eof

We Should get back to our
- original idea of community; |
“that we welcome strangers, and
..  @very stranger has a gift,
something of himself,
- that will enrich the community.

Terrace Review — April 10, 1992

FEFFOCEMEULE LW rip re ey ewe i

. provincial organizations interested i in sponsoring and supporting people involved i in healthy .
community concepts. Organizations such as the Registered Nurses Association of B.C., |
Social Planning and Research Council of B.C. and the B.C, Association of. Community

.-, Living make up the B.C. Healthy. Communities Network. .
Regional Healthy Communities Networks have been developed to stimulate activity
on a localized level. Terrace’s Regional Healthy Communities Network is called Northweat

'. Connections and its boundaries are loosely those of the Skeena Health Unit. Northwest
Connections was established in June 1991 and Karen Chrysler is paid by B.C. Healthy

Communities ‘Network, under the guidance of a regional steering committee, to facilitate
Northwest Connections in Terrace. |

Chrysler works a few hours a week on
the project and communicates ‘on! a
regular basis with B. C. Healthy. Com-
munities Network. ' ;
The Healthy Communities concept

based in community participation and
‘involves citizens being involved in the

different problems and Chrysler says
the decision-making and the planning
and priorizing of those problems and
decisions through to the implementing
and evaluation of the solutions should
be shared by all citizens... |

. At this time Terrace does not have
a central organizing hub, a place where

have an idea. The Terrace healthy
communities group is working towards
becoming that hub with a community
planning structure, to represent all the
citizens of Terrace. The. contact person
' for this group. is Debra Zorn at the
Skeena Health Unit.
Chrysler sees the way to achieve a
healthy and strong. community’ is to
find people who aren't normally
‘involved and bringing them into the
-- community. The question, she says, is
how to get them involved. Some ways
would include representation on this
community planning structure; or in-
volving citizens in the healthy com-
munities process by holding neighbour-
hood meetings in all parts of the com-
munity, trying to include people. who

. normally would not come out.

Both Vandal Watch and the Volunteer Bureau are
good examples of the healthy community concept at
work in Terrace. Both involve the community mobiliz-
ing around a need and doing something about it.
Chrysler says if you get people involved in caring and
belonging, they get a sense of community, and that
makes a healthy community. It is important, says
Chrysler, that the process continues, and doesn’t die

‘around a single i issue.

McKnight's approach to strong communities also
involves citizens, but on a one-to-one communication

adopted by Northwest Connections. is

community, Every community has:

people can go when they see a need, or |