ACE Newsletter for May

Posted on: May 25 2010 | Posted in: ACE Announcements


In this issue:
1. COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS LEARNING WITH A FREE IAN HILL WEBCAST THIS FRIDAY
2. EVER THINK OF RUNNING FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTION?
3. REPORT ON THE ACE COMMUNITIES SPRING RETREAT
4. BENEFITS DATABANK LAUNCHED DOWN UNDER
5. OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES! 
6. UPCOMING FREE COMMUNITY BUILDING WORKSHOPS
7. ARTS TOUR HITS THE ROAD AGAIN
8. NEW FACES AT ARPA
9. ARPA 2010 CONFERENCE & ENERGIZE WORKSHOP
10. RECREATION IN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES
11. BLOGGER HIGHLIGHTS
12. COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENTS
13. NEW RESOURCES
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.  COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS LEARNING WITH A FREE IAN HILL WEBCAST THIS FRIDAY

ACE is committed to continuous learning and we mean it! On FRIDAY, MAY 28th at 10:00 am, we will explore part five in the series “Becoming a Community Builder ”. This month we will discuss how to become an effective quality of life advocate.  Just click on this link to join the webcast this Friday at 10:00 am: http://acecommunities.ca/community-builder/ If yo.u can’t attend on Friday, all five parts of the webcast series will be archived at: http://acecommunities.ca/community-builder/archive/.  And, stay tuned for the next webcast on Friday, June 25th at 10:00 am.

2.  EVER THINK OF RUNNING FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTION?

ACE Communities is delighted to announce a special online conference call that will feature a panel of ACE leaders who also just happen to be elected municipal councillors! Tracey Melnyk from Entwistle, Bill Cunningham from Trochu and Carrie Demkiw from High Level will be available on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16th from 1:30 to 2:30 pm to share their learnings about what influenced their decision to run and what was involved. If you or someone you know is interested, call in at 1.888.289.4573 using passcode 9374575#.

3. REPORT ON THE ACE SPRING RETREAT

The ACE Communities’ SPRING RETREAT for Flights 2 and 3 took place in Sylvan Lake from May 11 – 13, 2010. Local ACE leaders had the opportunity to learn from each other by sharing their experiences and knowledge about community leadership, community development, community engagement, and the ACE initiative. In doing so they took turns building upon their own toolkits of facilitation techniques. Among other highlights, those who attended had an opportunity to learn the Seven Stances of King Butu, shared ideas for stopping negativity and working in a political environment, discussed the strengths needed for community development, participated in Open Space Technology and World Cafe sessions and Cracker Barrel discussions, applied a Problem Solving Tree, learned how communities and ice floes are similar and much more.  A total of twenty-four community leaders from fourteen communities across Alberta participated in the Retreat which was the third one for Flight Two leaders and the second one for Flight 3 leaders. Barbara Pedersen and Karen Driedger co-facilitated the retreat with involvement from Flight 1 leader Kathyrn Badry and the ACE Communities Team. Read Barb’s blog for her reflections on what the Retreat taught her about facilitating with trust and belief.  http://barbpedersen.blogspot.com/2010/05/facilitate-with-trust-and-belief-in.html Brend.a Herchmer wrote what she learned about the values shared by those who attended http://brenda.herchmer.net/index.php?/site/comments/our_shared_valuecommunity_matters/

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4. BENEFITS CATALOGUE LAUNCHED DOWN UNDER

Thanks to ARPA President, Dr. Tim Burton who launched the new Benefits Portal at a Parks and Leisure Austrailia conference. His paper, entitled The Evolution of Canada’s Recreation Benefits Catalogue, received enthusiastic feedback. Read more about what they had to say about our benefits databank at http://www.parks-leisure.com.au/admin/file.php?file=PLA_VicTas_May_Newsletter_2010.pdf.  This national resource found at http://benefits.acecommunities.ca articulates the value of recreation, parks, sport, active living, arts, culture and heritage. The Benefits Portal and DataBank have the potential to reposition our fields and connect academics, practitioners and business around individual and community quality of life. The DataBank is the next evolution of the Benefits Catalogue produced by CPRA (Canadian Parks and Recreation Association) in 1992 and revised in 1997. The Creative City Network of Canada has provided research and participated in the pilot phase of the development of the new online resource. Share your comments, research and promising practices. There will be more “how to tips and content” added as the portal and databank evolve!

And, if referencing over 750 benefits studies in the new benefits databank isn’t enough for you, stay tuned for what’s coming next. Not only will you see trends relating to the benefits messages and outcome statements, you will also see programming success stories for specific outcomes.

New research added this month includes:  – Associations between sport and screen-entertainment with mental health problems in 5-year-old children – The Creative Sector in Kelowna, British Columbia: an economic impact assessment – The association between school-based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance – The Human Relation With Nature and Technological Nature
To see these and more recent additions, go to: http://benefitsdb.acecommunities.ca/search.php?=&sortby=Created_on

5.  OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES!

While it may be that we can and should teach today’s youth about community building, the mentoring is definitely reversed when it comes to social media! Our blog by our ACE Youth Reporters is now up and running and the first video blog came from Grade 3/4 youth reporters in Longview who are covering local community events! In this case, they provided great coverage of a public speaking event. Move over Katie Couric! See http://aceyouth.blogspot.com/2010/05/grade-34-longview-school_3741.html If yo.u know of any youth who might be interested in reporting on ACE activities in their community email Janet Naclia, Creative Cultural Liaison: jnaclia@aceleaders.ca with any questions or interest.

6. UPCOMING FREE COMMUNITY BUILDING WORKSHOPS

Response to our ACE community building workshops has been amazing!  Here’s a sampling of quotes from workshop participants: “I will stop blaming & be responsible for my own actions.”; “I will start talking to our younger generation.”; “I will continue to talk about the importance of different groups working together for better of a community.”; and “I will start looking more at our own community resources.”

Feeling inspired?  These are the final community building workshops currently planned for this summer:

ACE Community Building Workshop
Date: May 26, 2010
Location: Youngstown
Registration Contact: Emma Garlock (ytown@xplornet.com)

Date: June 2, 2010
Location: Canmore, AB
Registration Contact: Brenda Caston (bcaston@canmore.ca)

Date: June 3, 2010
Location: Crowsnest Pass, AB
Registration Contact: Carrie Morency (carrie@communityfuturecnp.ca)

7. ARTS TOUR HITS THE ROAD AGAIN

Mark your calendars!  The next installments of the ACE Alberta Rural Talent Showcase (ARTS) Tour will be taking place throughout May and June across Alberta:

Frog Lake: May 26-29
Longview: June 2-5

The ARTS Tour is an opportunity for smaller rural communities to come together to celebrate and grow local talent, and is driven by the belief that fostering arts, culture, and heritage will make all communities better places to live, work, and play. The ART Tour is not just another program – it’s a hands-on opportunity supported by long-term strategies that are meant to inspire community members to be active, creative, and engaged. The ARTS Tour is brought to you in cooperation with the Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta. For more information on this initiative, please contact Janet Naclia, ACE Communities Creative Cultural Liaison, at jnaclia@aceleaders.ca.

8. NEW FACES AT ARPA

You might see some fresh new faces the next time you visit the ARPA office.  We are pleased to introduce this year’s batch of ARPA summer intern students –  Victoria Molnar: who will be working with FITS; Dustin Borowsky: Graphic Design Assistant; Brian Hopkins: Recreation for Life Foundation (RFLF) Special Events; and Joline Veitch who is continuing on from her practicum with Children and Youth.  Welcome onboard everyone!

9. ARPA 2010 CONFERENCE & ENERGIZE WORKSHOP

The next ARPA Conference and Energize Workshop: Renaissance 2010 – Endless Possibilities will take place October 21-23 at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.  Planning for the educational and social portions of the 2010 ARPA Conference and Energize Workshop is well underway, and the Organizing Committee would like to offer you a sneak peek into some of the highlights…  Jim Carroll and Bruce Kirkby have been confirmed as keynote presenters.  There will also be sessions on: Community Building, Sponsorships and Partnerships, Risk Prevention and Management, Tips for Healthy Communications, Regional Land-Use Planning- Tools for Communities, and Experiential Learning Sessions including outdoor activities.  Visit http://www.2010.arpaonline.ca for additional program and accommodation reservation details.

Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation and the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation (ASRPWF) will be joining forces with ARPA to bring Alberta’s recreation and parks community Energize 2010.  The Energize Workshop will be held in conjunction with the ARPA Annual Conference.  The Energize Workshop provides a forum for everyone from local community volunteers to elected officials to exchange ideas and knowledge related to recreation development and its contribution to healthy communities.

The Recreation Volunteer Recognition Awards are presented at the Energize Workshop to four Albertans who have, through their involvement and dedication, advanced the development of recreation in Alberta. The Awards are sponsored by Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation and the ASRPWF. The selections are made by the volunteer Energize Advisory Committee from the nominations that are received by June 25.  Nomination forms are available on the ASRPWF web site: http://www.asrpwf.ca

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10. RECREATION IN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

There was a lot of activity with our Aboriginal communities initiatives this month.  Thank you to those who were able to join us this month for the Aboriginal Recreation Meeting hosted by ARPA and the ISCA. As you will see from the conference call meeting summary at the link below, information and resources relevant to those delivering aboriginal recreation and sports were shared. Please note the next conference call meeting will be held on TUESDAY, MAY 25 at 10:00 AM. Call in at 1.888.289.4573 using passcode 9374575#.

Janet Naclia and Brenda Herchmer also presented on ACE Communities as well as ACE’s cultural activities at the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta (ISCA) Conference on ‘Building Community Capacity through Recreation and Sports’ this month.  See their blogs on their experiences: http://artsandculturewithace.blogspot.com/2010/05/when-i-hear-drum.html and http://brenda.herchmer.net/index.php?/site/comments/building_on_our_assets/

11.  BLOGGER HIGHLIGHTS

No bananas for 80 Years! Now that’s a catchy title. Read this blog by Carolyn Mead to learn more http://rollinghillsalberta.blogspot.com/2010/04/no-bananas-for-80-years.html or how about Beth Sanders blog with the intriguing title of Corduroy, Bog, and Ice at http://populus.ca/plan/2010/05/19/corduroy-bog-and-ice/

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Brenda Herchmer wrote about advocacy in a blog called Advocacy Doesn’t Mean Ankle-Biting as well as a thought-provoking article on public policy. See
http://brenda.herchmer.net/index.php?/site/comments/advocacy_doesnt_mean_ankle_biting1/ and http://brenda.herchmer.net/index.php?/site/comments/just_do_whats_right/

You’ll also find an interesting blog by Barb Pedersen on the topic of facilitating with attention to time and detail.
http://barbpedersen.blogspot.com/2010/05/facilitate-with-attention-to-time-and.html

12.  COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENTS

ENTWISTLE in the news! The hopes of some young Entwistle residents for a new skateboard park in the hamlet grew recently as the possibility of a finished product some time in July became more of a reality. The Grove Examiner highlighted the village’s youth engagement activities as it was related to the proposed project.  To read this article in full see: http://www.sprucegroveexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2558772

A shout goes out to WOOD BUFFALO for the success with their ‘Get Up and Go Wood Buffalo’ Event!  The event had over 1000 people and a significant number of agencies collaborating in the hosting. This is a fantastic example of how larger communities can work to get their citizens all active, creative, and engaged.  Congratulations to one of our flight 1 communities for leading the way!

Kudos to LONGVIEW and their entrepreneurial spirit!  This month, a fantastic volunteer crew put together their “Blast from the Past” Dance with the aim of raising funds for their upcoming ACE ARTS Tour in June. The hall was packed and jumping to tunes from the 50,60,70’s and most people dressed the part. And, it was even reported that this initiative was the first public dance since 1988! After all expenses were paid out, Longview raised enough money to cover their ARTS Tour costs. Leftover funds will go towards the rental of the sound system for Little New York Daze and the August Music festival. Fine work, Longview!

13.  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 new ‘Aboriginal Communities’ blog, and our live Twitter feed.

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 jnacliaaceleaders.ca by the 20th of every month.

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