High Level Snapshot

High Level is a community in Northwest Alberta that has been focusing on community development. A community meeting that used the Active, Creative, Engaged Communities scanning or self assessment tool helped identify several aspects of community life they wanted to address. Four areas of focus that were identified included 1) engaging citizens, 2) inter-agency collaboration, 3) beautification, and 4) celebrating assets.


Those strands were woven into a community development plan, along with an overarching goal of increasing collaboration among community events and resources. Envisioning "a multicultural community working together and taking pride in our vibrant quality of life," this evolving group had identified core values such as clean, green, safe and developed- terms of reference that function as a guide, not a presciption.


What does all this mean for the community? It means that the community is becoming more involved while celebrating successes and accomplishments, an important aspect of a community. Some initiatives that High Level residents have benefited through the plan is a Community Events Calendar depicting local pictures that were submissions for a contest. A comprehensive directory was also created and it outlined the roles, volunteer opportunities and contact information of all agencies and organizations serving High Level. Besides fostering awareness of the services offered in High Level, the directory highlights opportunities for partnerships.


Above all, the process that High Level has been engaging in positively reflects how a community can pull together community members. The results have been both immediate and will be long lasting to create an active, creative, and engaged community.