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Home, Food & Hope
VIEW FROM THE NORTH
» Thursday 18 March 2010 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas
and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join us as activists and community leaders Annette Sharkey, Wendy Aasen and Dave Rossi share their experiences - and successes - in developing sustainable solutions to serious social and economic issues in the North Okanagan.
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Activists Present Local Solutions to the Key Issues in the Okanagan
Local activism has played an important role in defining our communities, even in the Okanagan, and never more than today. Key issues such as shelter, food and the future of our youth need purposeful action based on local input. Not only in periods of fiscal strain when governments choose to retrench, but in good times as well, our communities have often been best served by local energizers and non-governmental agencies. Part of the theory of such development is that good ideas bubble up from the ferment of local action where community pragmatists, free from doctrine or politics, meet the real needs of their locality. Only when good ideas are co-opted and given the seal of official action do they drift from their community moorings to enter the dark and choppy waters of budget balancers and other bureaucrats.
On Thursday, March 18th at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents Home, Food & Hope: View from the North. Join us as activists and community leaders Annette Sharkey, Wendy Aasen and Dave Rossi share their experiences - and successes - in developing sustainable solutions to serious social and economic issues in the North Okanagan.
Some of the best moments in the history of Canada have been, despite economic progress, our ability and willingness to confront and address continuing social inequalities. From government provision of health care, consumer activism, resource consciousness, the status of women and minorities, and the development and protection of a distinctive Canadian culture, the key initiators have usually been highly motivated local heroes willing to take on the hard challenges. In helping to recognize and deal with the stresses and strains of community life, Express welcomes three North Okanagan community leaders who will give us the lowdown on their projects and passions and suggest how similar initiatives might benefit others in the Valley.
 Annette Sharkey has been working in the social service field in Vernon since 1994 and brings a variety of experience to her job, including front line work, community development and program management. Her previous positions include Project Coordinator of the Vernon Women's Centre and Program Manager of the North Okanagan RCMP Victims Assistance Program. Currently, as part of her role at the Social Planning Council, Starkey is the coordinator of the Partners in Action Committee. This committee takes a community approach to addressing issues such as homelessness, housing, recreation and childcare.
Building community affordable housing has been identified as a huge local issue by residents in the Vernon area. In response, there are a number of different initiatives taking place to address affordability across the housing spectrum. One particular project, entitled Under One Roof, targets low/moderate income families and is an interesting model that combines the non-profit and private sector. Sharkey will highlight the main components of the project and discuss what was learned as a result of the partnership development and community participation.
 Wendy Aasen, of the North Okanagan Food Security Action Committee, started out doing community-based health promotion in the Vernon area as a Prevention Coordinator for the BC Cancer Agency Centre for the Southern Interior and as a Community Developer for Interior Health's Community Action for Health initiative. These community-driven projects helped her establish connections with numerous local organizations and influencers across a broad spectrum of health-related issues.
In 2006, Aasen was invited to sit on a steering committee for the North Okanagan Food Security Action Committee. Light bulbs started going on as her role took her deeper into the local food system. "I felt compelled to restructure the entire system - nothing less would do. It really started when I learned about the new meat inspection regulations - I was outraged." Since then, she has being working non-stop with her community partners to try to make a difference. She will tell us about a few of the ways food security initiatives are growing in the North Okanagan.
 David Rossi has been actively involved teaching and mentoring youth for the past 15 years . David has led a dedicated team to achieve a high level of success working with priority youth. The successful and unique EMPLOY program teaches critical thinking to high risk youth and couples the program with a variety of workshops and mentors to develop essential skills. Rossi has worked in all the major industries, taught and presented worldwide, built and sailed a boat across the Pacific with his children and is currently planning a cross Canada bicycle trip in June. He is passionate about helping youth become more effective and looks forward to an interactive discussion with our audience on this crucial topic.
As Rossi maintains, "The youth of today are our hope for the future. How will they shape the world? Intellectual exercises and work performance may not be enough to ensure success. Employers, parents and educators often talk of the lack of plain old common sense. Often we hear the phrase "that's just common sense". What is it and how do you acquire it? Many feel that common sense is an inherent gift, something that you either have or don't. Can our youth develop capacity to build necessary common sense in our fast changing world?" He takes the position that we can provide our youth the means that can assist them to become more effective by encouraging them to be thoughtful, reflective and open minded.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Home, Food & Hope: View from the North takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 130th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007.
Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet laureate and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and many others from a wide range of creative fields.
The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that has gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
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