Roundtable Meeting Minutes & Notes:   Agenda Barriers | Basic Needs | Student Needs Solutions | Results | Possible Projects | Next Steps | Documents

Interactive Community Network Concept Map

Agenda

• Intro & Sharing
  • Share Strengths
  • Share Opportunities
  • Discuss Schools, Communities, Local Gov't, UVic VICRA, Green Map
  • Funding & Project Opportunities?
• Capacity Building, Network & Communications
  • Funding & Governance: Past & Present Roles of UVic, CommonGround
  • Training Opportunities
  • Plan for Jan - Aug 2010: Regional Green Map, Roundtable, VICRA, etc?
  • Long Term Mapping Plan for Common Ground?
  • Steering Committee/Board of Common Ground?

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Barriers:

• How do we get students engaged in community mapping?
• Common ground is an umbrella of Lifecycles Project, but we would like to become our own entity
• At CRD-Solid Waste Management, we are also dealing with bureaucracy
• At UVic, there are some technical restrictions in geography. We need to create more opportunities to contract out and break institutional boundaries
• There are also some data-sharing integrity issues

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Needs:

Basic Needs:

• to engage with the public and work through the barriers to work more openly
• CRD want to engage in public with mapping with practical applications
• the mechanics and tools to get mapping started
• Where are the assets in the community to map out systems?
• to make stronger connections. We have a lower island network – let’s use them
• support for learning, regional partners and regional projects
• to identify some barriers to working with community-based research
• to empower committees and non-profit organizations to be involved
• to map out and create a broader vision of what we hope to achieve
• to generate faster and more efficient impactful outcomes with community mapping

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Students & School Needs:

• to engage students e.g with distributive energy systems
• The Shelbourne Corridor project needs geography, business and environmental studies students at the table to make this project successful
• a strong need for community mapping of schools and municipalities
• a District Plan Action Committee for internal school map, to ensure the linking of students with teachers, administrators and other experts
• Students need practical jobs, local and regional, that keep them wanting to stay here!
• real life data that engages students: i.e. cycling planning
• Ken asked CRD if it is conceivable to have CRD’s needs posted well ahead of time so students can work on some of their projects
• assistance with the supervision of the children, when working with youth
• a balance in structure between the University, NGO’s and other community groups: financial, time constraints and voice
• support and services that connect and link schools and post-secondary schools together

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Solutions:

• Create a strong community-based Community Mapping Steering Committee which includes CRC, VIHA, UVic and various community groups and bringing players together:
  • how-to’s
  • plans to identify tools and opportunities
  • linking various groups together
  • e.g. For example, we have Regional Green Map and Community Mapping. We would like to meet twice a year and also reassess who is holding the container.
• Decide who should do what and define roles of non-profits, community networks and UVic: governance, funding, consulting, partnerships, and website
• Develop our criterias and values
• Map out what we are going to do together, and how
• Build projects that will allow us all to learn together and do some capacity building
• Do some course development regarding mapping
• Create strong ties with NGO’s, community members and schools
• Sustainable Action Kit, in some schools, helps them map out some key indicators in community mapping. These kits have online calculation tools that enable students to keep track of what is going on in their communities
• It is essential to get teachers involved in the schools to make the case for community mapping
• Common Ground helped children become co-investigators, to identify community-mapping needs, with the Lifecycles Project: Youth Core. Now we are looking at melding Lifecycles Project and Common Ground together. Our maps are used for community mobilization because the output information goes both ways
• UVic has a lot of great initiatives: e.g. each building has an energy meter
• We need to grow and link university support
• sounds like there is a real need to look at the region again
• OCBR is planning a Mapping Roundtable in either February/ March.
• OCBR has a “Train the Trainer” in May. This will bring some of these key issues to the forefront, such as training post-secondary trainers
• People want to see joint funded opportunities, a new type of funding. OCBR is interest is supporting some of these initiatives
• CRD is mandated to seek out collaborations. Right now, we are looking at partnerships with transit
• We need to promote networking and regional collaborations
• Need to balance innovative technology with community engagement
• We need to look at dollars and multi-sectoral opportunities
• Hybrid: institutional partners with community
• Streamline communication
• Build on strengths

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Resulting Ideas & Suggestions

 GreenMap | Common Ground | Education | UVic Finances | Open Source | CRD | Projects

Redevelop Victoria Regional Green Map

• took 5 years to create; now 5 years out of date
• may provide spinoffs for other projects
• create a hybrid network based on new regional green map

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Revitalize/revision Common Ground

• update resources
• update Regional Green map, which is 5 years out-of-date
• use website as communication tool
• use Projects to unite groups
• list internal consultants, to be able to respond quickly to contracts
• Create Steering Committe to meet twice/year
  • create separate non-profit? (vs LifeCycle legal relationship)
  • Decide governing structure & roles
  • Create a 6 month plan
  • act as advisor
• Disseminate contract info opportunities to network
• Research funding opportunities for Specific Projects
  • Community Mapping Learning Round Table
  • Community Mapping Course Development
  • Community Mapping Credit Course Curriculum
• Network to avoid duplication of efforts & resources
• Link community mapping to what's happening
• Make partnerships relevant to community needs
• list community projects in the works & network with each other

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Encourage Mapping Education in Schools

• develop school-based projects in partnership with students
• link course content to real data/projects, while conducting research
• have real/live data available at beginning of semester for students to use to learn skills with; students may create/express 2 or 3 different interpretations of data
• experiential learning
• good training for youth
• Need a pilot to systematically engage Ministry of Education
• provide student placement
• need to figure out/map out how to do this
• build appreciation & be a part of regional green map
• create co-investigators by engaging youth
• encourage Sustainable Highschools
  • encourage schools to participate
  • create on-line calculator to input data for analysis & project ideas
  • make note of social & ecological indicators
  • Create Community Mapping Curriculum

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UVic needs to Develop Long Term Plan to Deal With Community Mapping

• University needs community engagement
• need community support to get other funding
• Vancouver Foundation funds for Island-based Post-secondary Education mapping of capacity building and sustainability
• support regional work
• involve students in meaningful projects
• work with CRD
• ensure integrity of data
• provide future job opportunities for students
• host community map geobrowsers on University server
• create a Community Mapping Service Centre
• Host more Community Mapping workshops
• Create Community Mapping Curriculum
• provide co-op placements
• Office of Planning & Sustainability could provide experiential learning

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Consider the Need for Finances

• Create mapping assistance budget line-item when applying for all community mapping projects
• use maps to generate funds for new initiatives
• NGOs need funds for supervision of students; best for long-term projects with multiple students entering at different points in time
• need to know funding criteria
• work on joint proposals (eg UVic with Community support, local gov't & business)
• CRD, etc, apply for grants with community groups

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Encourage Open Source Mapping Tools & Community Input

• creates less risk aversion
• need to ensure data integrity
• data can be at arm's length from bureaucracies
• community buys into & takes ownership of info
• use maps to Identify the physical gaps
• use innovative technology for community engagement to share stories & build decisions
• participatory access to all age groups

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Involve CRD in Partnerships

• utilize CRD data
• CRD sees the bigger picture
• offer local government experience
• Government & Universities need to collaborate & work in partnership
• network
• create memorandums of understanding
• apply for grants with community groups
• partnership with transit

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Possible/Current Projects:

• have real/live data available at beginning of semester for students to use to learn skills with; students may create/express different interpretations of data
• Redevelop Victoria Regional Green Map
• provide student placement opportunities in Projects
• encourage Sustainable Highschools
• Island-based Post-secondary Education mapping of capacity building and sustainability
• Engage with BC Legislation Bills 44 & 27: Requirements for Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Metchosin - map ecosystem
• Neighbourhood Mapping: Shelbourne, Fernwood, Oak Bay
• Regional Energy Systems
• Landfill / Land Recovery
• UVic Campus Building Energy Use Planning - possibly run competitions
• local food production
• Host more Community Mapping workshops
• Create Community Mapping Curriculum
  • how to create map
  • how to use map as tool
  • how place is represented
  • age, culture, community relevancy & appropriateness
• Climate Action Initiatives
• Train the Trainers on Sustainability
• City of Victoria partnership with hydro & terrasen for district energy mapping
• map social housing
• list community projects in the works & network with each other
• Get people engaged, resulting in empowerment and possibilities for social & environmental change

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Next Steps:

• take a leadership role with the Community Mapping Steering Committee
• work with schools and steering committee
• get more children involved with community mapping
• highlight voices and activities around community mapping
• support UVic and Common Ground in any way
• Steering Committee and help evolve partnerships; make sure this steering committee assists with the community’s needs
• The Office of Planning and Sustainability: student involvement with experiential learning
• Mapping can help bring together different levels of government integrated resources. Data Source - add layers to the social side to community mapping
• volunteer with Common Ground
• innovative technology bridges and community engagement
• community based research and education curriculum
• use community mapping as a learning tool
• maps are the stepping-stone to create a solid base for education; maps with schools
• create corporate partnerships
• community and UVIC/Regional gov. partnership development
• Community Mapping Network

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Some Useful Documents on Community Mapping:

• Mapping Our Common Ground/Our Community Green Mapping of Greater Victoria (founding doc of Common Ground 1998)
• CUExpo 2008 Document  http://web.uvic.ca/~cuexpo08/index.php
• Mapping Food Matters Document

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