Focus on Community Councils
Community Councils across BC ensure that self-advocates, families, community members and service providers play a major role in achieving CLBC’s vision of fostering good lives in welcoming communities. Community Councils help communities have more meaningful involvement in how services are delivered and in the outcomes achieved for eligible adults and their families.
Community Council members volunteer their time, experiences and expertise to build relationships that help raise awareness about the importance of inclusive communities. Councils want the people that CLBC serves to have opportunities for employment, social connections, housing and to participate safely in their communities.
The following stories, which are meant to inform and inspire, demonstrate how Councils have been engaging their local communities.
Networking is key
Councils have many opportunities to make a positive impact on the families and individuals in their communities.
Carol Richards, Co-Chair and Treasurer of the Thompson Cariboo Community Council says it is important for the Council to work on activities that will create real change in the lives of families and individuals with developmental disabilities.
“The Thompson Cariboo Community Council is made up of 50 percent family members. We know from our own experiences where families may need support, and we want to be active in building inclusive communities,” says Carol.
One tactic the Council used was to organize a workshop that provided practical tools and community supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. Council members worked with a CLBC facilitator to offer a workshop on building Personal Support Networks. The group invited experienced service provider staff to facilitate the workshop in Kamloops. Carol says four individuals agreed to share their stories, and over forty people attended the workshop to brainstorm ideas and community resources.
“I felt so excited to see people from the community pulling together to support one another and see it unfold in front of me,” says Carol. “The workshop had great outcomes and ended with action questions like, ‘What are we going to do in the next 24 or 36 hours to make these ideas a reality?’”
Carol says follow-up with the workshop participants is a priority for the Thompson Cariboo Community Council. They are also excited to be offering another workshop designed to give information to people with disabilities on how to become entrepreneurs in their community.
Connection to families
Councils play a key role in connect families, and communicating the local needs of individuals and families directly to CLBC.
“Last spring, our Council identified the need for a family subcommittee to guide work on a communication exchange with families,” said Bev Kissinger, a member of the South Island Council. “The subcommittee looked at how to create this information exchange, and began hosting ‘Meet and Greet’ sessions to gather input and recommendations from families.”
Meet and greets have been held in three South Island communities to date, and there are plans for at least two more. At the meetings, Council members ask families for feedback, input and recommendations to be shared with CLBC to help strengthen local supports and build family connections. Families have brought forward discussion items that have included creating a greater focus on transitioning youth, more localized supports, and building a webpage or a similar forum so families can connect regularly to share information about events, plans and activities.
“We use our contacts with CLBC and the community to get the word out on meeting dates,” says Mary Valeriote, a Council member, and part of the sub-committee. “We’ve had good turnout to meetings, and it’s helped to connect families to each other, and connect the Council to community.”
Once they’ve completed the next scheduled meetings, the subcommittee will write a report outlining the recommendations and actions taken so far. This will help the group determine what meetings will be held next, including perhaps a focus on seniors and Aboriginal communities, and what recommendations still require further action.
A new resource
Come Together is a short video about inclusion and community. The video was produced by CLBC and developed by a committee of Community Council members from around the province and CLBC staff. The committee’s vision was to develop a tool to inspire community leaders and groups to step forward and create meaningful opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.
Come Together includes a brief overview of CLBC, the role of Community Councils and examples of participation and contribution to community life on the part of people with developmental disabilities. The video is a community engagement tool that shines a light on what inclusion looks like, and encourages conversation about the issues most important to people with developmental disabilities, such as employment.
The video has been distributed to all CLBC Offices and Community Councils and will soon be available at under Your Community > Community Councils.
