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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSafe & Healthy - 2008-04-01SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES April 1, 200$ CITY OF KITCHENER The Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:00 p.m. Present: Co-Chair, S. Franzen T. Bender, P. Doherty, M. Haverla, M. Hogg, P. Ji-Taylor, K. Kwiatkowski, B. Gould, T. Beaulne and N. Cybulski Staff: L. Palubeski, Manager of Program and Resource Services M. Hildebrand, Director of Community Programs & Services A. Grafstein, Community & Corporate Planning Associate L. Korabo, Committee Administrator 1. KITCHENER YOUTH ACTION COUNCIL tKYAC) ANNUAL AWARDS Ms. L. Palubeski circulated copies of the 11th Annual KYAC Youth Awards Nomination Package requesting that members submit any nominations prior to the April 4, 2008 deadline. 2. ADVANCING CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT Ms. J. Hennig, Executive Director, Volunteer Action Council, and Ms. T. Beaulne presented information and statistics concerning multicultural volunteering. Ms. Beaulne advised that the Committee's working group had conducted an external environmental scan on the matter of ethno-cultural diversity in order to assist with achieving objectives as defined in the Committees' Workplan, being: 1. to achieve a better understanding of diversity of the community and the needs of newcomers in Kitchener; 2. to determine possible partners who could work with the Committee to achieve this outcome; and, 3. to help the Committee achieve a more diverse membership. At the same time, City staff were undertaking an internal scan to identify current activities that support diversity, access, equity and inclusion. At the Committee's February 2008 meeting, an initial presentation on ethno-cultural and multicultural services and groups in Waterloo Region was given and a profile of ethno-cultural diversity and volunteer participation in Kitchener-Waterloo provided. A community profile had been previously developed as part of a larger-scale project called "Advancing Cultural Diversity in Volunteer Management in the 905 and 519 Areas". The Social Planning Council of Kitchener-Waterloo, a member of the Committee, was one of the partners in this project and the environment scan working group wanted to share the already compiled information with the Advisory Committee. For today's meeting, Ms. J. Hennig, the local representative on the above-mentioned project, gave an overview of the initial findings of the "Advancing Diversity" project and suggested that the information gathered could be beneficial to the Committee's goals. Three monthly newsletters produced by the co-ordinating group were circulated and a review done of the major issues and needs that had been raised by community participants during earlier sessions: ^ recruitment; ^ cultural understandings of volunteerism, or lack of; ^ creating meaningful volunteer roles; ^ partnering /Networking; ^ role of volunteer centres, professional associations for volunteer managers, etc.; ^ internal capacity; and, ^ creating a welcoming environment within an organization. Ms. Hennig stated that it is very important to make the volunteer experience of newcomers a good one and to remove barriers that may prevent people from volunteering their time and talents. She noted that the concept of "volunteering" can be confusing as it may be understood to mean that by volunteering in an area, it will assist in securing employment. It is not clear that this is not the case and this frequent misconception needs to be noted by those who are managing the intake and / or recruiting of volunteers that are new Canadians. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 1, 200$ - 7 - CITY OF KITCHENER 2. ADVANCING CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT tCONT'D) Part of the focus of the project will be to provide a clear explanation of what the roles / functions of a volunteer are. Ms. Beaulne noted that there are two general themes that are being reviewed: how to most effectively connect volunteers; and, the issue of turnover /language. Kitchener-Waterloo is further ahead than many areas of the Province when it comes to knowing and meeting the needs of newcomer volunteers. In fact, other areas are making enquiries of local representatives on how to improve upon their procedures. Ms. Hennig then briefly commented on the network of projects that have been established and funded by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. Eleven projects were initially launched and seven are still operating, accumulating data to assemble inventories of information that can be utilized to improve volunteerism among multicultural communities. The projects operating in the 905 and 519 area codes are working together to collect data and will combine information resulting in an on-line searchable, annotated inventory of volunteer resources. This will be a valuable tool for use by Ontario organizations that support newcomers. In closing, Ms. Beaulne asked if there was Committee interest in having further discussions on how the work being undertaken can be used to achieve its objectives and it was agreed that the sub-committee previously formed will continue discussions concerning possible future connections and report back to the full committee at a future date. If members wished to stay directly informed, they were asked to provide their mailing information to be added to the mailing list for future newsletters. 3. FOREST HEIGHT COMMUNITY CENTRE SAFETY AUDIT Mr. D. Schnarr, former member of the Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee, attended to report on a safety audit conducted at the Forest Heights Community Centre (FHCC). It was noted that this was an action undertaken by the Committee during its last term. Mr. Schnarr worked with the District Facilitator, Bonnie Snyder, in formulating and conducting the safety audit. Due to its proximity to Forest Heights Collegiate Institute, there have been incidents of vandalism to the equipment, building and cars in the parking lot since this community centre opened. The outside areas are used by youth as gathering areas points in the evenings and during lunch hours and teenagers congregate on the children's playground equipment and discourage parents and children from using it. Safety surveys and audits were developed to help identify concerns that may be encountered while using the community centre, parking lot, playground area and other outdoor facilities. No single safety issues were the driving force behind this audit but rather the desire to take a proactive approach and help the community identify issues and potential concerns before they became serious problems. The safety survey was made available to all participants, parents and community members attending the community centre during the annual Forest Heights Community Association Registration Day. Participants were asked to identify any safety concerns they may have encountered within the centre or outside on the grounds. Survey questions asked where people felt unsafe and the reasons for this feeling as well as for suggestions on what would improve their feelings of safety. A good sampling of input was received and included many positive comments as well. An indoor safety audit was also conducted with selected groups; they were asked questions surrounding the design of the building, lighting, etc. The final component of the audit was done outdoors in the Fall of 2007. Results of the audits and surveys noted the following major safety concerns: 1. youth concerns surrounding hanging out in large numbers, behaviour and language issues and inappropriate use of the children's playground equipment; 2. lighting of the parking lot and play areas appear to be inconsistent with many shadows and dark areas; 3. security of the building is monitored via a camera and security system however the playground areas are not within view of staff in the building. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 1, 200$ - $ - CITY OF KITCHENER 3. FOREST HEIGHT COMMUNITY CENTRE SAFETY AUDIT tCONT'D) A series of six recommendations have resulted. In some cases, City staff have already begun to implement improvements with the remaining recommendations being taken under advisement. For the information of the Committee the six recommended actions were: • improve the CCTV camera system at the Community Centre to provide more cameras and monitors to view the parking lot and outdoor playground area by Centre staff and City of Kitchener Security; • improve the lighting in the parking lot to give off higher light lumen levels in the parking lot and more lighting at playground area; • B. Snyder and staff to address the problem with older youth using the playground equipment; this includes a new sign and discussions with the police representative at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute; • remove the berm between the parking lot and the building as it provides an area for youth to gather and be undetectable to people in the Centre; • improve indoor signage for easier readability; and, • install benches on the landscaped cul-de-sac. In conclusion, Mr. Schnarr advised that, in his opinion, the City should continue to conduct safety audits of all its facilities to measure public perception regarding community safety. Members suggested that staff look at more effective strategies to engage youth and that the District Facilitator at the FHCC contact her peer at the Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre to learn of actions undertaken regarding similar youth issues. He advised that feedback from youth indicate a desire to just "hang out" and not have any structure to their activities; however, they should be asked to respect areas designated for small children and holding dialogue with youth is an important approach to addressing these issues. With regard to inappropriate behaviour demonstrated by some youth, a suggestion that an action plan be developed by the community centre for the both good and bad attendees was proposed. Ms. L. Palubeski advised that Mr. Schnarr is currently working with staff on security system improvements and Youth Services staff are engaged in working on solutions at the Centre. 4. UPDATE -VIOLENCE IN SPORTS Mr. P. Doherty reported on the results of the sub-committees investigation into violence in sports. This item was identified in the Committee's Workplan due to the continued reporting of violent sports incidents in the media and actions observed at various events. Sub-committee members included City staff, Committee members and a member of Council Discussions included: whether there was a need to take /recommend action when the overall percentage of violent incidents is relatively low; the role of the media in publicizing; and, the oversight of governing bodies in various sports. It was noted that rule changes to lessen violence implemented in younger age groups are now working there way up to the older ages. In Ontario, there are nine different associations governing sports, therefore, co-ordination of any one prevention program would be unwieldy and difficult. In many amateur sports, preventative services are now being initiated to better train game officials and certify coaches on how to handle difficult situations, parent educational sessions are becoming more prevalent and, players are receiving better conditioning resulting in less game fatigue which often leads to incidents of violence. On behalf of the sub-committee, Mr. Doherty suggested that no more work is required on the topic of violence in sports as there is no direct control, rather the sports governing bodies need to keep on top of the issue. He suggested that the item be removed from the Committee's Workplan. 5. UPDATE -CULTURE OF SAFETY CONFERENCE -POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY Ms. T. Beaulne reminded members that developing a strategy on poverty was one of the identified issues that resulted from the "Creating a Culture of Safety Conference" held in September 2007; in addition, this committee has asub-committee tasked with reviewing matters of social isolation and inclusion. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 1, 200$ - 9 - CITY OF KITCHENER 5. UPDATE -CULTURE OF SAFETY CONFERENCE -POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY tCONT'D) These two groups have come together to work on developing a Poverty Reduction Strategy. Ms. Beaulne circulated an information presentation providing various statistics obtained from the 2001 Census showing: percentage of low income earners living in Kitchener relative to the entire Region; average income earnings; and, unemployment rates. Vulnerable members of the community include youth and seniors, families with children, newcomers, disabled persons, women, the chronic or terminally ill, individuals with mental health issues and / or addictions, those with limited formal education and unemployed, part- time or full-time workers earning minimum wage. Recommended actions presented for the Committee's consideration were: • invite representatives of the Social Planning Network of Ontario to attend a meeting to more fully discuss education on poverty reduction framework and consultations across Ontario; • request Council to advocate to higher levels of government for poverty reduction strategies as recommended in the framework; and, continue work of the sub- committee to better understand poverty in Kitchener; and, • continue work of sub-committee to better understand poverty in Kitchener. Ms. M. Hogg provided history on the beginnings of the Poverty Reduction Campaign begun in 1989 with a goal to reducing child poverty by the year 2000. Nineteen years have now passed and not much headway has been made and concerns have been raised at all levels regarding child poverty in Canada. It was a suggestion of the working group that this Committee recommend a course of action to Kitchener Council for approval. Concern was expressed by the Committee regarding the scale of this type of project and it was suggested that instead of taking on a leadership role on the issue of poverty reduction that the working group or its representative continue to be involved with a similar project being undertaken Regionally. Questions were raised concerning a possible duplication of efforts as the strategy being developed by the Region of Waterloo would include the City of Kitchener. Ms. Beaulne noted that communities within the Region varied greatly when it comes to the level of poverty within their boundaries and strategies to be developed would differ for each area. Ms. L. Palubeski recommended that the first step to becoming further involved in developing a strategy for poverty reduction in Kitchener would be to develop a good understanding of the work being done Regionally and ensure that Kitchener is well represented. She offered to keep in touch with the working group and suggested that a report be brought back to the Committee as required. 6. ADJOURNMENT On motion, the meeting adjourned at 6:10 p.m. Linda Korabo Committee Administrator