Jan
27
By Penny Coates
The Project has had a long history as an incubator of innovation and community development. Some may remember that over the years, JBCP helped to birth the Neighbourhood Environment Committee, the Beacon, the James Bay Community Market, the community garden, and Birdcage Housing. This past year, we have supported the growth and development of the Victoria Community Health Co-operative and successfully transferred our primary health clinic to them. Meantime JBCP has been exploring a number of new ways to respond to changing community needs and demographics.
We are therefore proud to declare ourselves a new member of the Safe Harbour Program. Safe Harbour is a "block-watch" style program that promotes an inclusive BC and celebrates strong, vibrant, and diverse communities. To promote and welcome diversity, JBCP commits to provide a safe place for community members who may be victims of discrimination and harassment. We also commit to three key principles: equitable treatment, providing a "safe harbor," and prepared employees. As a Safe Harbour location we now display a colourful Safe Harbour window decal at our entrance to publicly demonstrate our respect for all ethnicities, religions, ages, abilities, genders and sexualities.
Over this past year, in collaboration with the Inter Cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA) and their Demonstration Project to Support Senior Immigrants and Refugees, JBCP has hosted a series of seniors activities focused on intercultural exchange, honouring diversity, and supportive steps to integration. The ICA Seniors Immigrant and Refugee group has visited our agency four times over the past year to participate with JBCP seniors in activities ranging from sharing a meaningful personal object, preparing a communal meal, undertaking a "get to know your neighbourhood" scavenger hunt, to a collaborative mural project.
This fall, JBCP participated in a 3-month pen pal program hosted by ICA. Weekly letters were exchanged between an adult ESL class from ICA and 14 local community members recruited by JBCP. The intercultural relationship building process culminated in a wonderful "meet and greet" potluck lunch. While ICA has been running this program internally for 6 years, this is the first time working with an outside agency on this program. The success of this experience has inspired us to look at how we can use letter writing in the work we do with other members of our community who may feel isolated because of health and mobility reasons.
Over the past three years, with a grant from the United Way, we have been piloting a program called S'Aging, whereby small peer-lead seniors groups gather once a week in a subsidized apartment building or community setting. The groups share lunch and have a health and wellness presentation or activity. As we are approaching the end of our funding for this program, we are pleased to report that with our support, the group meeting at the Burnside Gorge Community Centre (called the Lunch n' Learn program) will continue under the direction of that agency.
From what we have learned in piloting the S'Aging program, we have modified the model and received funding from the federal New Horizons for Seniors Program: Community Participation and Leadership Funding. Still utilizing peer leaders and holding the group in subsidized seniors housing, weekly group activities will be held and then participants will be encouraged to build community connections by sharing versions of each weekly activity with neighbours, friends, and even strangers.
Recognizing that the needs and interests of seniors are changing as the "boomer/zoomer" generation moves into retirement, JBCP has established an advisory group to explore new strategies for continuing our commitment to health promotion and wellness. Recent research on brain plasticity suggests that it is very possible to keep the brain and body healthy and active throughout the senior years, but it requires a strong commitment to a healthy lifestyle, learning new skills, and remaining engaged in broader community life. Stay tuned for more information about innovative JBCP programming that supports brain fitness and complements our holistic approach to health, wellness, and community participation.
The brain plasticity research also confirms that the work of our family resource centre, with its early childhood development, is absolutely essential. Supporting healthy, nurturing family environments where young children can learn, grow, and succeed with well informed, caring parental guidance, has positive ramifications for the whole community. With its multicultural, inclusive focus, the family centre program strives to provide children, parents and caregivers with the confidence and competence to thrive in our diverse world. In collaboration with other community partners, we look forward to piloting some innovative projects.
Our drop-in Youth Clinic is always on the cutting edge of meeting the health care, mental health and outreach needs of youth aged 12 - 24. In addition to our usual medical services, this year we are running a couple of youth-focused community kitchens and will be providing some financial literacy programming for young adults who need support with budgeting and financial planning.
Lastly, we have a number of new health promotion programs underway for 2011, including Chronic Disease Management, Baby Massage, and Women's Health. Also registrations are open for our Parent Child Mother Goose program, Baby Group, and an upcoming session of the Triple P Parenting program.