Alliances for Community Engagement (ACE) Painting a Picture of the Region the Introductory Meeting Community Leaders
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Alliances for Community Engagement (ACE) Painting a picture of the region The introductory meeting Attendees (Continued) Person Person Person In October, 2013 community leaders and Tracey Fleming Coalition Against Clarenville volunteers from across the Clarenville- Violence Lethbridge-Bonavista region met at the Fishers’ Louise Newell Neighbourhood Clarenville Loft Inn in Port Rexton. They came together to of Friends FRC lay the groundwork for the Alliances for Colin Holloway Rural Secretariat Clarenville Community Engagement (ACE) project, which Graham Keats Local Service Lethbridge will be spending much of the next year at work District in the region, building connections between Edith Samson Sir William Ford Port Union community groups, citizens, businesses, and Coaker Foundtn. government. Donna Butt Rising Tide Trinity Theatre With a locally-driven project model, the first Jim Miller Trinity Historical Trinity step for ACE was to bring together some Society informed voices to get a sense of the issues and Tammy Eastern Health Clarenville existing dynamics in the region. This document Greening presents the results of those discussions and a Diane Thorpe Community Bonavista follow-up questionnaire filled in by all 24 non- volunteer CSC attendees at our initial workshop on Kay Young Community Bonavista volunteer October 9th, as well as surveys filled in by the 17 Lora Swyers Harbour Quarters Bonavista attendees of a motivational workshop hosted at Calvin Hayley Tourism Elliston Elliston the Fishers’ Loft ten days later. This session was Gary Gosse Recreation Clarenville focused on community volunteers, and their Association responses are instructively different to what Joan Kane Bonaventure Bonaventure community leaders had to say. Find them on English Harbour the final two pages of this document. Dvlpmt. Assn. Community Leaders Kayla Hobbs Connections Keels Committee 30 people attended the first event in Port Monica Connections King’s Cove Rexton, from a wide range of backgrounds: Thomas Person Organization Community Committee Penny Rowe CSC St. John’s Jackie Dean Community Lethbridge Josh Smee CSC St. John’s volunteer Barry Pearce CSC Bonavista Deanne The Packet Clarenville Eliza Swyers CSC Bonavista Hiscock Bettina Ford CSC Gander Camilla O’Shea Ability Clarenville Darlene Scott CSC St. John’s Employment Marilyn Hayley College of the Bonavista Greta Dillon Advanced Clarenville- North Atlantic Education and Bonavista Maisie Caines College of the Clarenville Skills (AES) North Atlantic Joanne Morgan AES Clarenville- Jennifer Cheeks WRDC Clarenville Bonavista Alliances for Community Engagement (ACE) Painting a picture of the region Another 17 people attended a motivational businesses and nonprofits to develop workshop 10 days later: economically viable partnerships Person Community Engaged Youth and Strengthened Tourism Marjorie Swyers Bonavista • To bring more young people on board Marjorie Sparks Clarenville to carry on what we’ve already started Dawne Marlow Trinity Bight and had success with from a tourism Anne Chaulk Bonavista Catherine Squires Clarenville perspective. Engaging youth to further Sally Ball Bonavista develop our tourism potential Peggy Russell Bonavista • To develop the historical significance of Sheila Diamond Melrose our forestry and agricultural Roger Ball Bonavista development Sandra Durdle Bonavista • A sustainable community with a Mark Aylward Knight’s Cove sustainable tourism industry consisting Harvey Tucker Lethbridge of many small businesses employing Kevin Penney Lethbridge community residents (year-round Diane Thorpe Bonavista Linda Freeman Catalina employment) Tom Cooper Trinity Bay North • Having the heritage district completed Gerald Spurrell Trouty and creating economic development for my community. One big wish Connected and Strengthened Communities Here’s what our attendees on October 9th told • Both our older and younger community us they wished for in their communities: members can come together and realize A Stronger Labour Market what our small communities have to offer and the benefits that are available • A stable industry developed in the OCI if we all decide to work together plant in Port Union • I wish that funding sources would get a • A creative way to engage youth to good understanding of their participate in the labour market expectations of volunteers. • Ways to engage at-risk youth or • I wish that we actually would share our individuals to participate in the labour spaces. There are many groups and force, training or government organizations in partnerships, but there programming to make them more active are many too who are very caught up in members of society and become less turf issues. In the end most of us want reliant on government supports the same for all of our communities • Opportunities (i.e. jobs) that would • I wish we had a formal community entice families to move home and stay leadership program which encouraged • Major industry to come in, hiring young and supported emerging and new people so they can stay at home leaders to develop the skills needed to • A 2-million dollar investment fund for promote the sustainability of the region expanding seasonal activity, allowing Alliances for Community Engagement (ACE) Painting a picture of the region • Vibrant communities with quality of life The Clarenville-Lethbridge-Bonavista Region is for all sectors of the population (youth large and diverse. One of the first goals of the to seniors, including those with introductory session on October 9th was to get barriers/challenges) some input from the group as to where those • I wish transportation would not be an connections are strong, and where they need issue for anyone who wants to get strengthening. There were a number of key involved in their community to themes: volunteer, participate in community Clarenville is disconnected from the rest of events, or access services the region • More linkage of government agencies As an important service centre for the and ordinary citizens communities nearby, Clarenville sees a great • To have the communities more engaged deal of traffic from residents of smaller with what is happening in their communities. There is not, however, a strong communities connection going the other way – Clarenville Clean and Active Places residents don’t often head out the peninsula, • I would like to see everyone in my and the connections between community community look around and see the groups are not strong. One exception is within beauty like I see it. On my walks I see so government, where there are a number of much trash on the roads, and also Clarenville-Bonavista links. Some connection dumping close to the water with Clarenville has also been driven by Eastern Health. • A multipurpose centre where there are a activities for both young and old, i.e. a Clusters of connections between other gym for sports, gym for working out, communities already exist game centre, computer centre, etc. A Elliston/Trinity/Port Union have collaborated place for community involvement on initiatives and proposals, and share a • Introduce more recycling options for the common vision around extending the tourism town to reduce our footprint on the season. Local service districts also provide environment; community composting connections between communities - Lethbridge, • A large courtyard/garden to be able to Brooklyn, Portland, Jamestown, Sweet Bay and walk around and enjoy the scenery, Charleston are connected in this way. mature trees, ponds, flowers, etc (like Dynamics at work the Public Gardens in Halifax) Attendees noted that there was some • Multi-purpose centre for wellness and competition between neighbouring leisure and childcare, with activities communities for resources, which has hindered promoting our mental, physical, and the development of connections between them. emotional well-being • To have more recreational facilities. Mapping Connections Alliances for Community Engagement (ACE) Painting a picture of the region Session 1: October 9th, Port Rexton We also surveyed all of our participants on the 9th to get a sense of what the patterns of connection were in the region. The biggest share of participants was from the Clarenville area, which also attracted the most regular visits (tied with the Bonavista area). The smaller communities of the Lethbridge area and the Port Rexton/Trinity area were quite likely to be rarely visited by those who didn’t live there. Sub-region I live I visit I rarely I never here regularly visit visit Clarenville, Shoal Harbour area 38% 58% 0% 0% Lethbridge, Brooklyn, Princeton, Summerville, King's Cove, Plate Cove, 21% 25% 38% 8% Open Hall, Tickle Cove area Bonavista, Elliston, Port Union, Catalina Area 21% 58% 17% 0% Port Rexton, Champneys, English Harbour, Trinity, Bonaventure Area 4% 46% 38% 4% A large majority of people head to Clarenville for personal reasons like shopping, appointments, and visiting. Interestingly, people also visited Clarenville most often for volunteering. Sub-region I visit for I visit to attend I visit I visit for personal reasons, volunteering events, theatre, for appointments, shopping, with community museums, work visiting family/friends organizations festivals, dining Clarenville/Shoal Harbour Area 54% 83% 21% 42% 29% 29% 4% 29% Lethbridge, Brooklyn, etc... Bonavista, Elliston, etc.. 54% 38% 13% 50% Port Rexton, Champneys, etc... 25% 29% 4% 67% Finally, we wanted to get a sense of how much people in the region hear about what’s going on nearby: I hear about community Never Rarely