Featured image taken by DestinationLess Travel
< Back to the main page of the Community–Led Collaboration Project
Port Alberni is located on the traditional territories of the Hupacasath and Tseshaht First Nations. We acknowledge the Metis, Inuit and Urban Indigenous People who also live throughout this territory.
Conversations in Port Alberni
Thank you to everyone for your interest and contributions in the community conversations in Port Alberni.
Although these sessions have ended, we still value your ideas!
Take this survey to add your ideas about how supports and services
could work better in Port Alberni and surrounding areas.
We are hosting conversations to hear about how there can be a better network of services and supports for children and youth with disabilities or support needs in Port Alberni and surrounding areas. We invite you to join us; we need to hear your ideas.
This event is free for everyone to attend.
These conversations have been designed with the intention of creating inclusive, culturally safe, and accessible spaces to connect. Children and youth with support needs are 0-19 years of age, have a disability, diagnosed or undiagnosed, need support, and/or have a possible developmental delay.
Conversations in Port Alberni will take place on October 17, 18, and 19, 2023.
Registration is encouraged to support our planning for food and space but is not mandatory.
Everyone is welcome to drop in and join the conversations.
If you prefer to register for the conversations via phone, please contact us:
Jay from Inclusion BC – 1-844-488-4321
Darlene or Leanne from the Port Alberni Friendship Centre – 250-723-8281
Julie from Port Alberni Association for Community Living – 250-735-7820
We will have conversations in Port Alberni with:
Youth, families, and caregivers
Session and dinner
Tuesday, October 17, 5:30-7:30 pm
Port Alberni Friendship Centre (gym)
Family Fun Fair
Thursday, October 19, 3:30-6:00 pm
At Glenwood Centre
Local community service providers
Wednesday, October 18, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Port Alberni Friendship Centre (gym)
In each conversation, participants are invited to share their ideas about:
- What services and supports for children and youth with support needs are working well in Port Alberni and surrounding areas?
- What gaps in services and support exist?
- What does a better network of services and supports look like in Port Alberni and surrounding areas?
Location:
Port Alberni Friendship Centre (gym)
3555 4th Ave b, Port Alberni, BC (October 17 + 19)
Glenwood Centre
4480 Vimy St, Port Alberni, BC (October 18)
There Will Be:
- Space and support for dialogue
- Food will be provided
- Child care options available
- Support for transportation available
- Quiet space available on-site and follow-up support
Registration:
Online Registration links
This event is free for everyone to attend.
Registration is encouraged to support our planning for food and space but is not mandatory. Everyone is welcome to drop in and join the conversations.
If you prefer to register for the conversations via phone, please contact us:
Jay from Inclusion BC – 1-844-488-4321
Darlene or Leanne from the Port Alberni Friendship Centre – 250-723-8281
Julie from Port Alberni Association for Community Living – 250-735-7820
If you prefer to register by email, please contact us at clcproject@inclusionbc.org
More Details:
All conversations have been created in partnership with local community organizations to consider the specific circumstances of Port Alberni and surrounding areas, the young people, and families in need of support who live there.
For families, the conversations are designed to include all families with children and youth with disabilities or other support needs that want to express their ideas. Youth are welcome to attend too.
For local community service providers, we want to hear about your experience supporting families and what can be different to better support them.
What we hear from these conversations will be reported back to the community of Port Alberni in a written report and a virtual session.
Following the virtual session for Port Alberni and surrounding areas, there will be another conversation with the broader community to think about ways to build better networks and involve all community partners that need to join this conversation, like schools and school districts, child care centres, community centres, health authorities, recreational organizations, etc.
The results from all the conversations will also inform a report to the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) with the expectation that all this will inform the future of services for children and youth with support needs (CYSN) in British Columbia.
Ways to Participate:
We invite everyone to join the conversations. There are multiple ways to participate, like attending sessions in person or virtually via Zoom, filling in a short survey, sending us an email with your ideas (clcproject@inclusionbc.org), or calling 1-844-488-4321.
Spread the word! We want to reach as many people in your community as we can. Download the posters to share here:
Download the files here: