Lake Trail Neighbourhood Connections invites you to Lake Trail Neighbourhood Day! Come Celebrate the 'Hood on Saturday April 17, 2010 from 10:30-3:30 at Lake Trail School. Have some homemade apple pie and meet some neighbours...A FREE event!
Lake Trail Neighbourhood Connections is a community-building project initiated by the Lake Trail Parent Advisory Committee and supported by Lake Trail School, the City of Courtenay, the Union of BC municipalities,
LUSH Valley and other local groups. The goal is empowering local residents toward developing a vision, strengthening their neighbourhood and engaging in activities with the Lake Trail School at the heart of their neighbourhood. This event is to celebrate the neighbourhood while creating connections between organizations, residents, and the School.
After the Welcoming Ceremony by Wachiay Friendship Centre and others at 10:30am, there will be opportunities for neighbourhood visioning, a survey for residents, information booths hosted by local organizations, facilitated discussions on Public Safety and the future Community Demonstration Garden at Lake Trail School, World Cafe style group visioning, the beginning of a community map, some grassroots movies will be screened, and of course a chance to meet interesting locals! There will also be an outdoor activity, and refreshments along with the pie.
"Residents will have an opportunity to learn about and provide feedback to local initiatives that are being planned. There will be children and youth activities so you can bring the whole family,” says Project Coordinator Samantha Garstang.
There will be two facilitated community discussions: Lake Trail School Community Demonstration Garden: 12 -1pm, and Public Safety with the Community Justice Centre, RCMP, City of Courtenay and School District representative: 1- 2:30 pm.
“The event is set up so that people can drop in and participate for as long as they want. Some activities are ongoing like visioning, connecting with resources and groups in the neighbourhood, and providing input into community issues that are important to you. Other activities are scheduled at certain times like the community discussions on safety and the community demonstration garden. You can drop in for 20 minutes or spend the whole day, bring the family or attend alone,” says project facilitator David Stapley.
The Project is also designed to engage community members, the school district and agencies in strengthening links between the school and the surrounding neighbourhood to promote the “Community School” model.
“Members of the Lake Trail Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) believe that the "Community School" model, which is used effectively around the province, could benefit both students at Lake Trail School and the neighbourhood as a whole. The school is the heart of the community, and many opportunities exist to share this amazing neighbourhood resource,” says PAC member Sheila McDonnell.
The Lake Trail Neighbourhood Connections project was initiated by a proposal from the Lake Trail PAC to apply for funding from the BC School Community Connection Program managed by the Union of BC Municipalities and the BC School Trustees Association. The Lake Trail proposal project received an $8,000 grant to build connections between the school, neighbourhood and municipal agencies.
The City of Courtenay is supporting the project to help build a "vision" for Lake Trail, with the goal of establishing a neighbourhood residents group who can represent the neighbourhood interests with the City, School District and other agencies. The project fits with current BC government directions to increase shared use of public facilities under their Neighbourhoods of Learning Program and the goals of the recently adopted Comox Valley Sustainability Strategy.
For more information contact: Samantha Garstang, Project Coordinator – Lake Trail Neighbourhood Connections, Lake Trail School, 250-334-3168 to leave a message or by email:
laketrailvision@gmail.comBecome a Fan of “Lake Trail Neighbourhood Connections” on Facebook to receive updates and info about the project.
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