ACE August Update

Posted on: Sep 07 2010 | Posted in: ACE Announcements


In this issue:
1. WE'RE TWEAKING AND TWEETING
2. GROW YOURSELF
3. ARTS ACROSS ALBERTA
4. WELCOME TO JOLINE VEITCH
5. EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT  OUR WORK
6. CAN YOU FILL THESE SHOES?
7. SHOW ME THE MONEY
8. ACE SESSIONS AT THE ARPA 2010 CONFERENCE
9. RECREATION IN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES
10. BLOGGER HIGHLIGHTS
11. ACTION FROM THE ROOTS (Longview, Chestermere, Vulcan, Wainwright)
12. NEW RESOURCES
13. FEATURED RESOURCE OF THE MONTH
14. DEADLINE FOR NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION

A.C.E. COMMUNITIES HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE AS THE RESULT OF FUNDING FROM RURAL ALBERTA'S DEVELOPMENT FUND, ENCANA, CENOVUS ENERGY, AND CANWEST

1.  WE'RE TWEAKING AND TWEETING

Many of you might have already noticed ACE's new, streamlined website.  All of the great info is still there, we just decided to tweak the format a wee bit.  All new posts will now be featured at the tops of the different sections with older posts located as links listed under 'More'.  We have also expanded the Photo Gallery and created a new, splashier (and much deserved!) button for the Benefits Portal to provide easier access to the evidence you need to support investment in parks, recreation, arts, culture and heritage. Check out these changes and more at: www.acecommunities.ca. Don't forget to subscribe to ACE tweets while you're there.


2. GROW YOURSELF WITH UPCOMING ACE WORKSHOPS

ACE Communities is back on the road again this fall with their highly successful Community Building Workshop! We will be hosting a workshop at the TSUU TINA FIRST NATION (Calgary) Sept 24, BROOKS Sept 25th, BASSANO Oct 6, SCANDIA Oct 7, and NANTON Nov 4.
For further details contact Community Liaison, Carolyn Mead at cmead@aceleaders.ca or 780.992.9894.

If on-the-ground training doesn't work for you, sign up for these free sessions delivered via our virtual classroom by emailing Carolyn at  cmead@aceleaders.ca. Once you have signed up additional information will follow.
 
a) How to Set Up a Blog: September 13th 10:00 am - 11:30 am OR November 16th 10:00 am - 11:30 am (by the end of the session, you will have your own blog set up and ready for you to share your thoughts with the world).
 
b) Twitter Basics: October 12th 10:00 am - 11:30 am


3. ARTS ACROSS ALBERTA 

Here are some great ideas for your fall arts, culture, and heritage activities.  For more details check out Janet's recent blog: http://artsandculturewithace.blogspot.com/2010/08/viva-arts-this-fall.html

Culture Days:  a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. To learn how to register your event and access great resources like 'event checklists' and 'public relations toolkits' see: http://culturedays.ca

Alberta Arts Days (September 17 - 19):  Last year, thousands of Albertans discovered, experienced and celebrated our vibrant arts and culture landscape.  To learn how to get your community involved in this free opportunity see: http://culture.alberta.ca/artsdays/


4. WELCOME TO JOLINE VEITCH

Welcome to Joline Veitch, ARPA's new Children and Youth Program Coordinator.  A recent graduate from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation, Sport and Tourism, Joline started with ARPA as Practicum Student while at U of A.  She continued to work as a STEP-funded student and is now our newest staff member. Word has it that in addition to being a basketball, volleyball, running and yoga enthusiast, she is known for her passion for all things ice cream.  Welcome aboard, Joline!


5.  EVIDENCE TO SUPOPRT OUR WORK - BENEFITS DATABANK UPDATE
http://benefits.acecommunities.ca/

Here are some examples of the latest research added to the Benefits DataBank which documents the benefits of catalogue. Thanks to Rosanne Prinsen from Alberta Centre for Active Living  for sending in suggestions.
-"Interventions to Promote Physical Activity and Dietary Lifestyle Changes for Cardiovascular Risk Factor Reduction in Adults: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association"
-"Effects of recommended levels of physical activity on pregnancy outcomes"
-"Physical Activity at Midlife in Relation to Successful Survival in Women at Age 70 Years or Older"
-"The Effects of Exercise on Mood in Older Adults: A Meta-Analytic Review"
To see these and other recent additions, go to: http://benefitsdb.acecommunities.ca/search.php?=&sortby=Created_on

6. CAN YOU FILL THESE SHOES? ...SOGO ACTIVE PHASE 2

The much-anticipated second phase of SOGO Active was officially launched last month with the goal of appealing to a wider age range of youth. Also recently launched is the "Can You Fill These Shoes" challenge aimed at getting youth more active and engaged.  If you have any questions please contact Denise Gariépy, ARPA Program and Member Services Manager, at 780-644-1779 or dgariepy@arpaonline.ca.  For more info on the general program: www.sogoactive.com

7. SHOW ME THE MONEY

Check out these great new funding opportunities:

RURAL ALBERT'S DEVELOPMENT FUND (RADF): a key funder for ACE Communities, is again accepting 'Expressions of Interest' in order to disburse the final $30 Million of its original $100 million funding mandate. All applications will be based on RADF’s original eligibility criteria; however emphasis will be placed on supporting projects that benefit regions with populations of 20,000 and under.  More info see: http://www.ruralalbertasfund.com/uploads/1008/e-bulletin82949.pdf

INTER-ACTION: Canada’s new Multiculturalism Grants and Contribution Program, is administered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).  The Program supports CIC’s mandate and the Canadian Multiculturalism Act by assisting the socio-economic integration of individuals and communities and their contributions to building an integrated and socially cohesive society.  http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/funding/index.asp

The AVIVA COMMUNITY FUND: If you've got a great idea to create positive change within your community, the Aviva Community Fund is now giving away $1 million to help make things happen.  Ideas due Sept. 27.  See: http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/

 
8. ACE SESSIONS AT THE ARPA 2010 CONFERENCE

A reminder that the next ARPA Conference and Energize Workshop will take place October 21-23 at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.  ACE Communities will be hosting the pre-conference session: "The Power and Promise of Recreation in Aboriginal Communities" on Thursday, a session focused on ACE communities telling their stories on Friday at 10:30 am called "Community Building in Action", and Janet - our Creative Cultural Liaison - will be speaking about the power of arts and culture and the ACE ARTS Tour on Friday at 3:15 pm. So come by and say 'hi' to the ACE Team! Visit www.2010.arpaonline.ca for additional program and accommodation reservation details.


9. RECREATION IN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

The next Aboriginal Recreation teleconference hosted by ARPA and the ISCA will be held on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 at 10:00 AM. Call in at 1.888.289.4573 using passcode 9374575#. This is a toll-free number so please call in and join the conversation!

Congrats to the ALEXIS NAKOTA SIOUX Nation who has recently stepped up as the fourth recipient of the ACE ARTS Tour.  This tour was originally planned to visit Frog Lake but was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. The fourth ACE ARTS Tour will now be in Alexis Nakota Sioux from October 18 - 20.  Contact Janet with any questions at jnaclia@aceleaders.ca.

As mentioned above, we would like to remind all Aboriginal recreation practitioners that this year's ARPA Conference in Jasper will include a one-day pre-conference session focusing on recreation, arts, culture, and heritage in Aboriginal communities.  This session will be a full day one on Thursday, October 21.  For more info contact Janet Naclia, Creative Cultural Liaison, jnaclia@aceleaders.ca


10.  BLOGGER HIGHLIGHTS
We had a diverse group of blogs this month all focused on how to improve the quality of life in our communities.  This is just a small sampling from our wide selection of ACE bloggers.  All blogs can be found at http://acecommunities.ca/

Check out BRENDA HERCHMER's blog, "Kid Wrangling Involves Planning for Play", on the importance of unstructured play in childhood development.  CAROLYN MEAD's "Nowhere...but somewhere" addresses how we identify quality of life in a community.  Also check out LES BROST's blog, "The Race is on", about the challenges of change and ANGELA TORRY's  recent blog on the improvements that need to be made to the Children's Fitness tax credit.

11.  COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENTS
For more details go to acecommunities.ca and scroll down to "Community Highlights".  Here are some highlights from August:

The ACE Communities group in VULCAN have been busy planning for the fall.  Their aim: to use these upcoming activities to encourage people in the community to spend more of their time locally.  Ideas include a theme for the fall in tune with older-fashioned events, such as a blue-ribbon fair.  Other ideas discussed included a 5 km footrace similar to a Turkey Trot and the possibility of Rainbow Literacy helping to sponsor an activity tent. Such details will be further discussed at the ACE group's next meeting on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Lodge Hall so stay tuned!
CHESTERMERE has been cooking up a storm lately - literally.  This month was the debut of their "Bake it, Don't Fake it" pie making workshop, hosted by Grannie Jen, which attracted over 40 participants of all ages. A webcast of the event will appear on the ACE website shortly but here are some pics from the workshop: http://acecommunities.ca/gallery/. Chestermere has also been exploring other cultural projects like the construction of a gazebo for a local park. There has also been the exploration of a possible information portal and a Recreation Master Plan.  We can't wait to see what happens in Chestermere...
Great news for our alumni ACE Community of WAINWRIGHT!  They have now officially launched their “Tatanka Trails”. This project entailed planning a secondary signage program for one of their town’s major greenspaces. The ACE group coordinated a comprehensive study on what the area needed for beautification and it was decided that the funding should go into nine mapping and information signs that would be created by a local contractor. Content for and design of the signs was all developed by the group.  Congrats on the launch Wainwright!
The LONGVIEW Community Services Advisory Board (CSAB) and the ACE Communities Committee is proud to launch the very first issue of their new community newsletter. This initiative is in response to the fact that communication has been identified as a priority by the community. This newsletter was launched at the Longview Music and Arts Festival on August 21 and local residents have been given the opportunity to name the publication. A digital version will also be available on their website: longviewaceprojects@weebly.com.  Keep up the hard work, Longview!

12.  NEW RESOURCES

Have you checked out the great new weekly resources at acecommunities.ca?  ACE Communities is diligently adding new resources and training opportunities related to community development to its website. Make sure to check out: the 'Resource Links', the 'Arts, Culture, & Heritage' resource section, the 'Training Opportunities' section, 'ACE Announcements', the 'Aboriginal Communities' blog, and our live Twitter feed.

13.  FEATURED ACE RESOURCE OF THE MONTH

This month we are featuring Carol Petersen, our ARPA Manager of Recreation and Community Development.  Carol is one of the big picture thinkers on the team and, in fact, has been a catalyst for ACE from the very beginning! Carol's background in leisure education could be an asset to you as you navigate the challenge of defining what 'quality of life' means for your community.   She can help guide you with some of the questions you might have about how your community can become more active, creative, and engaged. To contact Carol: CPetersen@arpaonline.ca

14.  DEADLINE FOR NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION

Do you have ACE-related news to share for inclusion in the newsletter?  Please submit any news to Janet Naclia @ jnaclia@aceleaders.ca by the 20th of every month.

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