Permaculture, Fundraising, and YouTube – BC Communities Activity Ebrief

BC Communities Activity Ebrief #42 July 10 2009 – Published by BC Healthy Communities -  to sign up to begin receiving the e-brief and newsletter, email your contact info to bchc@bchealthycommunities.ca

Ebrief #42 July 10, 2009 – Vancouver & Coastal Region

In This Issue

• Events
• Tools & Resources
• Funding Opportunities
• What’s New
• Call for Proposals

Farmhouse Farm Summer Permaculture Workshops and Courses

Permaculture Water Conservation Strategies
Date: July 18, 2009
Time: 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Pay-What-You-Feel, suggested donation $75 – $120.
This one-day workshop will focus on Permaculture concepts for water conservation in the home and garden. Participants will learn foundation concepts and strategies for reducing water consumption, and will have the chance to work on one or all three of a series of water conservation, filtration, and recycling systems that we’ll be building.

Introduction to Permaculture
Date: July 25-26 & August 22-23, 2009
Pat-What-You-Feel, suggested donation $135 – $285.

A two-day (12 hour) course that will present the ethics, principles, and strategies of Permaculture as a design methodology for creating self-sustaining human systems.  Topics will include Permaculture ethics and principles, the importance of design, climate and landscape factors, site analysis, closed-loop system design, input/output analysis, functional analysis, forest gardening, and Permaculture in social and economic systems.
As always, workshops are offered on a pay-what-you-feel basis and trades/barters are always welcome.  Mutually supportive relationships create abundance for all. http://www.farmhousefarm.wordpress.com

On-line courses in fundraising through BCIT
Essentials of Fundraising http://www.bcit.ca/study/courses/fund1215
Grant and Proposal Writing http://www.bcit.ca/study/courses/fund2316

The Northern Development Initiative Trust will be broadening its Grant Writing Support program. It includes all municipalities, Regional Districts, and First Nations Bands in the Northern Development region.  “The Grant Writing Support program ensures that communities and First Nations will be able to hire a grant writer to access programs and dollars from any funding source to provide needed investments in community infrastructure and services. The Grant Writing Support application letter and application guide can be found at http://northerndevelopment.bc.ca/community-funding/grant-writing-support

The Creating Healthy Communities guide http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SmartGrowthBC/f24bff3847/d479d2c802/ca8b7e9377/SmartGrowthBC/6f26441298/TEST/484b28ba0e recommends 116 land use policies and programs that local governments can adopt to promote healthy living in our communities. It includes case studies and links to specific language and policy documents that can be used as templates.

Recycling Council of BC Reveals Trash Tactics
VANCOUVER – Local governments in BC are spending a lot of time and energy these days figuring out how to better manage our garbage. This is particularly true in Metro Vancouver, as the closure of the Cache Creek Landfill looms on the horizon.
To help fill the information gap, and spread knowledge to all areas of the province, the Recycling Council of B.C. today released its latest in a series of informational reports, entitled On The Road to Zero Waste: Priorities For Local Government. The report provides guidance to municipal and regional governments across the province on the actions, tools and opportunities available to them to increase the 3Rs and move closer to achieving zero waste. The 16 page report is available in PDF format at RCBC’s web site at: http://www.rcbc.bc.ca/education/rcbc-publications

Community Transition Toolkit
The Community Development Initiative has combined available community transition best practices with its own Economic
Emergency Transition Toolkit (created in partnership with the District of Mackenzie). In partnership with Omineca Beetle Action Coalition (OBAC), we now have a suite of tools for assisting community transition and preparedness planning. Community Transition Toolkit reports are available at:http://www.unbc.ca/cdi/toolkit.html

Funding Opportunities

Community Futures New Funding Database
This link leads to a listing of over 200 community programs that is searchable by category, sector, and organization. The site, recently updated, is the result of a partnership between the BC Rural Team, BC Rural Network, BC Healthy Communities, Canadian Cancer Society’s Community Capacity Building Strategy, Fraser Basin Council/Smart Planning for Communities, and Community Futures of Greater Trail. These pages provide information on sources of funding and support for community development in BC. The primary focus is support for social, economic, and environmental community development initiatives in rural areas, however the programs are not necessarily exclusive to rural. Contact information for each program is provided to facilitate direct access to current and updated program information.
http://www.communityfutures.com/cms/Funding_Sources.2.0.html

Distance Mediation Project
For a limited time, the Distance Mediation Project is offering free family mediation services* to eligible families living in non-urban areas of British Columbia. In the Project, experienced family mediators conduct family mediations using information and communication technologies, rather than meeting in person.  To be eligible for the Project’s free mediation services, at least one of the participating family members must live in a non-urban community of British Columbia with a population less than 10,000. The issues to be resolved must relate to separation or divorce in British Columbia, and everyone participating must agree to use technology for the mediation. Information: http://www.mediator-roster.bc.ca/public/news/20090525.aspx

Northern Development’s Expanded "Community Funding Resources" Section Now Online.
The Northern Development Initiative Trust website now includes a Community Funding Resources section. Visit Northern Development’s Community Resources section at: http://www.northerndevelopment.bc.ca/community-funding/resources-2

Everybody Active Seed Grants
These $2,000 seed grants are administered through the BCRPA and are available now to support community mobilization around access to physical activity for adults, age 35-54. http://www.physicalactivitystrategy.ca/index.php/everybody-active/gran
ts/
Grant closes August 16, 2009. NEW – Have you already received an Everybody Active grant? Check out the application guide to see if you qualify for additional funding.

For more information, contact Coordinator Donna Lee at 604.629.0965 x 257 or email dlee@bcrpa.bc.ca

Climate Smart Scholarship
The BC Government is sponsoring 20 – $1,500 scholarships to help small & medium businesses/organizations profitably reduce their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and increase energy efficiency to prepare for the emerging “green” economy. “Climate Smart” workshops, conducted by Ecotrust Canada, will be held around the province in 2009. They begin this summer in Kamloops and Kelowna, with workshops in other locations to follow in the fall.http://www.livesmartbc.ca/green_business/contest.html

BCHLA launches Digital Stories on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=BCHealthyLiving&view=videos

BCHLA Physical Activity Strategy Newsletter
Check out the Spring Newsletter http://www.physicalactivitystrategy.ca/pdfs/PAS_Newsletter_Spring_09.pdf for resources to help get your community moving, learn some promising practices on access and inclusion, and how to assess your community’s built environment. Also be sure to read how Walk BC communities are stepping it up a notch! 

Seat at the Table Survey
The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) and Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) are conducting a survey on the uptake of the document Seat at the Table with local governments. The survey also asks respondents what other tools/documents or other steps might support their work in this area.The information gathered in the survey will help UBCM and PHSA plan next steps.  
If you have received this document, please fill out the survey below by July 15th.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=iqielWtDCh8kXDR1Gh_2fO6g_3d_3d

Enterprising non-profits has completed our fall workshop schedule, we will visit 17 communities across the province! This fall we will have both an Introduction to Social Enterprise workshop for those interested in starting or new to social enterprise, and a Strengthening Social Enterprise workshop for those operating more than three years. Attendance at the workshop qualifies the organization to apply for enp technical assistance grants. For more information go to our website at http://www.enterprisingnonprofits.ca/projects/grant_program/orientation_sessions.

Nominate your Favourite Young Farmer(s)
to be featured in an upcoming documentary film: http://www.thegreenhorns.net/nominate.html

Emerging Leaders in the Social Economy Research Scholarship Program

The Canadian Social Economy Hub (CSEHub) is inviting proposals for research scholarships from practitioners and students under 30-years old who are working in the Social Economy.  his scholarship program is intended to promote original research by “emerging leaders” in the Social Economy that will advance knowledge for the sector, and enhance the capacity of successful candidates to further strengthen the Social Economy in academic and practitioner sectors in Canada.
The Program will provide scholarships of up to $3,000 per recipient towards salary replacement, national/international travel, or other actual costs of conducting research and producing a research report for publication by CSEHub.  A review panel will assess proposals and make recommendations to the CSEHub Co-Directors who will select the scholarship recipients.  The panel will be made up of representatives of the CSEHub board (including at least one academic), the Social Economy Student Network, and the Emerging Leaders Committee of the Canadian CED Network. These organizations will also act as a peer review panel for the scholarship recipients’ research papers.   
Deadline for proposals is September 15, 2009. For more information, or to submit a proposal, please email secoord@uvic.ca, or visit the website:MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "www.socialeconomyhub.ca." claiming to be http://www.socialeconomyhub.ca. Proposals can also be faxed to (250) 853-3930 or mailed to CSEHub, TEF Building, University of Victoria, Room 214, 2300 McKenzie Ave., Victoria, BC, V8W 3R4

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