Graduation of the ACE 'Diversity Friendly' Communities

ARPA’s Active, Creative, Engaged (ACE) Communities initiative has resulted in a clearer understanding of a “process” for community change that can be applied to many issues and challenges.

Interested in this change process, the Alberta Justice’s Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund (HREMF) funded ARPA to work with four rural Alberta communities from 2011 - 2013. For this particular project, the focus was supporting communities who were interested in becoming more diversity friendly.

Reflecting the mission of the HREMF, the goal of the ACE ‘Diversity Friendly’ Communities (DFC) project was to increase community capacity, using recreation, parks, arts, culture, and heritage as a catalyst, to foster equality, reduce discrimination and racism, and remove organizational barriers that exclude some Albertans. Specifically, this meant that all Albertans would have the opportunity to participate in the social, cultural, political, and economic life of their community without discrimination.

Carstairs, Grande Cache, Jasper, and Rocky Mountain House have now completed their time as the four ACE ‘Diversity Friendly’ Communities. Out of this process, these communities worked on various projects that included: 1) establishing a ‘Welcoming Newcomers’ Coordinator; 2) working with natural assets like trails to make them more accessible to all; 3) heritage-themed camping and inclusive hiking workshops and; 4) a community storybook celebrating people’s uniqueness.

ARPA’s ACE ‘Diversity Friendly’ Communities (DFC) initiative was also chosen by HREMF for a study on social outcomes due to the exceptional activity in our communities. So thanks to all of those who were involved in this remarkable work!

Welcoming Newcomers in Carstairs

Congrats goes out to the ACE 'Diversity Friendly' Communities (DFC) group in Carstairs.  Their recent application for their $10,000 seed funding for their 'Welcoming Newcomers' initiative has been successful!

The Welcoming Newcomers initiative will help new residents including people of different ethnic groups, income levels, and ages feel welcomed and included in the Carstairs community.

The “welcomers”, called “Carstairs Connectors”, will match new residents, and those that may not feel connected, with more established residents who live in the same neighborhood of town. These volunteers will meet with new and other interested residents; informing them about activities, services, and organizations in Carstairs, answering their questions, and linking them with other residents, if desired.

Welcoming Neighbours extends a personal and individualized welcome to newcomers and other people who may feel excluded.  One-on-one conversations will support inclusion of residents from diverse backgrounds, socio-economic status, family composition, and age.  A friendly face, a welcoming handshake and a conversation over coffee at a kitchen table will help the individuals feel supported and included.

Welcoming Newcomers will build a more inclusive community through the conversations between established and new residents. New residents who have been personally welcomed might be more inclined to support local business, participate in community efforts, contribute to local decision making or welcome new residents in the future.

The Welcoming Newcomers project will also link nicely with the Seniors at Risk program, a Town initiative to support people living alone through Public Works staff and bylaw officers checking in on registered participants of the program.

Carstairs is experiencing an increase in newcomers including more visible minorities and a high commuter population as people move to Carstairs and work in Calgary. Carstairs also has a significant number of lone-parent families.  Welcoming Newcomers will build a more inclusive community through the conversations between established and new residents.  

We at ARPA can't wait to see how this project unfolds.  Great work to the ACE DFC group in Carstairs!

Carstairs evaluates their priorities!

ARPA’s ‘Diversity Friendly’ Communities (DFC) have now entered into the second and final year of their activities.  Sponsored by the Alberta Government’s Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund (HREMF), this group of four communities is working to use recreation as a catalyst to support efforts to foster equality, promote fairness, and encourage the creation of inclusive communities.

Carstairs, Grande Cache, Jasper, and Rocky Mountain House are all working diligently to positively affect the quality of life in their communities. The DFC group in Carstairs, in fact, met recently at an event hosted by Carstairs Connections.  The goal of the meeting: 1) to learn about the State of the Carstairs Community through an update on health, recreation, and culture programs and projects, 2) to give input about what’s important in Carstairs in health, recreation, and culture 3) to give input about one to three priorities to make Carstairs more diversity friendly 4) and to set priorities for the use of their $10,000 Seed funding grant and the next actions of Carstairs Connections.

Participants, under the superb guidance of ACE Coach Barb Pedersen, discussed six theme areas identified at a previous community meeting. These included:

• Improved communication
• New People and Commuters
• Promote Carstairs as a place for business, tourism, a place to live, etc.
• Promote Volunteerism
• Leisure activities
• Engage our youth

After much discussion, ‘Engaging Youth’, ‘Promoting Carstairs’, and ‘Improved Communication’ surfaced as the participants top three general priorities.  The objective for Carstairs now is to dovetail these priorities with the goal of making the community more inclusive and diversity friendly.  We can’t wait to see to the final results!

Rocky Mountain House makes Diversity a Priority

Kudos definitely need to go out to ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE who recently hosted a community scanning event as part of their work as one of ACE’s ‘Diversity Friendly’ Communities. After compiling and analyzing the overall Scanning Tool results, the following suggestions were made by participants as possible ways of improving the quality of life for its residents.

We at ACE Communities were so impressed with the depth and breadth of their discussion that we are including their complete list here. Great work, Rocky! We can’t wait to see what happens when these suggestions become action items in the community.

And here is the list:

• An initiative that helps residents examine the many faces of discrimination that exist in our community.

• Strong individuals, families, and community. An initiative that looks at and develops ways of making recreation programs and services more accessible for low income individual and families.

• An initiative that would examine and provide additional low income housing spaces for residents.

• Innovative initiatives addressing quality of life issues in the community including anti-social behaviour, examining the idea of community (how it is defined/what we mean by community/who is part of a community).

• Initiatives/opportunities to increase communication both individually and as a group.

• An initiative that would work with specific groups of people to provide worker training.

• Adult Education Opportunities for employers to learn about being leading edge employers.

• The development of an Immigrant Centre.

• Working with the First Nations people and systems. Create ways of collaborating that will build a stronger sense of community as well as increase quality of life/sense of belonging.

• Create opportunities to help visitors and residents understand what actions/attitudes can encourage the sustainability of the natural environment.

Summary

The following project priorities are:

1. First Nations Collaboration*
2. Low income residents.*
3. Ecological Stewardship*
4. Transportation
5. Newcomers
* areas chosen to work on as first priorities


And for more pictures from this fantastic event, click here!

Jasper in the news...

Check out this great article from the fitzhugh Newspaper about the recent ACE Communities community scan in Jasper.

As part of the process of becoming an ACE Community, our new group of 'Diversity Friendly' Communities (DFC) - which includes Jasper - have been completing community scans. These scans, facilitated by ACE coaches, are citizen-driven conversations about the assets and challenges within their communities. The aim of each forum is to provide an opportunity for as many people as possible to voice their opinions about the quality of life in their area.

Great to see the fantastic work happening in Jasper. And to see pics from this community event, click here!

The Youth in Caroline Making a Difference

We wanted to send out kudos to the youth of Caroline – one of our new Diversity Friendly communities. This Christmas, once again, the students, families and staff of Caroline School came through making their 2011 Food Drive a huge success. Each classroom in the school (Kindergarten to Grade 12), compiled and donated a Christmas Hamper to the local food bank that contained the necessities of a complete Christmas dinner.



The Caroline School students continued to give back over the past holiday season with the help of ACE Communities. As part of their recent Ignite Tour, the Directions Class of Caroline School had the great opportunity to sit in during a discussion of their recent ACE grant that the community/area received.

ACE Ambassador, Ian Hill, spoke to the students on how one person can make a great difference in the lives of many. In concluding his speech, Ian passed out a 5 or 10 dollar bill to each of the Directions Students. The students were asked to invest and “grow” their money and use it to lighten the burden of others.

Using this money, some students inspired their parents to join and create Operation Christmas Child show boxes and some purchased Christmas gifts to be donated to local families through Neighbourhood Place. One group of students, however, took Ian’s advice and made their money grow.



Students Tessa Smith, Cody Rowell and Brody Hamilton pooled their money and invested it into supplies to put on a hot chocolate and bake sale. The three students baked goods at home and advertised around the school. In the end, the students’ $20 grew to $80.25 profit that was then donated to the local food bank to aid in the purchasing of required food items. Presentation of the money was made to Mrs. Nancy McLean.

Way to go, Caroline! We can’t wait to see what you all do next.

Update on the ACE Diversity Friendly Communities

In case you missed it, here is a link to a blog by Janet Naclia, ACE Creative Cultural Liaison, on the Ignite Tour that happened with the ACE Diversity Friendly Communities (DFC) this November.

Ian Hill, ACE Ambassador, visited CARSTAIRS, GRANDE CACHE, JASPER, and ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE and was impressed with the dedication that these four communities have to making our rural towns more inclusive.

Keep your eyes on this blog for future updates.

Rocky Mountain House featured!

Check this out! Rocky Mountain House, one of the ACE 'Diversity Friendly Communities' (DFC,) is being showcased on the Immigrating to AB (I2A) website.

Shouts out to Wood Buffalo and Lethbridge, alumni ACE Communities, for also being mentioned as being communities who are helping newcomers settle in their new home so that they can enjoy all the province has to offer.