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About Learning Initiatives for Rural and Northern BC (LIRN BC)
LIRN BC is a collaborative approach to building on the capacities of rural, remote and northern British Columbian communities. The LIRN BC process encourages government (municipal, provincial and federal), First Nations, non-government organizations (community-based, regional and provincial) and businesses to work together to plan, deliver and evaluate a locally relevant learning initiative. LIRN BC is made possible through a partnership of federal and provincial governments, as well as non-government organizations that recognize the strengths and challenges of rural, remote and Northern BC communities. The LIRN BC partners also understand the importance of local opportunities to learn about and work on current issues, as well as assess, envision, plan and act for a better future.
As LIRN BC partners, the BC Rural Network, Canadian Rural Partnership, Service Canada, the Self Help Resource Association of BC, and the Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC) have combined their expertise and resources in an effort to maximize community capacity building opportunities for people living in rural, remote, and northern parts of the province. The objective of the LIRN BC process is to create a safe space in which community members learn and work together in a manner that is locally relevant. The content and format for a LIRN BC event will be determined through pre-event consultations and will take shape according to local input. In order to help you develop a focus for your event, the LIRN BC partners have developed a diverse list of learning topics from which you can select a limited number of options that are most appropriate for your development needs and interests.
The support offered by the LIRN BC partners includes curriculum resources and facilitation services related to each topic area, as well as financial support for event related costs such as rent, food, refreshments, and participant travel from adjacent communities. As such, the LIRN BC partners do not award direct grants. All successful applicants to LIRN BC are expected to engage in planning and delivering the event, as well as contribute logistical support such as recruiting participants and identifying appropriate local facilities.
Who Can Apply?
LIRN BC will partner with community-based organizations who:
Are located in a rural, remote and/or northern region of BC;
Can demonstrate support or partnership within the community (including coordination to avoid multiple applications from the same community);
Can demonstrate local need for the learning event;
Can articulate anticipated outcomes for a LIRN BC event in their community.
We sincerely appreciate your interest in the opportunities offered by LIRN BC. All applications will be reviewed and prioritized by the LIRN BC partners in accordance with an objective list of criteria, which will be organized according to the following themes: (1) Community Location, (2) Organizational Profile, (3) Community Support, and (4) Community Interests, Issues, Assets and Anticipated Outcomes. The LIRN BC partners will try to provide learning events to as many of the applicants as possible within our budgets. We will notify all communities of the results in the early part of August, 2007.
About the LIRN BC Partners
In the winter of 2006, non-government organizations, government, and academic institutions that have a mandate to engage in community capacity building (CCB) in rural, remote and northern BC gathered at SFU in Vancouver for a dialogue about our respective work and related issues. One of the central issues identified during this dialogue was the absence of a collaborative and coordinated framework for organizing CCB work in rural, remote and northern BC.
As an initial attempt to address this issue, representatives from the BC Rural Network, Canadian Rural Partnership, Service Canada (New Horizons for Seniors Program) and SPARC BC, created a new partnership entitled Learning Initiatives for Rural and Northern BC (LIRN BC). The LIRN BC partners agreed to develop and sustain a coordinated process that: (a) invites community leaders to define local issues and learning needs; (b) engages community leaders in the process of developing learning events to address the given need; and (c) delivers a one or two day learning event in which community leaders learn and work in a manner that is locally relevant.
Now in our second year of activities we anticipate another successful round of working with community-based organizations from across the province. We are also honoured to have the Self-Help Resource Association of BC join us as an official partner in our second year of operations. On the following pages you can read a short description of each of the LIRN BC partners.
BC Rural Network and the Regional Rural Forums
Founded in 2004, the BC Rural Network is a coalition of organizations, communities, and individuals who share a commitment to enhance the capacity of British Columbia to develop responses to rural and remote community issues. The BCRN is a non-profit organization whose members and Board of Directors come from all regions of British Columbia. Our objectives are to:
Act as a coordinating body for the dissemination of information, tools, and resources of importance to rural and remote communities in British Columbia;
Act as a catalyst to build linkages between communities, rural organizations, and policy-makers who work on issues of importance to rural and remote communities in British Columbia;
Improve awareness of the current work of existing rural groups and organizations in BC by providing a forum for rural and remote communities and organizations to voice concerns and issues, and learn from each other.
For more information about the BC Rural Network and the Regional Rural Forums, please visit our website at www.bcruralnetwork.ca or contact us at info@bcruralnetwork.ca
Canadian Rural Partnership
Canadian Rural Partnership (CRP) is a federal initiative which supports rural communities by helping to identify the issues they are facing, by taking collaborative action to address these issues, and connecting community to community and community to government to share information on available resources and best practice in rural development. We identify issues by bringing rural community residents together for dialogue or at conferences. The information from these gatherings is shared with a federal/provincial Rural Team which can undertake collaborative action to address these issues and can provide the input toward influencing government policies and programs with a Rural Lens. We also share information from one community to another and from government to communities through listservs, newsletters, best practice guides, and program lists. For more information about the Canadian Rural Partnership, please visit our website at: http://www.rural.gc.ca/team/bc/bchome_e.phtml
Service Canada and the New Horizons for Seniors Program
Service Canada is becoming the program delivery arm of the federal government. Over a dozen federal departments are working with Service Canada so it can become a single window of service and program delivery for the federal government. Service Canada is home to the Employment Insurance system, labour market programming to help unemployed people return to work, income support like Old Age Security and Canada Pension. Service Canada also coordinates the New Horizons for Seniors program, which is a program that provides funding for community-based projects that aim to encourage seniors to contribute to and become more engaged in their local communities. Service Canada is interested in strengthening linkages with communities for more effective delivery of federal programs and services. For more information about Service Canada and the New Horizons for Seniors program, please visit our website at: http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/isp/horizons/toc.shtml
Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC) and the
Community Development Education Program
SPARC BC, a registered non-profit society and a federally registered charity, was established in 1966 and is a leader in research, public education and advocacy regarding issues of community development, accessibility, and income security. SPARC BC is a provincial organization with over 15,000 members and is governed by a Board of Directors from across BC. Our mission is to work with communities in building a just and healthy society for all.
The Community Development Education Program is one of our methods for realizing our mission. The Community Development Education Program aims to empower individuals and organizations by providing them with learning opportunities to identify local assets and issues, build local knowledge and develop skills and action-plans that contribute to effecting local consensus-oriented change. The curriculum resources and facilitation services of the Community Development Education Program are available to communities through the LIRN BC process. For more information about SPARC BC and the Community Development Education Program, please visit our website at www.sparc.bc.ca.
The Self-Help Resource Association of BC
The Self-Help Resource Association of BC (SHRA) promotes peer support approaches to community development, building the capacity of individuals and communities to become healthy, responsive and self-determining. SHRA programs and services focus on the processes of self-help and peer support, so that people can apply the information to their individual, organizational or community needs.
SHRA offers:
Capacity-building workshops on group development and facilitation.
Consultations, collaborations and partnerships related to peer support and community development initiatives.
The Kinex Youth Initiative, a youth driven team supporting social and systemic change through peer support approaches.
Information and referral services in the Lower Mainland.
PeerNetBC.com, an online space for peer support communities.
Find out more about SHRA at www.selfhelpresource.bc.ca or contact us at cheryl.shra@telus.net.
If you have any questions, please contact any of the LIRN BC Partners:
Brandon Hughes
Canadian Rural Partnership/Service Canada
TEL: 250.354.3178
FAX: 250.229.4459
hughes.bn@shaw.ca
Louise Renaud
Community Initiatives & Policy
BC/YT Region
Service Canada
TEL: 604.988-1880 L. 3228
FAX: 604.666.9943
louise.renaud@servicecanada.gc.ca
Scott Graham
Social Planning and Research Council of BC
Community Development Education Program
TEL: 604.718.8501
FAX: 604.736.8697
cde@sparc.bc.ca
www.sparc.bc.ca
Maureen LeBourdais
BC Rural Network
TEL: 250.620.3505
FAX: 250.620.3771
info@bcruralnetwork.ca
www.bcruralnetwork.ca
Cheryl Hewitt
Self Help Resource Association
TEL: 604.733.6186
FAX: 604-730-1015
cheryl.shra@telus.net
Expressions of Interest Process
EOI must be received by July 20, 2007.
Please do not exceed the provided space of the EOI.
Please return your EOI by fax, email or mail to:
LIRN BC
C/o BC Rural Network
104-197 Second Avenue North
Williams Lake, BC V2G 1Z5
TEL: 250.620.3505
FAX: 250.620.3771
info@bcruralnetwork.ca
www.bcruralnetwork.ca |
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