National Seniors Day – October 1
The City of Victoria
Youth Council is Recruiting!
If you would like to get involved or if you know of any
youth that would love to join please visit www.cvyc.net
to apply. Questions? Email the CVYC Coordinator Kluane Buser-Rivet at info@cvyc.net.
Deadline to apply is Tuesday, October 9th.
Deadline to apply is Tuesday, October 9th.
THE COMMUNITY
The 411 Seniors Centre - Vancouver
The 411 Seniors Centre offers year round programs and workshops. Each program and workshop provides older adults with opportunities to meet new friends, acquire new skill sets and abilities, improve overall health and enrich their respective quality of life and that of the broader community. They also offer free Information & Referral services run by volunteers who assist in connecting seniors and those on disability with resources and services within the community.
Some of the issues they can assist with include: seniors
benefits, housing, income tax among many others. They provide this service in
other languages such as: Punjabi, Mandarin, Cantonese, Swedish and Dutch. To
find out more about these great services and their program calendar please visit: www.411seniors.bc.ca.
THE CHAMPION
Kimberly McLeod – Self-Management BC
In 2011 she began working with the Self-Management BC, first
as a volunteer and then as an employee.
When she first learned of the program, she knew right away that she
wanted to be a volunteer leader. Self-Management BC offers free, interactive
workshops for adults with chronic health conditions (such as diabetes, heart
disease, arthritis, mental illness and COPD) and is led by pairs of trained
volunteer leaders in their home community. As a health care professional, she
believes in the importance of providing the knowledge and tools for those dealing
with ongoing health problems and the need to live healthy, active lives. As someone who is living with a chronic
health condition herself, volunteering with the program was a way to help
others and learn new ways of managing her own condition.
Currently, she is the coordinator for the programs in
Northern BC and she is working hard to build relationships with community
organizations and to get the word out about self-management programs. In her
spare time, she is a Spark leader with Girl Guides and is a member of Parish
Council at St. Michaels and All Angels Anglican Church where she also writes
the newsletter. If you would like to
contact Kimberly, her email is kamcleod@uvic.ca.
To find out more about Self-Management BC and the free programs offered across
the province, visit www.selfmangementbc.ca.
THE ARTICLE
Effective
Multi-Sectoral Committees: Getting Started
By: Challayne Kenney, MEd, BMLSc
“Today, we are beginning to understand that a community, like the
people within it, is a living organism, and its health depends on all its
systems functioning, both on their own and together. [...] It also recognizes
that health, social and economic policies need to be coordinated, and that
communities can provide an atmosphere that supports policy makers to make the
right choices.”1 While working together for a common purpose is
simple in concept, it is far from easy.
Local governments are one of many key players leading change in our
communities. Armed with administrative structure and community-oriented
mandates, it makes sense that they would take the lead on initiatives within a
community. Local governments wear many hats and work to balance a complicated
array of responsibilities, so how do grassroots community issues get attention?
Multi-sectoral committees that include or are lead by local government can make
real change happen, but only if we learn to work together effectively.
What multi-sectoral committees look like and how they work will vary
by community and the purpose. What they have in common is a group of people
that come together for a shared interest from a variety of backgrounds
(healthcare, research, business) and organizations (not-for-profit groups,
school districts, faith groups), all bringing with them their own reasons for
participating. These committees may have ongoing work that focus on broad
topics like food security, sustainability, and physical activity or they may
have a particular purpose and end-point like going through a process to create
a specific healthy policy change. Regardless of the purpose, a multi-sectoral
committee can benefit from taking time to create a collaborative experience
that is less about being politically correct and more about what can be created
together.
Process is key. Intention is important. Creating a multi-sectoral
committee can be likened to organizing a potluck meal. Who should be invited?
That depends on the purpose of the gathering. What should they bring? Something
they are proud to bring to the table. In order to make the most of these
valuable partnerships and keep the big picture in mind through it all, there
are a few key points to consider when getting started:
1. Have clear expectations
- Roles and responsibilities for all members should be established in a collaborative manner so that members are contributing what each does well and is achievable given their capacity. Leave room for wide-range of opportunities for involvement and keep the group small enough to allow full participation. Strong leadership is necessary to facilitate the process, keep on track and help stay focused on the purpose for the committee.
- The purpose for the committee should be established right up front so that those involved are buying into the concept from the start. This may be dictated by the funding source, event being planned, policy being reviewed or may be kept very general to leave room for the committee to grow and change. Avoid duplication and look at other committees or work that has been done to see why this one is different.
- The objectives (also known as Terms of Reference) of the committee are also something where a collaborative process is helpful at gaining buy-in from the members. Be sure to link these to the purpose for the committee’s existence and they will help manage members who may try to steer the group in a direction that better fits their mandate.
- This goes beyond being clear on the group’s purpose and objectives to make the work of the committee more sustainable. Even though the group may have a specific purpose and clear endpoint, orienting the work as a piece of a bigger picture provides legitimacy, direction and lasting effects beyond the targeted outcomes.
- Being intentional on how each member fits with the purpose and link to the bigger context of the group’s work can be a collaborative process that leads to identifying the strengths of the group as a whole.
- Going through the exercise of finding personal and organizational meaning for participation in the committee can go a long way in building a team atmosphere of dedicated members. Consider having all members name what meaning(s) exists for them out loud to the group and give space for this diversity. It is far easier to work together when you know what viewpoint everyone is coming from.
- The more group members are celebrated for their strengths and included in conversations about purpose, roles and objectives, the more committed they will be to the team. This doesn’t have to mean that everything is up for vote or discussion since funding sources or other factors may dictate direction, but communicating about any constraints and sharing why they exist can go a long way in facilitating the process of working together as a team.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of all facets of an effective
committee and is intended to provide a direction for starting out. The
following resources may be helpful in guiding you in working on or setting up
an effective multi-sectoral committee and creating healthier communities:
References
- http://carbc.ca/HelpingCommunities/TheoreticalFoundation/IntrotoHealthPromotion.aspx
- http://www.ocdpa.on.ca/OCDPA/docs/HealthyCommunitiesBackgrounder.pdf
- http://humanresources.about.com/od/involvementteams/a/twelve_tip_team.htm
EVENTS
Lecture ~ With New Eyes to See: Engaging Communities on Climate Change with Visual Learning Tools
Join for a free public lecture by Dr. Stephen R.
J. Sheppard based on his newly released book, "Visualizing Climate Change:
A Guide to Visual Communication of Climate Change and Developing Local
Solutions". Click here for more info and to register.
Where: Victoria When: OCT 4, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM (PST)
Where: Victoria When: OCT 4, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM (PST)
Webinar ~ Integrating Health Considerations into Community
Planning: example & lessons learned from Fraser Health Authority, BC
This Fireside Chat will provide helpful ideas and food for
thought for those interested in operationalizing day-to-day, collaborations
between health and planning. Click here for more info
Where: Online When: OCT 23, 01:00 PM– 2:30PM (EDT)
Webinar ~ Home is Where Your Health Is
These two-hour sessions invite dialogue
from northern communities on specific topics that are critical to improving the
health outcomes of northern people, recognizing that community and civic
involvement is a cornerstone to healthy people and populations. To register
click here
Where: Online When: NOV 22, 1:30 PM –
3:30 PM (PST)
THE READ
Designing Healthy Communities
Author: Richard J. Jackson
Author: Richard J. Jackson
(Source: Amazon)
