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What is The Social Planning Council?

Activities:

o Monthly Meetings: Attend meetings with guest speakers from within the community &/or presentations at each meeting. We currently meet the fourth Monday of every month (excluding summer) at City Hall with light lunch by donation.

o Facebook & Email Group: Utilize the network on Facebook. Start discussions, learn about & share upcoming community events, projects and meetings. If you don’t use Facebook, then join the email network instead.

o Inform City Council: The SPC provides reports to City Council regularly and the City keeps the SPC informed. Use the network and have your voices heard.



Strategic Direction of the Social Planning Council of Williams Lake & Area:

o Poverty Reduction and the local Living Wage Campaign.

o Community Collaboration and Networking.

o Retention and Succession of residents within the Area.



Community Social Planning:

o Supports communities in building an integrated approach to complex problems that take into account social, economic, and environmental concerns.

o Maximizes the effectiveness of often scarce resources by working to reduce duplication, overlap and competition.

o Provides an ongoing forum for communication, coordination and conflict resolution.



Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Update - Annual General Meeting held Nov 22, 2010

The Social Planning Council’s Annual General Meeting took place on Monday November 22 at City Hall. Our next monthly meeting is at 11:30 am January 24 at City Hall (lunch provided).

Update: Over the past few years, the Social Planning Council has remained a strong network of professionals, organizations and individuals improving the social well being of residents in the Williams Lake area.

Future directions of the SPC include:

-Working with the MCFD to transition the CTC program next spring to another agency to administer.
-The Social Planning Council will return to the “big picture” networking organization and table.
-Regular monthly meetings will remain the 4th Monday of each month with the exception of this month (no meeting in December 2010).

Please email spc-coordinator@xplornet.com or call 250-243-2126 for a 2010 - 2011 membership form.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

AGM - Nov 22, 2010

Our AGM is scheduled for November 22, 11:00 am – 2 pm, City Hall.

This is an important meeting for the future direction of the Social Planning Council.

RSVP to spc-coordinator@xplornet.com or (1)-250-243-2126 is appreciated but not required.

CTC Update - Oct 25, 2010

Communities that Care (CTC) Program Update
Monday October 25, 2010

October 2010

Williams Lake:
1)Telephone conference call with Carol Allred – Founder of Positive Action.

2)Meeting with Jan Fichtner and Jay Goddard to discuss school/partnership involvement and implementation plan for Positive Action.

3)Purchased Positive Action materials for all three schools in Williams Lake.

4)Meeting with Youth Engagement working group. Discussion included: a) Art projects in the community to address the risk factor: Low neighbourhood attachment b) Facebook page to inform community on youth activities and other youth related information and c) Fundraising ideas for the leadership graduating class.

5)October 13 – 15 Roots of Empathy training: a) Six new instructors were trained for Williams Lake and area. Schools implementing ROE are: Mountview, 150 Mile, Cataline, Skyline, Chilcotin Road, Nesika, Kwaleen, Horsefly, Marie Sharpe and Glendale and b) Instructor for Anahim Lake was trained and will be moving to Williams Lake after receiving a job offer. Rana Grace was able to secure funding for another instructor in AL and she will be trained in Vancouver November 8, 9, 10th.

6)Meeting with Funding working group to discuss CTC budget. Decisions on how to spend the remaining Program Resource funds will be discussed at the CTC Board meeting on October 27th.

7)October 26th – Presentation to City Council updating SPC and CTC progress.

8)October 27th – CTC Board meeting. Agenda items: a) Review and celebrate CTC accomplishments to date, b) Update existing sub-committees and progress of Positive Action, c) Refocus and prioritize tasks related to program implementation, evaluation and sustainability, and d) Delegate priority tasks.

Anahim Lake:
1)Kevin McLennan - Principal of AL School will be doing his research for his Masters in Counselling on Positive Action and assisting the evaluation process.

2)Have received positive feedback and outcomes from Positive Action in all three schools. The K-1 class at Nagwuntl’oo school will be implementing the program at a bronze level due to staff turnover.

3)Positive Action Climate kits were introduced and have been very successful.

4)A youth arts project to paint murals is planned for November, as part of a youth engagement initiative.

5)October 22 – Health and Wellness Fair. Terra will be presenting a slideshow on Community U-Turn and Positive Action.

6)Adopt a youth program will start up this month.

7)October 28th – Community Board meeting.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Sept 27, 2010 Meeting Updates

1) The SPC is presenting to City Council on October 26th. Carrie Sundahl and Michael Lucas will be presenting on the CTC project, and Jay will present other initiatives of the SPC including Access Williams Lake and Food Policy Council projects. The SPC table also wants to hear Council’s feedback.

2) Food Policy Council Update - The City of Williams Lake recently passed community garden policy and granted the FPC the ability to lease city land at the bottom of Carson Drive for a 16000 square foot community garden plot.

3) CTC update (July & August: Discussions – it is now the time to move forward to ensure programs continue after the CTC Program in Williams Lake comes to an end. The different boards are being combined to make efforts more effective. The CTC project goals from this point forward is to become a jumping start for ongoing initiatives within both communities.

Monday, September 13, 2010

United Way 2010 Community Funds for the Central Cariboo

The Thompson Nicola Cariboo United Way is welcoming applications for their 2010 United Way Community Funding for the Central Cariboo anytime between now and October 15th. Please contact Francy Hayward for more information at francy@unitedwaytnc.ca or by calling 250-372-9933.

CTC Update - June 2010

A monthly networking conference call has been set up with other regions in B.C. who are implementing the CTC model. These include Prince George, Kelowna, Victoria, Terrace, Squamish, Williams Lake and Anahim Lake.

The youth engagement working group gave three separate presentations to the youth at Noopa, WL Secondary School and Columneetza. Valuable feedback was received from the youth survey results and strategies to address our priority risk and protective factors.

Williams Lake:
June 14 – Community Board meeting. Jan Fitchner gave a presentation on the Sense of Belonging Plan; Work groups are being developed for Community outreach, evaluation feedback and the Action Plan report; Potential EB programs were discussed and recommendations to implement Positive Action and Roots of Empathy were agreed upon.

June 16 – Key Leader Board meeting. Agenda items included discussion of the recommended programs, Implementation training, project timeline, engaging more community members and communication with the Key Leader Board. The roles of the City and SPC were also clarified. The next meeting will be August 17th.

Anahim Lake:
The Community Board met on June 3rd. A project update was given along with a presentation of the Positive Action and Parenting Wisely program materials.

Carrie and Terra met with Jim Rowse – Acting Principal of Anahim Lake School to discuss implementation of the Positive Action program, and the need to hire a Co-ordinator to implement the program in three schools.

A letter requesting approval for increased TA hours was sent to key members of the School District Staff. The request was approved for 5 hours/week to assist in the implementation of the Positive Action program.

The Parenting Wisely training scheduled for June 4 – 5 was postponed due to the trainer going on a sudden sick leave. Carrie has been in communication with the Parenting Wisely head office to discuss other training possibilities.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Job Opportunity - Living Wage Project

Funds granted by the Social Development Working Group (SDWG) of CCBAC, to the SPC to administer a research project to calculating the Living Wage for the Williams Lake area have been received. We are actively looking to fill the position to complete this project (see description below).

The Social Planning Council of Williams Lake and Area is seeking an individual to complete a Living Wage & Poverty Reduction research project to produce a useful working document for social service agencies and levels of City government to use in future social planning initiatives. Responsible to the Board of Directors of the Social Planning Council while receiving support/research supervision, this is a contract position for 200 hours at $20/hour to be completed by September 30, 2010. Please submit resumes to spc-coordinator@xplornet.com or by mail to Box 20045, Williams Lake B.C. V2G 4R1 on or before July 1, 2010.

May 13 & 14th Workshops were a Success

More than 160 community members attended the May 13 & 14th Mark Totten Workshops held in Williams Lake.

The Mark Totten Presentations were direct and engaging. He is an expert on at risk youth and gang involvement and his presentation focused on getting people educated with prevention program goals. A key lesson he taught is that “[if we keep doing the same thing, things won’t change]”. The goal of his presentations was to move the CTC process forward and he helped achieve this goal. With teachers, parent, CDC staff, health nurses among the crowd his message was well heard. More people want to join in the CTC process and by September there will be programs in place.

Positive outcomes included an increase in community involvement, a better understanding of EB programs and the CTC project, a strong partnership with the School District and increased knowledge on the screening and selection process for implementing EB programs into our community.

Mark Totten commented while visiting Williams Lake that our community is much further along than many communities on addressing these issues, and in the amount of service coordination that takes place between our local organizations.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Mark Totten is coming to Williams Lake May 13 - 14, 2010

The Communities that Care Project is bringing Mark Totten, a keynote speaker on evidence based prevention programs to Williams Lake May 13th and 14th.

For more information on Totten and Associates please visit http://www.tottenandassociates.ca, visit the CTC blog at http://www.ctcwilliamslake.blogspot.com/ or contact Project Manager Carrie Sundahl at ctc@williamslake.ca, or 250-392-1844

Important Notice - Monthly Meeting Day Changes

Our monthly meeting day of week is changing. To accommodate more of our members our monthly Social Planning Council meetings are moving to the 4th Monday of each month. Our next scheduled meeting is on Monday May 17, 2010.

Note: there are no scheduled meetings in July and August.

Access Williams Lake Update

Important update - Access Williams Lake online community resource directory website

The following web page address is now live and available to accept new entries from non-profit community organizations. Please visit http://accesswilliamslake.org/update.htm to fill out the online form.

The website is scheduled to launch mid June.

Highlights from our March 18 meeting

1) Mary Forbes on behalf of the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society gave a fun and interactive presentation on bottled water which included trivia questions (with a colourful talk show host), “taste tests” of bottled, City, and well water, and a draw for a free PBA free stainless steel water bottle. Mary is available to give these presentations to other groups within the community by appointment and can be reached by calling 250-398-7929. The handout entitled “Toxic footprint off bottled water” is available by emailing spc-coordinator@xplornet.com and will soon be available at www.ccconserv.org

2) Communities that Care Project Update:

a) The Spencer West event at TRU on February 22 (after his presentation at Williams Lake Secondary) was well received and attended by invited community members.

b) On February 24, Anahim Lake held a public forum and two CTC programs were chosen for the community: Positive Action which is a school based program (Kindergarten - Gr. 12) designed to improve academic performance and reduce behavioral problems, and Parenting Wisely which addresses family management problems.

c) Carrie has been in contact with Mark Totten who is a consultant and keynote speaker on evidence based programs and developing community prevention strategies. There is a possibility of bringing Mark to Williams Lake to give a workshop and the logistics are still in the discussion phase. For more information on Mark Totten and Associates his website is: http://www.tottenandassociates.ca

3) Diana presented serious concerns about the EPCOR power plant chipping and burning creosote soaked railway ties.

Four issues are of major concern: The ties are being stored behind the Station House Gallery, these ties are leeching into the creek below, the toxins present potentially serious health concerns (Rob Higgins and Marten from TRU are currently investigating these further), and the ties are combustible and catch on fire on a regular basis.

There are currently 20 rail cars sitting there and the ties are being chipped into sawdust to be burned. Emissions from the plant have not been monitored or inspected since 2001. Chips that have combusted stay burning/smouldering for months at a time. The homes upwind from the area are experiencing air quality issues, and an ash pile on the creekside of Soad Creek Road most likely also contains remnant of these toxins.

The CCCS is working with the Ministry of Environment about the leeching and burning concerns. City Council has asked CN to not give anymore ties to EPCOR although they have no legal recourse to stop the burning of the ties.

Update since March 18 – The burning of creosote soaked railway ties at the power plant have stopped.

Highlights from our February 18, 2010 meeting

1)The Social Planning Council is holding the Community Focus Group for the new community resource directory web page on Monday, Feb 22, 11:30 am – 2pm (lunch) at City Hall (rsvp appreciated but NOT required). This is to determine how our local website will be setup – everyone from the community is welcome to attend. RSVP appreciated, but NOT required.

2)Communities That Care Project update

a)Anne Burrill presented The Williams Lake CTC Community Assessment Report, which is now an official public document available on the City website (see link below). The report has been presented to City Council, and will be presented to the School District next week.

The Community Profile presented in the report is a very valuable public tool that everyone is encouraged to use. It is the first time all historical and demographic factors are in one document and the uses are endless. The CTC is also able to present to groups who would like more details.

b)Carrie is currently working on the Action Plan and researching potential programs for Williams Lake. In Anahim Lake they had 31 people attend the CTC Community Assessment Report Public Forum and are now working on implementing recommended community programs.

View the CTC Community Assessment report at
http://www.williamslake.ca/files/4/CTC%20Community%20Profile%20Final%20-%20Feb%202010%20web.pdf

The CTC Williams Lake Project blog is now live at http://www.ctcwilliamslake.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Non-profit directory entries

Not-For-Profit? Connect by March 31st!

The Access Williams Lake & Area project has literally hundreds of items to research and load by June 15th! We need your help!Within the next two weeks, please email to AccessWilliamsLake@gmail.com the following:

1)Organization name;
2)A note confirming that it is either a not-for-profit or government-funded initiative;
3) A note stating whether or not the program is dependent on government funding to run; (The above three items simply help us organize our calling database for our annual updating work.) plus, for publication in the directory itself:

4) Name of each distinct program administered by your organization;
5) Ten to fifty words describing each program's activities;
6) Program web page or email address (Note: In order to minimize spam to agencies, email addresses are not usually listed, but if an organization has no website, an email address may also be included in the submission.)
7) Program address;
8) Program phone number

Please send all of the above in one email to AccessWilliamsLake@gmail.com by March 31, 2010

For examples of what a listing would look like, one can view www.accesskamloops.org. The Access Williams Lake & Area project, though, can also include each program's address (if program administrators wish). Every entry can be edited upon request at any time.

With questions about which programs are eligible, or about any other matter, please review the press release below or contact Jessica Knodel at spc-coordinator@xplornet.com or 250-243-2126.

Monday, March 8, 2010

January 14, 2010 Meeting Highlights

Three updates from our January 14, 2010 meeting

1) Communities that Care Project Update:

Previously the Manager of the 100 Mile House Youth Centre Carrie Sundahl brings over ten years experience to the SPC and is excited to be the new CTC Project Manager.

CTC Project Updates:

Training in both Anahim Lake, and Williams Lake were a success last month.

The Community Assessment Profile for Williams Lake is now completed and will be released to the public February 11, 2010.

They are now in the process of compiling community resources and researching programs towards the implementation of local programs to address the identified needs within Williams Lake (anticipated by end of April).

Anahim Lake’s Community Action Plan is also completed and they are currently choosing programs for their local community. They have been coordinating a calendar for the local area to increase accessibility to programs and information exchange between their community organizations.

2) Toni Pate from the Boys & Girls Club introduces the HIV/AIDS Prevention Program:

Toni has been working on the HIV/AIDS prevention program in Williams Lake since April 2009. Her background education includes both psychology and sociology and she previously worked for the AIDS Society of Kamloops, and was involved in the Sex Worker Program getting sex trade workers off the streets.

Funded by BBI (Interior Health funded) this program applies the new “population health approach” which comprehensively looks at health as a capacity to reaching goals, looking at the population as a whole with different groups within it.

Toni is available for presentations to groups from 2 – 200 people, make referrals and provide Counselling support through the Boys and Girls Club. A recent event included a successful Coffee House event on Nov 28, presentations to schools, a mall awareness “cookie” event, and has received great support from the community (e.g. Dominoes Pizza, and Tim Horton’s).Toni can be reached through the Boys and Girls Club at 250-392-5730

3) Revisiting a “Living Wage” Project for the Williams Lake Area:

Rosanna has found a qualified candidate for this project. Georgina Mortensen, a TRU student who is completing her practicum working with Rosanna at the Friendship Society is interested in taking this project on and has come to today’s meeting to learn more.

Calculating the Living Wage is an initiative of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. For more info visit http://www.policyalternatives.ca


For a copy of the full meeting minutes please email spc-coordinator@xplornet.com

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Reminder Feb 22 Community Focus Group

UPCOMING REMINDER:

The Social Planning Council is holding a Community Focus Group for the online community resource web page which will connect residents and non-profits with each other to enhance the accessibility of programs and services available to residents. Monday, Feb 22, 11:30 am – 2pm (lunch) at City Hall (rsvp appreciated but NOT required). Call 250-243-2126 or email spc-coordinator@xplornet.com for more info. This is to determine how our local website will be setup – everyone is welcome to attend.

Monday, February 1, 2010

December 10, 2009 Meeting Highlights

Three updates from our December 10, 2009 meeting

1) Online Community Resource Database update:

The website developers have now begun working on the site design which will include a community calendar option (3 –4 months period) and they anticipate early to mid January for design completion.

The success of a project like this is entirely dependent on the involvement of the host community and the team will spend a day connecting with agencies to get more input at an upcoming Focus Group scheduled for February 22, 2010 11:30 – 2:00 pm at City Hall.

After that, we will continue to connect online to receive new entries and updates, year round, while also annually completing a full, proactive update, making phone contact with each and every program administrator to ensure all listings continue to be current.

For more information please email spc-coordinator@xplornet.com

2) CTC Update:

Anne Burrill, Rob Smith, and new Project Manager Carrie Sundahl are in Anahim Lake today for Community Action Plan training. Williams Lake training will begin next week at TRU.

Creating a Community Action plan is the next step of the project. Using the data collected from the Community Assessment survey, this action plan will address the gaps in programming as identified by survey results. The question “What do we do now” is the goal of the Action Plan (timeline goal of March 31).

There are plans to hold a community forum to further include the general public towards the public release of the Community Assessment Report.

3) TRU Human Service Diploma student presentation:

Community Resources – 179 students Isabella Kreis and Megan Peach presented a summary of the project entitled “Me to We” which helps individuals find meaning in a material world in a positive and socially responsible way.

Their project involves bringing Inspirational Speaker Spencer West to Williams Lake Secondary School the morning of February 22, 2010

Spencer West’s speech focuses on: anti-bullying, anti-discrimination, overcoming obstacles, and the message that anyone can make a difference.

His recent presentation to more than 60K from GM Place in Vancouver (with Live Online Feed from Vancouver - Toronto) involving the Dalai Lama was very successful. Please visit the following webpage for more information http://www.metowe.com/speakers/SpencerWest/

Contact Us

The Social Planning Council is made up of volunteers from the community. Many of us work in social services agencies or also volunteer for other organizations.

Our Mailing Address is Box 20045, Williams Lake BC V2G 4R1

To reach the Society Coordinator Jessica Dunn please email spc-coordinator@xplornet.com or call 250-243-2126

To reach the Communities that Care Project Facilitator Barb Jones please email communitiesthatcare.wl@gmail.com or call 250-305-4838

To reach the THRIVE Williams Lake Project Manager Anne Burrill please email annelburrill@gmail.com or call 250-267-7211

To reach the current SPC Chair Larry Stranberg please email happytrails@cfdccariboo.com or call 250-392-3626