HISTORY
The young Reverend Robert (Bob) A. Bryan arrived on the Quebec Lower North Shore in the summer of 1959, invited to serve as a summer replacement for a member of the clergy on holiday. Upon his arrival in the remote fishing community, Bob was struck by the beauty of the landscape, the genuineness of the people, and the deep spirit of community, which existed throughout the small “outport” communities on the coast. He returned in subsequent years and by 1961 had established the Quebec-Labrador Foundation Mission, which in 1969 became the Quebec-Labrador Foundation or simply QLF.
Traveling by float plane, Bob opened doors and hearts in small fishing communities throughout the region, bringing friendship, his talents as a clergyman, and the idea that the children in these communities should benefit from a new generation of community services, focused on leadership, education in the arts, marine and aviation skills, and creative thinking. QLF’s work soon became recognized as a model of community service.
Following in the tradition of Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, who brought hundreds of young people from the U.S. and U.K. to work in communities across Newfoundland and Labrador throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Bob led hundreds of high school and college students to the communities of the Quebec-Labrador Region to provide leadership in developing education and recreation for young people. He also developed scholarship funds, which continue to provide assitance for young people from the Quebec Nortrh Shore, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Maritimes. Scholarships have been given to aspiring young students many of whom have returned to their communities as educators, pilots, and leaders in their professions.
In 1975, QLF expanded from community service programs to the realm of environmental education. Founding the Living Rivers Program in Tabusintac, New Brunswick, QLF established what would become one of QLF's hallmarks: cross border, community-based conservation and stewardship programs aimed at both young people and established conservation professionals. What began as an experimental course in 1975 became a full time endeavor in 1977 as QLF developed the Atlantic Center for the Environment under the leadership of Cornell graduate Larry Morris.
From the mid-1970s onward, QLF continued its work in northern communities through the combination of leadership development programs and bioregional conservation initiatives which brought together partnerships with local and government agencies.
In the early 1980s, QLF began to develop a series of international programs which explored the common challenges faced by emerging leaders in rural communities. Through international exchange, study tours, and professional meetings in such regions as Western Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East, QLF offers fledgling conservation and cultural heritage organizations an opportunity to share knowledge and build partnership relationships across geographic boundaries, and across the public, private, and not-for-profit/non-governmental sectors. The long-term impact of these exchanges is only now becoming fully apparent as those organizations have evolved into leading national organizations in their practice areas.
The root of all of QLF’s programs, which began in the early 60s and continues through to today, is a belief in investing in the potential of each individual, and a belief that larger programs need to come from within needs identified and supported by the communities themselves. Although QLF is a “Come From Away” organization, it is, and always will be about, for, and from the people. Today, a half century after Bob Bryan first arrived on the Quebec North Shore, the organization he created has alumni who work across the globe providing leadership, creative innovations, and the shared belief in the idea that one person can indeed make a difference.