readers’ experiences and identities. Titles, images and descriptions have been adjusted to reflect greater sensitivity to sensitive issues and cultural and gender diversities.

Proactive response to criticism: By actively revising content and offering training in response to concerns raised by certain groups, AGOL has demonstrated its commitment to continuous improvement and to taking into account the diverse needs and perspectives of its clientele.

“The librarians who made the initial criticisms of the thematic lists were very impressed with the redesign of the thematic lists and felt that they were well in keeping with the AGOL tone.”

– Julie Bissonnette, Project Consultant À GO, on lit!

Raising awareness: DEI training raised awareness of equity, diversity and inclusion issues among parents, young people and educational success practitioners in Quebec. Participants gave the training a score of 4 out of 5.

Participants gained a better understanding of unconscious bias, inclusive practices and strategies for creating respectful and accessible environments.

“EDI is very important for students and teachers. I’m very happy that my work colleagues have attended this training as we don’t all come from the same ‘background’. These are very important things to learn. We even had a group discussion after the training. It was great!”
– DEI training participant

What À GO, on lit! thought of our collaboration

What have you learned as an organization from this experience?

“Accept that we can make mistakes and that we are not necessarily horrible human beings! We had a hard time taking criticism at first and URelles’ support allowed us to see things a little more clearly. URelles’ non-judgmental stance helped a lot.” – Julie Bissonnette, Advisor to the À GO, sur lit! project

If you had to choose three words to describe your collaboration with URelles, what would they be?

Non-judgment
Support (it’s not a one-size-fits-all proposition, you lead to reflection, which is more sustainable)
Effective

“We would like to express our deep gratitude to the entire URelles team for their advice, expertise and invaluable support. Your work has been essential to the success of À GO, on lit!, and we are infinitely grateful for your valuable collaboration.”

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