"The BVI is a great tool & process. We need to have more people working with CIEL's tools to further Community and Economic Development in Canada."
- Hélène Deslauriers
Director General, Réseau des SADC in Quebec (Alliance of 63 SADCs)
Canadian Representative on the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) Forum on Partnerships
“Process was dynamic & engaged the community”
- Rami Rothkop
Harrop Procter Community Forest Co-op, BC
Community Vitality Initiative (CVI) Results to be Presented
Residents Invited to Community Meetings to Vote on Actions from Community Vitality Initiative (CVI)
Citizens of Haut St-Laurent, Wakefield and Mansonville, Quebec will have an opportunity to find out what their fellow citizens think of the state of their communities and help design and vote on actions to enhance "community vitality".
Community Meetings are being held in the following Quebec communities:
•Wakefield – Monday, June 5 at 7:00 pm at the Legion Hall, 11 Legion Road, Wakefield
•Haut St-Laurent region – Tuesday, June 6 at 7:00 pm at the Huntingdon Parish Hall (Saint-Joseph) 13, York & Huntingdon
•Mansonville – Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30 pm at the Mansonville Town Hall, 2 Vale-Perkins, Mansonville
Twelve weeks ago, more than 130 residents in the 3 communities responded to a unique questionnaire and focus groups process about everything from the region's economic state to its environmental health to its support for the arts. The 102-question survey also asked about such things as safety, learning, leadership, physical space, sense of community, and entrepreneurship.
The project is part of the Canadian pilot of the Community Vitality Initiative (CVI), a process designed to boost economic and social development opportunities in communities. Locally, it was organized by Wakefield Ensemble (Wakefield), Actions Haut St-Laurent (Haut St-Laurent), and Citizens Advocacy (Mansonville).
"Some people think quality of life is determined by the employment rate and income," says Mike Stolte, who, with input from communities in Quebec and experts from across Canada, designed the initiative with his B.C.-based non-profit organization, the Centre for Innovative and Entrepreneurial Leadership (CIEL – www.theCIEL.com). "Some believe outdoor recreation is the key. Others say it's about the arts, or safety, or healthcare. We found it's about all those things and more."
The CVI questionnaire asks provocative questions across a wide range of community life. "We're measuring whether the community has a good enough over-all quality of life to attract new citizens with varying interests, retain its existing citizens, and inspire them all," said Stolte.
For example, the questionnaire asks whether young adults, age 25-34, find the community a desirable place to live. "We ask that one because that's the age group that is more likely to plant roots in the community, buy real estate, and start families and businesses," says Stolte, "and to a large extent the vitality of a community depends on whether or not young adults find it an attractive place to be.”
Stolte describes the CVI as an "assessment and action" process. The assessment is contained in a 70-page report prepared by CIEL, based on the questionnaire and focus groups results. The report suggests possible short-term and long-term actions based on input from participants. A two page summary report will be available next week on-line at www.theCIEL.com in both English and French.
"The exciting action part starts on June 6th in Wakefield," says Stolte, who will be animating the community meetings, open to all interested residents. "We'll help the communities look at the results and focus on 3-4 actions that can be taken to boost vitality."
At the three hour meetings Stolte will share the results, citizens will be asked for other possible actions, and then will vote on the actions that they think are important. At the end of the night, action groups will be formed. A similar process has been used successfully by more than 18 communities in BC to create “business friendly” communities using the Business Vitality Initiative (BVI), also designed by CIEL.
The CVI process was originally designed to build the capacity of the English language community but has become a larger process.
The CVI is financially supported by Canada Economic Development for the Quebec Regions, Bell Canada, the national Community Economic Development Technical Assistance Program (CEDTAP) and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. In addition, the Quebec-based Community Table and regional Canadian Economic Development and Employability Committees (CEDECs) have played a key role in making the project a reality.
Visit www.theCIEL.com for more information.
Fore more information contact:
Mike Stolte – CIEL – 1-250-352-1933 x106 or info@theciel.com
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