Each week, information regarding upcoming events, agency news and/or announcements will be sent out to the DC MOVES mailing list.  If your agency would like to have information forwarded through the What's on the "MOVES" bulletin, please contact Angela Pollard

DC MOVES Forum - January 23, 2017
  
Please join us for our first Forum of 2017, where we will continue to further enhance partnerships amongst the participating agencies of DC MOVES.  The County of Dufferin and Headwaters Communities in Action will be facilitating this gathering which will focus on the three pillars of DC MOVES, which include:
  1. Community Well-Being - The well-being of a community can look different to different people and organizations.  Together, DC MOVES members will define the common goals and needs regarding the well-being of the community within Dufferin County.
  2. Poverty Reduction - Finding the needs within the community to approach the reduction of poverty and formulating action plans moving forward.  This will be supported with information and findings from the Dufferin Poverty Task Force.
  3. Resource Sharing - The sharing of resources, back office supports, volunteers, etc. across organizations.  By coordinating the sharing of resources, training and professional development, agencies can enhance and support services. As a shared and well communicated priority Training and Professional Development has been identified as a key priority by many.  This subgroup will focus on developing and coordinating training and professional development relevant to topics that have been identified as important by our community organizations. Community Foundations - Organizing an infrastructure to collaborate on grants, pool donations (private and public), for the purpose of supporting social improvement in the community is work that is currently under way.  This too has been identified as a key priority and those interested in being involved with this work can share their interest as well.

REGISTER NOW! 
A new year is often the time when we take stock and commit to changing things or shifting direction. It's that time when we set goals and seek ways to improve ourselves and our communities. As you know, at Tamarack we are committed to eliminating poverty and have been working with cities across Canada for over 14 years to this end. Together, we've accomplished a lot but there is still much to do.
 
With the new year here, we are pleased to announce Tamarack's 3rd annual poverty reduction summit, Cities Reducing Poverty: When Business is Engaged which will take place April 4-6 in Hamilton, Ontario. This Summit is the largest gathering of people who are working to end poverty in Canada and beyond. It is a forum for learning about solutions and innovations, forming and deepening relationships with one another, and exploring opportunities that will help all of us advance our poverty reduction work.
 
Last year, Ruth Kelly, President and CEO of Venture Publishing called attention to the fact that the business sector has been under-represented in poverty reduction initiatives. She challenged us to engage businesses early on in the fight against poverty and engage business leaders in helping to create and sustain communities that are healthy and prosperous [see the video]. When business is involved, we have even more opportunities to develop innovative solutions to end poverty together.
 
We invite you to be a part of this important discussion. You will be joined by business leaders, mayors and municipal staff, federal and provincial government representatives, Indigenous leaders, funders, policy makers, community organizers, and persons with lived experience. Meet allies, access new tools, share resources, and discover new practices with sector leaders from across the nation.
 
Join us at Cities Reducing Poverty: When Business is Engaged to:
  • Learn about what the federal government is doing to develop a national poverty reduction strategy for Canada and how local poverty reduction efforts are impacting federal efforts;
  • Consider key roles that businesses play in poverty reduction as leaders, collaborators, influencers, and funders; 
  • Learn how mayors and municipalities have been progressing with poverty reduction efforts since the 2016 Cities Reducing Poverty Summit; 
  • Discover game-changing innovations in poverty reduction work;
  • Identify evaluation strategies that help us learn and create accountability in our work; and,
  • Explore some of the most promising practices across the country.
 
I ask that you help us spread the word about Cities Reducing Poverty: When Business is Engaged and join a growing country-wide movement to overcome poverty and replace it with prosperity. This is a time of real hope as citizens, cities, provinces/territories, the federal government and the business sector join together and support one another to significantly reduce poverty in Canada.
 
If you have any questions, please reach out to Natasha at natasha@tamarackcommunity.ca.
We hope you can join us, and we wish you all the best as you start your new year.
 
Sincerely,
 
Mark Holmgren
Director, Vibrant Communities
Tamarack Institute