"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 Starts with a Conversation and a Coffee: Oso Negro Hosts CIEL’s Community Vitality Speaker Series
NELSON- What makes your community a desirable place to live, earn a livelihood, and raise a family? The Centre for Innovative and Entrepreneurial Leadership (CIEL), invites everyone from Nelson and beyond to explore this question in a series of monthly conversation cafés taking place at Oso Negro from March until July. The five month series, coined the One Hundred Mile Ideas Diet, features 15 local thought leaders with expertise in growing sustainable communities, innovative affordable housing, activating social movements with technology and business vitality. The first event is on March 20th at 7:00 pm and features panelists who have been active in the area of Arts and Culture in Economic Development: Alison Girvan, Marg Stacey, and Geoff Burns. Each panelist will present for 15 minutes before discussion is opened up to the floor.
“CIEL’s series of conversation cafés will be unique because they are opportunities to tap into the collective intelligence of the community and showcase amazing local talent and expertise,” says event organizer Anna Planedin. Mike Stolte, CIEL’s Executive Director, adds “In our experience working with many diverse communities, healthy communities thrive from forums for conversations.”
The One Hundred Mile Ideas Diet series has received generous support from the Nelson and District Credit Union, the Columbia Basin Trust, Kootenay Co-op Radio, the Nelson Daily News, Otter Books and Oso Negro. Tom Atkins from Nelson & District Credit Union explains, “By working together with like-minded community organizations and creating incredible value for participants, including youth, we see this as a perfect fit with our Community Investment Program…from community comes strength.” Lynda Lafleur, a Community Liaison from the CBT, indicates that the “CBT is pleased to support this project, as it promotes civic engagement and encourages participation in preserving Nelson as such a vital and vibrant community.”
An important component of the One Hundred Mile Thought Diet speaker series is a community vitality artwork competition for youth aged 8-14. Planedin points out that the purpose of the artwork competition is to seek youth participation in the discussions: “Youth have so many brilliant ideas about the direction their communities should take and are rarely invited to participate in community-wide forums. The speaker series will provide youth with opportunities to voice their concerns and input while learning from community leaders.”
For the artwork competition, Planedin will visit elementary and high schools to explain the concept of community vitality. Youth will be invited to submit a 5 x 7" or 8 ½ x 11” visual depiction (a photo, painting, or drawing, etc.) of places, people or things that make our community thrive. There will be a 1st place winner and runner-up for the 8-10 and 11-14 age groups with prizes from local businesses. Another feature of the series is that it will be recorded and aired as a Kootenay Co-op Radio (KCR) show for the upcoming summer season. A longtime KCR volunteer, Neil Sorochan, will provide technical support at the events.
All sessions will be hosted from 7-9 pm at Oso Negro at 604 Ward Street in Nelson, BC. Upcoming dates, topics & speakers are:
Thursday, April 16th: Business Vitality- Russell Precious, Mike Stolte, Zoe Creighton, and Paul Edney
Thursday, May 21th: Greening Communities- Jennie Barron, Jon Steinman, Paula Kiss
Wednesday, June 17th: Innovative, Affordable Housing- Derek Murphy, Pamela Ponic, George Penfold, Michelle Mungall
Thursday, July 16th: Technological Connections + Grassroots Movements- Bill Metcalfe, Michelle Laurie, Delyse Sylvester, Tom Clegg
To learn more about the speaker series, contact Anna Planedin: aplanedin@theciel.com or (250) 352-9192 ext. 221. To learn more about the work CIEL does, visit www.theciel.com/
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CIEL is seeking a joint sponsor for a Community Entrepreneurship Award Program; if you are interested, please contact the CIEL office.
