Transcript Building A Better Quality of Life Together Headwaters Communities in Action

Headwaters Communities in Action
Building A Better Quality of
Life Together
What is Social Prosperity?
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Social Prosperity is a community’s
ability to:
Maintain a high quality of life and a
good standard of living for its citizens.
Provide access to employment
opportunities, community services,
health care, adequate housing and
education.
Social Prosperity Makes
Good Sense
One of “the most important magnets in
attracting and keeping investment and
business” in today’s global economy is a
community’s ability to bring people together
to:
 define the common good,
 create joint plans; and,
 identify strategies that benefit a wide range of
people and organizations,
Harvard Business Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter
The Opportunity
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This project offers residents of the
Headwaters region the opportunity to:
create a strong, shared vision for the
future;
work collectively towards it; and
ensure that our communities remain
strong and vibrant
The Goal
The fundamental goal of Headwaters
Communities in Action is to
strengthen our region’s ability to
foster a culture of engagement,
inclusion and collaboration – its social
prosperity. This cultural shift is the
determining factor behind our
community’s quality-of-life
Our Vision
Vision for Social Prosperity
Our communities will speak with one voice as we establish
an integrated mechanism for social, economic and
environmental planning in a way that respects historic
continuity, maintains and protects the natural
environment, coordinates and promotes services and
establishes a sense of community for the residents in
the Headwaters area, so that we can enhance and
celebrate the prosperity, health and well-being of the
diverse citizens of our communities.
Our Values
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Inclusion and Accessibility - We recognize the intrinsic value
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Multi-sector Collaboration - We recognize that collaborating
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Sustainability - We are committed to building upon existing
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Innovation - We will model and nurture creativity and
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Effectiveness - We will monitor our progress, continuously
of all people and are committed to engaging all citizens in
building social prosperity
across various sectors in new ways is key to addressing
complex community issues
community strengths and designing sustainable initiatives
innovation throughout the Headwaters area
learn and apply and share our learnings to ensure we are
maximizing our resources
The History of The
Headwaters Communities in Action Project
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Headwaters Linkages Committee – A group of
health and social service providers from across
Dufferin County
2002: A Broader Perspective – Recognized the
need to mobilize a broader cross-section of
perspectives from across the community to plan
together for the future
2006: Re-Branding – In order to more clearly and
simply state what we are trying to do, and reflect our
commitment to be inclusive, our project has chosen a
new name: Headwaters Communities in Action
Our Formal Beginnings
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Project initiated background
research and an environmental scan
highlighting trends in Dufferin
County
Held 1st Community Forum with 54
community leaders in November
2004
What We Have Done Already?
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Made presentations to Dufferin County
Council and at the 8 Local Councils
Hosted public meetings throughout the
community reaching more than 150 people
across Dufferin County to test and
ultimately affirm our Vision
Secured “seed funding” for our Project
through a number of committed community
organizations within Dufferin County.
What We Have Done Already?
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Used feedback from community meetings
to identify strategic directions, goals and
values to shape the Community Plan for
achieving our vision
Established 3 Working Groups to create a
volunteer infrastructure to move our
project forward
Recently secured grants from both The
Ontario Trillium Foundation and
ServiceCanada which together provide a
solid base of funding for our work in the
coming year
What We Have Learned So Far:
Our Assets
Our region has many assets including:
 An impressive array of services for a region of
its size
 A small-town feel but close to urban centres
– the best of both worlds
 A high quality hospital and health services
 A history of successful collaborations within
many sectors
What We Have Learned So Far:
Our Challenges
Our region’s challenges include:
 Having one of the fastest population growth
rates in Ontario and many of the social
pressures associated with larger cities
 No overall regional plan
 Becoming a “bedroom community” as
residential growth outpaces industrial
growth and local job creation.
 Needing a health and social services
infrastructure to meet the demands of a
growing, aging and changing population
What We Have Learned So Far:
A New Approach is Needed
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Our region’s most complex issues and
challenges cannot be solved with “quickfix” solutions.
No one sector can be effective addressing
these issues in isolation. Fragmented
thinking and action will only produce
fragmented, partial solutions
To have the kind of strategic impact we
need on our region’s quality-of-life we
need to find new, innovative and
comprehensive ways of working together
Sustainable Communities
Economic Prosperity
Best
Quality
of Life
Community Health
Environmental
Viability
Strategic Focuses
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Community Health
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Environmental Well-being
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Economic Prosperity
Strategic Focus
Community Health:
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Strengthening our health and
social services to reflect our
communities’ changing needs
Strategic Focus
Environmental Well being:
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Protecting and responsibly growing
the use of our environmental assets
Strategic Focus
Economic Prosperity:
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Ensuring a vibrant economy that
offers sustainable wages and the
opportunity for everyone to reach
his or her potential
Imagine…
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A Community that comes together across sectors to
identify issues and generate solutions
A shared plan for the future of this region that
identifies:
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The industries we want to attract
The services we need; and,
The natural assets we want to protect
A Community Foundation that provides funding and
information to support needed local projects that
enhance economic prosperity, community health &
well-being and environmental viability
Imagine…
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A regional network of recreational trails that is used by
residents and draws tourists to the area
A youth summit that engages young people in identifying
issues, creating solutions and sharing their vision for the
future of the region
Adequate and affordable housing being available to each
and every individual and or family.
Citizens being aware of and engaged in discussions about
key issues related to economic, social and environmental
well being or the Headwaters area.
What Next?
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Incorporate new ideas from focused
conversations into draft community
plan
Host and continue conversations as
needed
Build partnership commitment to the
draft community plan
Launch and implement the plan in
Fall 2006