Board Voice received a grant in 2013 from the Vancouver Foundation to help bring community social service agency boards of directors together to share experiences and improved overall governance skills for members. Boards of directors in many communities have held joint events to focus on skills development. In the South Cariboo, these activities have continued long past the initial seed money. The group that came together provided five skills development workshops in 2015-16.
These events go far beyond basic board governance skills. Lisa De Paoli, Executive Director of the Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre, in referencing the fall 2015 workshop, states: “In addition to collaboration, this event will also be a forum for starting the discussion about poverty reduction.”
This kind of coordination and sharing helps communities to come together and try to solve intractable social issues. Sometimes all you need is a great idea and a little money to make big changes!