To have a better future, people must understand the past.
I will begin by talking about community centers.
More than a decade ago, some people started the first one in Montreal. Their website was attitude.ca — creation date 2004/03/25.
A split in beliefs led a partner to create attitude.cc.
Both were providing services and events in the Montreal region for some time, until one decided to move to another city.
Ten years later, the same thing happened. A group of people had a similar idea, and that led to the creation of the ALCC — until one of the instructors, me, was unhappy with the management and created the Center.
Both ran together with different services for years: the ALCC more oriented toward groups, and the Center oriented toward education. Until one of the leaders moved out of the city and internal political issues led to its demise. Both groups inspired other cities to create their own sites and centers.
Sometimes we see splits as bad things. But I think it is normal that people build their cliques and join forces with members who share a common vision.
Now we have RIM and Tension — two groups that share the same passion, but with many differences that allow so many activities for Montreal people.
