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IMAGINE Community Grants: Key factors for success in community!

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Dance instructors teaching dance to crowd.
IMAGINE grants bring everyone together!

With the first IMAGINE Community Grants call open and in full swing, one question that I have frequently been asked from groups is: “What are you looking for in a project idea?”

IMAGINE Community Grants: They're your ideas

That’s the great thing about the IMAGINE program: they are YOUR ideas! It’s true, as a health authority, we want to support projects with a focus to improve health and wellness in community, so we do have some criteria around our chronic disease and injury prevention priorities. But, how it will take shape, and what activities will work best for your community, is up to YOU!

It’s referenced in our application guide, and is worth mentioning that we do give preference to the projects that have considered some key factors to planning their project for long term success. To touch on a few of those factors, we are looking for projects that will:

Support partnerships and build relationships

  • The project will bring different groups in the community to connect and work together to achieve common goals.

Identify a community need

  • The project will address something that is missing in their community and that will benefit the residents to improve their health and wellness.

Build capacity

  • The project will develop and strengthen skills and resources within the community.

Activities that work best for your community is up to YOU!

As an example, a great project that makes me think of these points took place in Mackenzie, where the Mackenzie Gets Healthy Committee applied to purchase floor curling equipment for the community to address the imminent demolition of their aging ice curling rink. The group wanted to ensure that people in the community were still able to participate in this fun and accessible recreational activity in the absence of the facility.

Throughout the project, PE teachers at Mackenzie Secondary School partnered to use the equipment for their students, and the Mackenzie Public Library benefitted by using the equipment at the library. They even held Olympic-themed activities during the recent 2018 Olympic Games!

The community recreation centre is currently undergoing renovations which will include future space to offer floor curling and keep the activity going in community.

The floor curling equipment has provided an additional opportunity for residents to be active.  The equipment has also exposed many students in our community to this sport for the first time.” – Joan Atkinson, Mackenzie Gets Healthy.

Another great idea that had strong key factors took place in Chetwynd. The Chetwynd Communications Society’s main goal for their project, Healthy Living Initiative Plans and Programs in Chetwynd, was to focus on bringing new resources and options for activity to the community by supporting the training and certification of their own community champions. Those that were interested in receiving certification had to apply to the group, and then agree to provide free lessons in community for at least nine months. The project was very successful and saw a number of people apply for the opportunity. The group focused on choosing a handful of applicants that would support and engage in the community area broadly, including in a school setting and within First Nations and Métis communities. One of the successful applicants even included an RCMP Constable!

The celebration of the initiative and promotion of the successful participants took place at the Chetwynd’s Canada Day 150 Celebration, where over 1000 people were in attendance and participated in Zumba activities.

Our volunteers are committed to delivering planned and ad hoc Zumba classes and being videotaped doing these activities… the Zumba Program has caught on because it is entertaining, involves the entire family and has volunteers who are friendly, eager and willing to give of themselves. 2018 will see at least an additional 1000 persons participating in our dance program.”- Leo Sabulsky, Chetwynd Communications Society.

Those are just two examples of how IMAGINE funds have supported great community-led work across our region. Can you believe there are another 820 projects that Northern Health has supported in offering this program to communities since 2009? So many communities and so many amazing examples of what a community can accomplish! What is your project idea? Share it with us today!

IMAGINE Community Grants

IMAGINE Community Grants provide funding to community organizations, service agencies, First Nations bands and organizations, schools, municipalities, regional districts, not-for-profits, and other partners with projects that make Northern communities healthier. We are looking for applications that will support our efforts to prevent chronic disease and injury, and improve overall well-being in our communities. The deadline for the next cycle of IMAGINE Community Grants is March 31, 2018.