The following provides brief descriptions of all our Community Action Projects.

Click here for a complete list of Leadership Victoria's Community Action Partners.

2009- 2010 COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS

Community Partners: Power to be Adventure Therapy Society and Woodwynn Farms

The Green Acres team envisioned a project that would grow community relationships, leadership and food. The project encompassed three primary goals:
1. Develop leadership skills through the creation and implementation of the project
2. Foster a community partnership between the project partners
3. Support Woodwynn Farms in a pilot project developing communal garden space with the participants of Power to Be.

Highlights:
- The team developed and implemented creative garden-focused activities intended to broaden and enhance the therapeutic experiences for three “Power to Be” youth groups.
- These activities strengthened the community partnerships between Power to Be and Mary’s Therapeutic Farm, Essencia Gardens and Woodwynn Farms. Green Acres’ legacy included a comprehensive photographic documentary of the activities, the provision of tools, seedlings, seeds and art supplies and the removal of invasive plant species.

Project Donors and Sponsors: Camosun College, Victoria Foundation

Team M$icro Solutions

Community Partner: Victoria Community Micro Lending Society (CML)

Team M$icro Solutions partnered with Victoria Community Micro Lending Society (CML) to design a mentorship program for its borrowers in order to provide support in the start up of their small businesses for a minimum of one year. The long-term vision of this mentorship program is that borrowers will in turn become mentors for future borrowers, and that the successes of these mentoring relationships, in conjunction with an easy to follow recruitment and training process, will ensure sustainability.
Approximately 12 volunteer business-experienced mentors were recruited and trained to work with the initial five business start-up borrowers from the Micro Lending Society. The project formed the base for future mentor recruitment and established a network of support for Micro Lending borrowers.

Highlights:
Created a foundation of qualified mentors from a wide range of backgrounds
Raised awareness of CML’s profile in Victoria
Provided a support network for CML borrowers
Designed a mentor tracking system and developed training resources and manuals

Team Trail Mix

Community Partner: CRD Regional Parks

The project involved creating a volunteer Ambassador Program that would recruit volunteers who will provide information and assistance to users of Greater Victoria's walking/biking trail network.
A sustainable program was designed and implemented that engages existing trail users to be "ambassadors" or information/assistance providers to other trail users. New and generally younger volunteers were selected who have the knowledge, skills and familiarity to assist anyone encountered on a trail in their neighbourhood.
Highlights:
The successful execution of a family-oriented event that was focussed on three key locations on the Galloping Goose Trail
Both Team Trail Mix and CRD Regional Parks came away from the experience with a better understanding of the Community Action Project process
The Volunteer Program made (and will continue to make) a positive impact on the trail experience in Greater Victoria.

Project Donors and Sponsors: ActNow BC, BCAA, Burnside Gorge Community Association, City of Victoria’s Cecelia Ravine Advisory Committee, Demitasse Café & Salt Spring Coffee, Fairway Foods, Give and Go Cookies, MEC, Out of the Blue Design, Recreation Sites and Trails BC, Selkirk Place Lodge, Selkirk Station Bike and Kayak Trek Bike Store, Silk Road Tea, Victoria Foundation, Woofles Boutique

Team W - The Art of Re-Gifting

Community Partnesr: Ballet Victoria, Belfry Theatre, Intrepid Theatre, The Other Guys Theatre, ProArt Alliance

The Art of Re-Gifting community action project was a cultural event designed around visual arts, performing arts, festivals and the art of giving. Team W created this project with the goal of raising awareness and increasing support of the arts in Victoria through a unique event.
Four visual artists each gave a piece of art to four Victoria arts organizations, who then – in some creative manner – re-gifted the pieces to each other at a public event organized by the project team and co-hosted by the four artists and the four organizations.
Highlights:
Provided a platform to increase awareness of the richness of diversity in the community
Proceeds raised from the auction were donated to the five project partners
New relationships were created between the five organizations, members of the team and local First Nations artists. This group will continue to collaborate and to work on future projects such as the 2011 Art of Re-Gifting.

Project Donors and Sponsors: Ann-Marie Rice, Alcheringa Gallery, BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, Carey Newman, George Littlechild, MacGillivray & Associates, Metropol, Sea Cider, Sharps Audio Visual, Times Colonist, Victoria Conference Centre, Victoria Foundation

2008 - 2009 COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS

Team “Bonsai” – The CASA Project

Community Partner: CAFCA

The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) project was designed to help children and youth who are placed in the foster care system and thrust into the court system (many of who are or will become At-risk Youth). This team’s initial goal was to develop the structure and foundation for a child advocacy program in which a volunteer is appointed by a judge to stay with a child for the duration of their time with protective services. As their advocate they are authorized to relay the child’s wishes to the judge and court. The project’s primary objective became to hold a forum involving stakeholders that would lead to the formation of a steering committee to pursue the implementation of the CASA program in Victoria. A summary of the forum’s proceedings is available through the project’s website at www.victoriacasa.org.

Project Donors and Sponsors: Victoria Foundation, BC Adoption Permanency Fund, Vancity, Province of BC, Saanich Police Department, University of Victoria, Ambrosia Conference Centre, Rogers Chocolate, Bernard Callebaut, Michael Piraino, Trudi Brown, and Wendy Harris

Team “LaserBeam” – The Rainbow Kitchen

Community Partner: St. Saviour’s Anglican Church

The Rainbow Kitchen is open five days a week in the Vic West community, serving hot and nutritious lunches to those in need of a helping hand. Meals are made using donations and produce grown in the garden, located behind the kitchen. Between 100 and 140 people rely on the kitchen for support every day. Team LaserBeam quadrupled the garden's growing capacity, installed a micro-irrigation system, and composting system. These improvements enabled the kitchen to further increase the amount of locally grown produce incorporated into each meal while utilizing a sustainable and community-based methodology.

In addition to enhancing the existing garden, Team LaserBeam also promoted a 'Grow A Row' campaign in the neighbourhood. This initiative encouraged residents to grow an extra row in their garden with produce to be donated to the kitchen. The team worked on building a web site for the Rainbow Kitchen to further promote sponsorship and volunteer opportunities for this non-profit organization.

Project Donors and Sponsors: TD Friends of the Environment, Victoria Foundation, Sun Life Financial, Susan Wegwitz, Eileen Robinson, Donna Denman, Margaret Bachmann, Ken Bennett, Emery Electric, Bay West Rona, Chris Fraser, Honeycomb Webworks, Vicki English, MacNutt’s, O’Dell Slinger Service, Kinetic Construction, Applied Office Solutions, and C and C Growers.

Team “Synergy” – “Talkin’ ‘bout our Generations”

Community Partner: Saanich Parks and Recreation

The project's focus was to explore the potential for intergenerational programming in Saanich with the objective of bringing youth and seniors together. The partners were seeking shared learning, a better understanding and tolerance of others in our community. The team's research provided the Community Action Partner, Saanich Parks and Recreation (Saanich) with data to kick start inter-generational programming.Team Synergy and Saanich programming staff hosted an inter-generational Coffee House as a test of the desire to participate in inter-generational programs. Seniors (50+) and youth were recruited to participate as part of the coffee house entertainment. In addition, Team Synergy and Saanich then hosted a focus group of youth and seniors to asses the potential for inter-generational programming and to clarify common areas of interests for programming considerations.

Project Donors and Sponsors: Saanich Parks & Recreation, Victoria Foundation, Safeway, Cedar Hill Recreation, Gordon Head Recreation, Saanich Centennial Branch Greater Victoria Library, Our Place Society, Leif Langvand, and Alex Martinez.

Team “Witty” – Witty’s Lagoon Teaching Shelter

Community Partner: CRD Regional Parks and Victoria Natural History Society

This team constructed a new teaching shelter at Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park. This open air classroom will be the first of its kind and will facilitate the delivery of environmental education programs for children, youth, families and the public at large. It is expected the Nature Classroom will serve as a staging area for the more than 80,000 community residents who visit Witty’s Lagoon each year, 9,500 of whom attend CRD Regional Parks guided walks and events. The lasting legacy of this project is the creation of environmental stewards that value the natural world and have the education to help preserve it. To learn more about this project, please visit www.vicnhs.bc.ca/wittys/.

Project Donors and Sponsors: Victoria Natural History Society, Capital Regional District Parks, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Shell Canada, BC Transmission Corporation, Westshore Lions Club, Kinsmen Club of Victoria , Kiwanis Club of Victoria, West-Mont School, Pemberton Holmes, Victoria Foundation, Metchosin Country Store, Sooke Harbour House, Aggressive Excavating, Rocky Point Metal Craft, Millinear Lumber, Coast Mountain Milling, Tower Ready Mix, Super Save Fence Rentals, Richlock Rentals, Victoria Contracting and Municipal Maintenance, My Chosen Pizza, and Island Crush.

2007- 2008 COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS

Art Speaks
Community Action Partner: Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Victoria

Art Speaks was a combination of art and mentoring for vulnerable youth, designed to help develop the self-esteem, self-confidence, self-awareness, creativity and social skills that young people need to reach their potential within their community.

Gorge Waterway Discovery Centre
Community Action Partner: SeaChange Marine Conservation Society

The former concession stand at Esquimalt Gorge Park was turned into a vibrant environmental space -- a place where the whole community can experience environmental education and restorative initiatives which focus on the connection between forest, wetland, stream and marine environments.

Green Spaces Project
Community Action Partner: Reynolds Secondary School

This project involved restoration, revitalization and enhancement of common school areas and community shared grounds. The students and staff wished to create a community-shared vision of an ecologically sustainable future.

STEPs – Sustainable Transformation to Employment Programs
Community Action Partners: Harrison Place, Victoria Women’s Transition House

STEPs aimed to help the women of Harrison Place to secure meaningful employment and improve their lifestyle. After creating a needs assessment report and developing two workshops to discover and explore ways of successful transition to employment, 13 solutions were proposed.

2006 - 2007 COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS

Project for Healthy Families
Community Action Partners: Mary Manning Centre for Child Abuse Prevention (MMC) and Counselling Society of Victoria

The Project for Healthy Families provided MMC with a comprehensive study of current prevention activities and programs available in Greater Victoria. The team also focused on repainting, furnishing and redecorating the MMC Family Room to provide comfort to families in need of assistance.

MORE Victoria
Community Action Partners: Coldstar Freight Systems Inc., Silver Threads, James Bay New Horizons Society

This project focused on establishing a network to increase the availability of food for seniors’ service partner agencies through the recovery and redirection of food otherwise destined for disposal from corporate and institutional partners.

Street Feet
Community Action Partner: Victoria Cool Aid Society

Community Action Partnerships were developed with the Salvation Army Thrift Stores and Mayfair Dental Clinic to resolve the storage challenge at Streetlink and provide ongoing donations of clothing and hygiene products. The project team also developed plans for the school sock donation events and managed a Fun Run in support of the Cool Aid Shelter Program.

Urban Rain Garden
Community Action Partner: Victoria West Elementary School

A rain garden was built in the school as an interactive classroom to provide students with a way to explore issues of sustainability and to discover ways in which their environment can be improved. The garden also provides teachers with a medium to demonstrate sustainability principles.

2005- 2006 COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS

Opening Hearts, Opening Minds
Community Action Partner: Our Place

This team chose to focus on homelessness and poverty by working with Our Place to help introduce the services provided by this new organization to the broader community. The goal was also to create understanding and acceptance of homelessness and poverty.

Neighbourhood Threads
Community Action Partners: Saanich Neighborhood Place and Silver Threads

This project involved the recruitment of senior volunteers to read to children, bridging the gap between the ages. The project united two agencies through the vehicle of literacy with an intergenerational relationship.

Footprints
Community Action Partner: Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria

‘Welcome’ and ‘Independence’ kits were developed for local youth either entering into, or leaving, government care. These kits contained practical items and community resource information to help youth make successful transitions into new stages in their lives.

Project Vital City
Community Action Partner: Victoria Foundation

A painting depicting ‘community’ was created by the renowned Ted Harrison ‘Victoria Visions’. A studio art class at Lambrick Park enlarged the image and created a giant ‘paint by numbers’, panels of which were painted by different community organizations in Victoria.

2004- 2005 COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS

Squeals on Wheels
Homeless in the Garden City
The Sound of Laughter
Homeless Families

2003- 2004 COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS

Who Cares? Helping Family Caregivers
Celebration of Colour
By Kids, 4 Kids, 2 Kids
RandomKindness.ca

2002- 2003 COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS

Seniors and Youth in Dialogue: Can We Talk?
Setting the Stage
The Historic Gorge Regatta
Making Connections
Mapping a Future for our Youth - A Process of Dialogue

2001- 2002 COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS

Youth Week
Graffiti Clean Up
The Wellth Wizards
Effect (Elizabeth Fry Future Establishment & Creation Team)