OPT #11 - Wellness, Homelessness, and Sharing Communities...

Our ESIC Booth

I have felt very busy lately - it has been tons of fun, but sadly blogging has paid the price - So what is new? As you may or may not know there are 12 Community Inclusion Networks (CINs) in the province, 8 of them have been approved, and we at ESIC are in the process of supporting these 8 CINs, while encouraging and assisting the remaining 4 get their applications into the ESIC board for approval - this takes allot of time, because of the inclusive nature of a community INCLUSION Network it is best to get mostly everybody around the table from the start.

So to recap from the last blog: I attended a workshop in St. Andrews where they explored community values and the impact on decision making around policy development in Gov't- very interesting - I learned much about the ocean and those that protect it from the sea and the land, also that the roads from St. Andrews to Fredericton are a little bumpy.

Rock Stars of Thursday Night

Then I met with the United Way, Vibrant Communities, The Saint John Learning Exchange and the Human Development council around the possibility of some Food Security funding - there is an astonishing amount of great things happening in this area in NB.

There was a full day meeting with the committee that is working hard towards the reforming of the Social Assistance system in NB.

Stéphane moderating a panel session

Then two days at the Provincial wellness conf. in Moncton - Martin Latulippe was outstanding vrai ou vrai? Theresa Blackburn video weblogged it all check out her blog - The Drummers and dancers from Elsipogtog First Nation were awesome and Bill Ninacs was very powerful speaking about inclusive communities as a road to poverty reduction - we also learned why Medavie Blue Cross is such a great place to work - The Boss.

I was in the Miramichi on Monday meeting with a group that is looking to form the Community Inclusion Network based on the strength of that community - then down to Moncton for a series of community conversations with the awesome people at the United Way of Greater Moncton and Southeast NB - Friday I'm heading back to Miramichi to talk about Food Security with the NBFSAN then the weekend to recharge and get ready to change the world, one sharing at a time - be good to each other.

"Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing."
Thomas A. Edison

OPT #10 - Foundation, Community and Affordable Housing...

I started yesterday morning thinking about how communities can change themselves in ways that will change our province and eventually our world.a) Develop a comprehensive housing strategy that enables mixed income neighbourhoods, affordability, supported housing options and co-op housing; And this is what Social Development has come up with: Hope is a Home

Then I had a meeting with the New Brunswick Non Profit Housing Association.

We here at the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation are helping them out with their upcoming conference. We are doing an Open Space on "How can we build more inclusive communities together?"

This is a really fundamental piece in the puzzle that is Poverty Reduction, and a real way that communities can change themselves and our world. Because if we don't have a place to live, where we feel safe, secure and comfortable, we are always seeking that place out, we lack stabilty, we aren't grounded - basically a house without a foundation.

This may seem like a personal challenge for the person who has no home, but it's way bigger than that, it a challenge to that person's family and friends, their community and our province.

We all need to contribute, share our "gift" with our neighbours, our community and

ultimately the world. We all possess skills, thoughts, ideas, or at least some skill, partial thoughts or the start of a good idea - what we need is the connection to fulfill our potential. How can anyone connect with another without a home and food to eat- they can't, and how can we transform our community without contribution from all - We Can't.



So here is the piece of the OPT plan that directly relates with Housing:

Opportunities for Belonging (community participation)
a) Develop a comprehensive housing strategy that enables mixed income neighbourhoods, affordability, supported housing options and co-op housing; and Social Development's response. Hope is a Home

"The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home." - Confucius

OPT#9 - NB2026, Lifelong Learning and Sharing your Gifts...

I spent yesterday thinking about Learning - Education, the economic spinoffs, the cultural impacts - the societal shifts and sharing our gifts.


I decided that I would just post a few TED.com videos, after all TED 2011 is happening in right now in Long Beach - I'd love to be there, and maybe someday I'll get an invite - but until then, I can work on changing the world from my small corner of it.


Enjoy the videos - They are truly amazing...


Here are the OPT action items that deal with Learning -


Opportunities for Becoming (life-long learning and skills acquisition)
a) Invest in the early learning and child care sector to ensure that a minimum of 20 per cent of infants and 50 per cent of two- to five-year-olds in the province may access a registered early learning space.
b) Provide a literacy mentor, through collaboration with the business and non-profit sectors, to every student in Grades 1 and 2 who is struggling to read, so that every child may graduate with adequate literacy and numeracy skills through the leadership of Elementary Literacy/Litteratie au primaire.c) Introduce an early learning and child care act.
d) The McCain Foundation will fund five additional integrated early learning sites.
e) Advance the community school concept with a particular focus on literacy and numeracy, life skills, experiential learning, trades, cooperative education and extra-curricular activities.
f ) Continue training teachers to expand educational program options to accommodate diverse learning styles.

Opportunities for Belonging (community participation) c) Strengthen the ability of low-income people to enter the skilled workforce through the provision of training, education and volunteer opportunities as part of the transition to work as well as on-the-job training.
d) Reduce barriers to continuing education, making it more accessible and affordable.
These are all ways that we can enact real change in the future of our Province...

 

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

 

Albert Einstein