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WORKING TOGETHER TO BUILD A 7-GENERATION COMMUNITY
YOU 177 is a big-picture, social innovation initiative. Whitchurch-Stouffville is the Lead Innovator Community, the world's first Whitchurch-Stouffville (WS) has been one of the fastest growing communities in the country. United Way Toronto & York Region identified WS as a priority community in York Region in need of social infrastructure – the powerful yet often invisible dynamics that make lives truly meaningful and ensure communities thrive to the benefit of all now and into the future. You can help grow the heart of your community.
Susan Bosak is the lead social researcher with the Legacy Project, a research and education group based in WS. The We've started by asking all citizens in WS – from children to adults to elders – to share your dreams. What do you want your life in our community to be like? The There are several ways you can start to get involved in Did you hear about the Community Caring Celebration at the Stouffville Legion? Jim Mason from the Stouffville Sun-Tribune captured the spirit in the room that day by saying, "Community is a powerful thing. You can't buy it. You certainly can't fake it. But you can experience it." As we move into issue exploration, we're holding community events, activities, convenings and workshops to spark community dialogue and share We held an Economic Innovation Forum at York University in collaboration with the WS Public Library, the Stouffville Chamber of Commerce, YMCA of Greater Toronto, ventureLAB, United Way Toronto & York Region, and York Region. The forum was opened by The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell. She began her remarks by saying, "I congratulate Whitchurch-Stouffville. You are discussing big issues that need to be discussed…" The morning of the forum featured four high-profile speakers. In the afternoon, participants broke into working groups around five themes: Entrepreneurs/Business; Green(belt) and Sustainability; Food and Agriculture; Places and Spaces; and Wellbeing, Creative and Learning. These working groups will formulate action steps emerging from the visioning done at the forum. WS YOU 177 is also completing an Age-Friendly Community Planning Analysis. The Age-Friendly guidelines were developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) across eight broad areas: public buildings and outdoor spaces; transportation; housing; social participation; respect and social inclusion; civic participation and employment; communication and information; community support and health services. The analysis is also taking into consideration UNICEF's Child-Friendly community guidelines. In June, 2016, we'll release a report with findings and action recommendations that we'll share with the community, WS Town Council, York Region, and the Province of Ontario. Ultimately, we'll help reframe and expand what matters to you and mobilize local assets. WS can become a social innovation hub. Flowing from the Age-Friendly Community Planning Analysis, the work from the Economic Innovation Forum, and all the ideas captured in the Dream Stars, we'll continue to help grow local collaborative-action legacy projects around needs and opportunities for children, youth, adults, and elders. Impact areas range from health, education, and social supports to housing, civic engagement, and local food to business, technology, and sustainability. There's an untapped power in legacy we can all use to multiply impact. Legacy projects are strategic, big-picture actions. They are the building blocks of |
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