An art appreciation project to fuel participatory art-making and sense-making
Volunteers organize a free event that builds connections across the neighbourhood
Volunteers design, plant, and tend to cherished green spaces in the community
JazzYYC’s purpose in this project is to strengthen the governance and risk management policy framework through the development of three key policy initiatives. This will support the strategic planning goal of shifting from a working board to a governance board. The strategic plan identifies a number of policies and governance tools needed to support the shift, and help ensure the organization is resilient and managing risks well. By building out policies to safeguard youth, manage records and articulate roles and responsibilities for board and staff, JazzYYC will be better positioned to grow the professional staff complement and expand programs within a well-run organization.
Fort Calgary is overhauling all permanent exhibits. The new exhibits will focus on stories of Treaty 7 Nations & southern Alberta Métis communities, & explore the effects of colonial settlement & the development of the city of Calgary. To kick off this multi-year project, an introductory exhibit will be created to situate visitors on this land. The Historian in Residence will provide academic research skills that do not exist amongst current staff. This role will research the general history of the site through a modern lens & offer expertise on how to share that history with museum visitors. This research will provide valuable, accurate & credible stories that will continue to be referenced by staff as they create future content.
The Children’s Cottage is building a new Child & Family Centre based in the Montgomery/Bowness area, scheduled to open in early 2024. The Centre will provide a wide range of support services for children and families, and improve access to these services for families in the northwest quadrant where there are no other family service hubs of this type. The Centre’s programs will address significant gaps in child and family support, including:
– a 40% larger Crisis Nursery to better accommodate the 2000+ requests for emergency respite currently turned away every year.
Foothills Country Hospice, a regional leader in end-of-life care in the Foothills of Southern Alberta, is launching the Compassion in Action campaign to meet increased demand for palliative care and bereavement support. Their goal is to double bed capacity from eight to 16, serving over 200 residents annually. Additionally, they are creating a Compassionate Community Hub that will offer volunteer facilities, training, counselling, and educational space, extending their services beyond their current capacity. Their expanded community outreach programs will mobilize locals around palliative care, ensuring comprehensive support for patients, families, and caregivers in physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and practical aspects. With only 57% funding from AHS, the hospice seeks community support for financial sustainability to address the growing challenges in end-of-life care. This campaign aims to create a more inclusive, compassionate, and supportive community.
The Trellis Transformation Project for Young People in Care will take a critical look at the current status of its group care programs, the larger child intervention system, and be thoughtful about how to proceed in supporting youth and their families who have child intervention system involvement. This project comes at a time when outcomes for youth in group care are extremely poor, ranging from family and community isolation and disconnection to drug poisoning deaths. This also includes a significantly higher number of Indigenous youths being removed from families and placed into the child welfare system than ever before. Through a pilot year of investments in new staffing models, a new family case management model, and a concentrated shift from a ‘youth-focused’ to ‘family-focused’ model of care, Trellis Society intends to implement a transformational systems change to group care and positively impact true generational change.
The Urban Society of Aboriginal Youth (USAY) is undertaking a transformative initiative to construct an Indigenous Youth Centre in Forest Lawn, Calgary. This innovative project, which started November 2022 with the purchase of land and will be completed in December 2024, will provide a safe and inclusive space for urban Indigenous youth, fostering cultural connections, educational opportunities, and holistic well-being. With a comprehensive range of programs, the Youth Centre aims to empower approximately 45,850 community members, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous to annually on a journey to reconciliation, ensuring equitable access to resources, mentorship, and culturally relevant activities. USAY’s visionary approach seeks to create a lasting impact on the lives of Indigenous youth, promoting a sense of belonging, resilience, and pride within the community.
The Home is (Her)e project aims to unearth the true scale and state of women and gender-diverse peoples’ homelessness and housing need in Calgary, including hidden forms of homelessness and the unique pathways and cycles of homelessness that women and gender-diverse people experience, with the goal of developing policy and systems-level solutions that will more adequately meet these needs. The project will also seek to understand and address current systemic pressures, bottlenecks and challenges that keep women and gender-diverse out of stable housing. The ultimate impact of Home is (Her)e is improved safety, housing stability and reduced homelessness among women, gender-diverse people, and their children.