The corridor's community organizations hoping to tap into the volunteer sector can now access online tools and support from a team of researchers who, since August, have been focusing on ways to connect groups in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton.
Since last August, the Corridor Volunteer Project (CVP) has been researching ways to connect and support community organizations in the Sea to Sky Corridor and this week, the CVP hosted a round table discussion in Squamish to review the results of the connecting communities project and discuss its next steps.
"Across the board, Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton all have needs," said Kimberly Armour, a director at Connecting Communities Consulting.
Some of the core needs, for example, include a demand for access to resources, effective volunteer engagement and retention plans that are responsive to each community's demographics.
Squamish, in particular faces challenges finding funding, and Squamish based organizations have difficulty connecting with residents outside their organization, said Armour.
Specifically, the emerging demographic of young families and residents who commute to work are less connected to the community.
"Reaching people that may not be tapped into the scene is a challenge. People communicate within their networks and not across networks," she said.
Designed to conduct an assessment of the Sea to Sky Corridor's voluntary sector and develop volunteer engagement tools for long-term community wellbeing, the CVP team includes the Hot Spot Community Resource Centre, Communities that Care, Ministry of Children and Family Services, Vancouver Coastal Health, Squamish Environmental Society.
It is funded by the Community Capacity Building Strategy in an initiative by the BC Healthy Alliance and led by the Canadian Cancer Society.
The final needs assessment research report is based on input from 16 community leaders and a total of 72 surveys of community organizations.
The report also highlights a lack of collaboration between community organizations and the District of Squamish to integrate community development efforts.
"We're working towards similar goals but in separate silos," said Armour. "Everyone's working hard, they just aren't working together."
And the relationship between local businesses and community organizations in Squamish must be strengthened in order to support the efforts of organizations and to benefit the local economy, said Armour.
"A really neat thing that came out of the research is that we discovered organizations don't identify with their region, they identify with their communities and the people they serve," said Armour. "So, to create a corridor network is a huge challenge and that is why we're recommending that, first, local networks be strengthened. Then, once strengthened they can be connected at the organizational level and we can begin building a regional understanding."
Ultimately, the report found that all three communities, Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton need organized access to resources, and that's where the Hot Spot steps in.
"The Hot Spot Community Resource Centre is enhancing their profile and wants to be that hub for community organizations in Squamish," said Armour. "They offer a free meeting place for non-profits and are developing online tools to help non-profits with: fundraising, strategic planning and event planning."
Other helpful online features include a volunteer posting forum, and a database of organizations.
"In Pemberton and Whistler we're recommending they have community resource hosts to connect organizations and volunteers in their communities. And, we are further recommending that the hosts from Whistler, Squamish and Pemberton work together in their common goal of community services," said Armour.
The Hot Sport Community Resource Centre will be inviting five local organizations to three organization development sessions designed to help organizations address their specific needs.
"This is an opportunity for organizations to pilot our online tools and access support from our research team," said Armour.
For more information, drop by the Hot Spot Community Resource Centre, downtown on Cleveland Avenue.
