Understanding the Social Fabric of our Community and Expanding Our Horizons
The 2016/2017 cohort completed their sixth and seventh Community Learning Days among the trees and wildlife at the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary.
Friday, January 20th started with a bang as groups discussed their ride along experiences and were taken on a guided walk of the gallery at the Nature House. The cohort then jumped into a riveting theory presentation on Stakeholder Analysis. Afterwards, they undertook an interactive group activity that demonstrated how to prioritize stakeholders on a flip-chart and discuss which stakeholders in Greater Victoria may have an impact on their final community action project.
A wonderful presentation was given by Maureen Sawa from the Greater Victoria Public Library. The day ended with incredible presentations and peer feedback from our groups about their future Community Action Projects. It has been incredible to witness the personal growth of all our participants and we are excited to see the outcome of their Community Action Projects.
On Saturday, January 21st, participants began the day by discussing their Community Action projects followed by not one, but TWO theory lectures, on mindfulness and how to make a successful elevator pitch in 60 seconds or less. Participants were then encouraged to test out their elevator speeches on at least three mentors who were present for the Community Learning Day. We can now say that our cohort is fully equipped to approach important stakeholders in the community and leave them with a lasting impression that may translate their visions into measurable impacts.
Participants found that the learning days "...contained a wonderful combination of interesting topics and inspirational guests." One of our students, Maria, found that the experience allowed her to develop a deeper understanding about the community, stakeholders, connections, and at the same time, reflection about how to build resilience and a healthy mind. She enjoyed hearing about the other team projects and was excited to see how they have evolved over the last 5 months.
