Hello all,
It has been a surprisingly busy month across the Christmas holidays.
Our Communications Working Group have completed a few projects to date: they set up our YouTube channel and drafted two news releases announcing our new board members. They have just finished linking all our members’ websites to our BV membership list. They will be interviewing one of our member orgs to feature on the BV website.
Advocacy
We have a total of 19 orgs signed onto the There is a Better Way call to action. If your board has not signed on yet, please ask them to consider it.
Leslie Welin, Doug and I worked over the holidays to prepare a submission for Duncan City Council, which Leslie the presented. A committee of the whole agreed to put forward a draft resolution regarding the Social Policy Framework for the Union of BC municipalities (UBCM) conference next fall. Council formally passed the resolution on 20 Jan 14. Now we are starting to talk with other municipalities about supporting our call.
I have had a conversation with a Mayor in North East BC who says Site C and LNG development will put enormous strain on the social fabric of their community and would support a call for a Social Policy Framework.
I have meetings set up with a minister from First United Church in the DTES and an introduction the Catholic Church Archdiocese of New Westminster to begin discussing the SPF with them.
We are presenting on the SPF to the Federation of Community Social Services General Meeting in February.
I am scheduled to meet with the BC Association of Community Response Networks 27 Jan
Bill McMichael and I are meeting with Vancouver City Councillor Kerry Jang on 28 Jan.
Board level Skills & Connectivity
Three more Community Boards in Action have been approved:
Options Community Services Society
North Island Community Services Society
Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre
More information on the projects is posted on the BV website here.
Working with the ED of Vantage Point we have completed a proposal for the One day workshop for regions that includes half a day of board training and a quarter day each for SPF and Community Boards in Action. Let us know if you are interested in having one of these sessions in your community.
Mayor Ackerman of Fort St John is supportive of us hosting a workshop there and her and her husband will assist in connecting us with Community Benefit Organizations there and potential sponsors.
The Central Okanagan Board Voice group is also interested in hosting one of these for the southern interior region – North, Central, South Okanagan and Similkameen.
That’s it for this month. Please share this with your board, and ask them for input in what we are–and should–be doing for them.