Vancouver Foundation

2 2 | V A N C O U V E R F O U N D A T I O N | 1 9 4 3 - 2 0 1 8 Vancouver Foundation To view the full report and find ways to get involved in strengthening communities in Metro Vancouver and across the province, visit vancouverfoundation.ca/connectandengage I n its continued pursuit to address Metro Vancouver's diminishing level of community participation and to foster stronger personal connections, Vancouver Foundation has released its 2017 Connect & Engage report. Residents were surveyed to identify ways to celebrate and improve the local community. "Through the Connect & Engage report we dig deeper into the positive elements that exist within the community, as well as some of the challenges that people are facing," explains Tom Shepansky, Board Member and Chair of Vancouver Foundation's Partnerships Committee. The report, which was released in late November, is an update of the €rst Connections & Engagement report released in 2012 and delves deeper into who may be experiencing stronger or weaker social connections, and why. "With this information we can look further into initiatives that we can support to help address some of the challenges," says Shepansky. Last year's Connect & Engage report found that roughly one-quarter of the 3,785 Metro Vancouver respondents experience feelings of isolation, and that there has been a major decline in participation in community life over the past €ve years. Still, encouragingly, nine out of every 10 say they have someone they can depend on, while four out of every €ve respondents know at least one neighbour well enough to ask for assistance. The report demonstrates that neighbours want to get to know each other better, especially those who have resided in Metro Vancouver for shorter periods of time. Further, despite technolo'y now permeating nearly every aspect of people's lives, the report indicates that residents of all age groups still prefer to connect in person. The 2017 Connect & Engage report demonstrates that some groups – speci€cally young adults and people in low-income households – have more di"culty engaging in the community, but would like to expand their local social circle, and have clear ideas about how they would like to do so. "The report identi€es issues that people face that make it tougher to have a strong community, especially when you have people who are isolated, not engaged, or not involved," explains Shepansky. "I think it's indicative of how people at all di•erent stages of life are in terms of commitments. They often don't have time to be more involved in the community because they are struggling to make ends meet." Beyond assessing barriers to the development of stronger personal connections, the report helps to identify opportunities to catalyze action in order to address identi€ed challenges. As a result, Connect & Engage provides support for Vancouver Foundation's grassroots community-building activities, better informing community dialogues, grassroots granting, and partnerships. In response to the report's €ndings, Vancouver Foundation is working to further strengthen its Neighbourhood Small Grants program, which is intended to help build community through projects that connect and engage residents, such as community gardens, workshops, book exchanges, or street parties. Above all, Vancouver Foundation hopes that €ndings presented in the report prompt discussion around the importance of connectivity and the development of supporting strategies. "Vibrant communities are critical, and obviously as a foundation we believe that as citizens of our communities, we should believe that too. Our takeaway from the report is that there are endless opportunities for us to enhance or improve communities all across Metro Vancouver," concludes Shepansky. Engage Connect & BY LAURA WALKER

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