Message from the CEO
By Rick Mowles, CEO
This month, The Citizen focuses on the ways self-advocates, families and CLBC are reaching out, informing, innovating, and creating relationships in ways that bring us closer to realizing the vision of “good lives in welcoming communities”. Included in this edition are stories on CLBC’s upcoming new safe social media website, the recently released book of family stories, “The Power of Knowing Each Other”, videos of the meetings between families and the CLBC Board, and this year’s WOW!clbc Award winners.
Social media is a great way to connect and build awareness of inclusion. CLBC wants to make sure that self-advocates and families have the skills, knowledge and understanding to stay safe online. On June 30, CLBC will be launching icanbesafeonline.com, the only website of its kind in Canada. This website will be dedicated to educating and informing adults with developmental disabilities on how to be safe while having fun online. It’s an exciting initiative and I am proud that CLBC is providing leadership in this area.
In May 2010, the Family Support Institute and CLBC began collaborating on “The Power of Knowing Each Other: Stories about Informal Safeguards told by BC Families”, a book of stories about family members with developmental disabilities and the informal safeguards and relationships that makes their lives richer and safer. The stories gathered share families’ joy, inspiration, innovation and creativity in helping to build informal safeguards in community for their family members. This book can be viewed on the CLBC website under Individuals and Families > Safeguards.
CLBC’s Board has spent time over the last few months talking to self-advocates and families to learn about their lives and the issues that are important to them. In March, the CLBC Board Chair and members of the CLBC Board met with family members to hear their stories and learn about their challenges and successes. You can view video clips from these meetings on CLBC’s Youtube page at: www.youtube.com/user/communitylivingbc.
We’re also celebrating this year’s winners of the 2011 WOW!clbc Awards, which recognize the hard work and dedication of self-advocates, service providers, families and community members to building more inclusive communities. This year’s ten Award winners were chosen from among 39 nominations received from all across BC. Read more about the winners’ stories in this edition, or visit www.wowclbc.ca to watch their videos.
I hope you enjoy reading this month’s stories.
