Vancouver Community Learning Network *
Vancouver Community Learning Network *
The Vancouver Community Networkwill be launching a community development and the internet course in lateSeptember 2002 for community organizations and other community developmentprofessionals.Lions Den
The Lions Den located at 770 Commercial Drive is a Seniors Day Centre located on the ground floor of a seniors' housing complex . Working with residents and users of the center, VCN is developing a broad range of activities to help support the Community Learning Network project. The CLN project is providing on-site training, working with residents to develop a website and a monthly newsletter to help residents communicate with one another. Individual residents are being supported in their work on the internet with geneology, research and information referral. At the request of residents, a weekly lecture series has been introduced which encourages residents to further their knowledge of issues on the internet. Residents will also be researching the novel Of Mice and Men and will also be attending the Vancouver Opera production in March. As well, a one act play based on the residents memories was performed with the help of local high school students from Lord Byng Secondary.
The 411 Seniors Centre is an easily accessible, multi-purpose social and recreational drop-in facility for seniors. Centrally located in downtown Vancouver, the Centre offers a variety of programs, services and special projects for seniors. It also has several Associate Members housed in the building who directly or indirectly workwith seniors. The centre is directed by the 411 Seniors Centre Society, with a Board of Directors, a small staff and a number of volunteers who run the centre. As a CLN site, VCN is working with Seniors Summit staff to build a long term plan. VCN will work with the Seniors Summit Coordinator in using collaborative information technology tools to build the seniors advocacy community. VCN will also work with seniors who live in the 127 Housing Society buildings at their CAP sites to help develop on-line newsletter and a web page.
The Alliance for Arts and Culture consists of over 270 individuals and organizations which promote art and culture in the Lower Mainland and British Columbia. Located at 938 Howe Street, the Alliance has a CAP site available to the public. The CLN project with the Alliance will work with former participants in their one month SEARCH program. The CLN project will aid former SEARCH participants to build an on-line community and public space for interaction to aid each other in the communication of ideas, a space to show their work and help in the referral of job opportunities to their peers. A questionnaire has been developed with former SEARCH participants and a community learning plan will be developed based on the feedback. The portal is currently under development.
VCN is partnering with the Self Help Resources Association to build the online component of an asset mapping process based on youth services.
VCN is partnering with various groups and organizations housed at the Carnegie Community Centre at Main and Hastings to develop an online presence and tools for information sharing and community development.
VCN is working with the Impact of the Olympics on Community Coalition, a partnership of organizations including the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation, West End Residents Association, Better Environmentally Sound Transportation, Tenants Rights Action Coalition, Southeast False Creek Working Group, Simon Fraser Student Society, Carnegie Action Project and the Sustainable Development Research Institute to develop a community based set of recommendations to forward to the Vancouver Olympic Bid Corporation. As well, the group will strive to make publicly accessible information relating to hallmark events freely available to the public.