Community Well-Being News
September 2022
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Throughout these past two years we’ve been inspired by examples of our community of engaged citizens coming together in support of one another.
Now, with our sights set firmly on the future (save the date for our epic AGM and strategy co-creation session October 22 from 9 to 2pm!), we look forward to new and innovative ways of pursuing community well-being as one of our core responsibilities to our partners, neighbours and friends.
Where do you fit in? Are you ready to “get engaged?” Are you back to your usual activities? Tell us how you’re feeling about re-engaging with the community in which you live, work and play.
We’ll report back in our next issue and explore the many ways to get involved!
With or without a mask, how are you now feeling about shopping, dining out, working outside of the home, interacting with large groups or volunteering within the community?
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Please select your response:
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neither comfortable nor uncomfortable
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If you answered YES to volunteering make sure that you're registered with Volunteer Dufferin. |
We will match you with the perfect volunteering opportunities that meet your interests, skills and comfort zone. |
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Last year at this time we asked you:
How well-informed do you feel you are about Indigenous issues?
You replied:
(44 responses)
- Very well-informed or have first-hand experience - 20.5% (9)
- Moderately well-informed, mainly through work or school learning - 25% (11)
- I have researched some on my own and intend to learn more - 34.1% (15)
- I have just begun my learning journey - 18.2% (8)
- Not well-informed at all - 2.3% (1)
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Have a burning question for your fellow citizens? Submit your Community Check-in Poll suggestion - a question and 3-5 possible responses - to action@headwaterscommunities.org
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National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
September 30, 2022
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This will be a poignant year as we undertake a day of both learning and acknowledgement honouring this National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. Poignant because of every life lost to the residential school system and due to intergenerational trauma, but also with particularly heavy hearts arising from the terrible events that took place recently at James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.
On this National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, we encourage you first to pause and remember the 10 victims and 18 injured residents and first responders from the James Smith Cree Nation community. We ask you to also join us in extending our condolences to the entire community. Finally, we encourage everyone to renew personal commitments to learning, listening, and leaning into the crucial conversations and important work of unlearning and relearning with the truths of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Indigenous Peoples.
What can you do? Here are a few suggestions:
- Wear an orange shirt to raise awareness of the very tragic legacy of residential schools, and to honour the thousands of Survivors. Endeavour as much as possible to source shirts that are created by Indigenous persons and support First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Indigenous communities. If you can’t do that, support local - wherever local is for you.
Take Part in a Memorial Walk for Residential Schools
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September 30th, 2022 at 7:00 pm. Visit the Town of Shelburne’s new installation of a crosswalk honouring Every Child Matters and participate in a ceremony raising the Every Child Matters flag and a candlelight reflection walk starting at Jack Downing Park.
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October 8th 2022 at 2:00 pm. Indigenous Day of Action: Meet at the back entrance of the County of Dufferin Court House on Elizabeth St. between Louisa St. and Clara St. and join participants for a walk to Orangeville’s Town Hall.
Justice Murray Sinclair, as Chair of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission said this: “Education is what got us here, and education will get us out.” We therefore encourage you to take the time to read a book by an Indigenous author, ask your local library for help resourcing books for your children or take some time to educate yourself on the purpose behind Land Acknowledgements. Education Matters. Every Child Matters.
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Our partners have been working long and hard these past two and half years to continue meeting community health care expectations during exceptionally challenging times. As part of their Strategic Plan, their focus continues to be on these four pillars of serving community: |
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Visit Headwaters Health Care Centre for more information on how they continue to strive to meet community needs and expectations and how we can all play a role in keeping our community healthy - even while visiting the hospital or your local health care professional!
Additionally, if you are considering a career in health care, Headwaters Health Care Centre recently held a job fair. Visit their website for more information about the fair and other current work opportunities and consider working locally!
Coming soon!
The Pulse Café will soon celebrate its grand opening, staffed by a dedicated team of volunteers and housed in the new Joan & Paul Waechter Welcome Centre.
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International Day of Older Persons |
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This year’s theme is Resilience, particularly the resilience of women, throughout these pandemic times.
According to the UN: “While older women continue to meaningfully contribute to their political, civil, economic, social and cultural lives; their contributions and experiences remain largely invisible and disregarded, limited by gendered disadvantages accumulated throughout the life course. The intersection between discrimination based on age and gender compounds new and existing inequalities, including negative stereotypes that combine ageism and sexism.
The 2022 theme of International Day of Older Persons (UNIDOP) serves as a hallmark and reminder of the significant role older women play in traversing global challenges and contributing to their solutions with resilience and fortitude.”
Did you know?
- By 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than 5 years
- Over the next three decades, the number of older persons worldwide is projected to more than double, reaching more than 1.5 billion persons in 2050 and 80% of them will be living in low- and middle-income countries
- Prevalence figures based on a survey of 83,034 people in 57 countries found one in every two people held moderately or highly ageist attitudes (i.e. stereotypes and prejudice)
This demonstrates that we still have significant work to do as we consider the many valuable contributions of older persons in our communities. The lived experiences of mature adults are invaluable to the learning of each new generation. We can, and must, do better.
If you’d like to learn more about ways to support seniors in our community, look up Ageing Well in Caledon Dufferin (AWICD) on Facebook and Instagram, and visit the following links for the Aging Well in Dufferin Guide, and a new funding opportunity from the Government of Canada supporting new initiatives for healthy aging, aging in place and other important programs geared to seniors.
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Community and Health and Well-Being Week
October 17-23, 2022
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Community Health and Wellbeing Week (CHWW) is an annual communications and advocacy campaign driven by member activities and coordinated by the Communications and Stakeholder Relations team at the Alliance for Healthier Communities. Every year during CHWW, members of the Alliance mount a wide range of communication activities and special events to bring attention to issues and needs that are important to their clients, communities and organizations. The Week also provides opportunities to highlight and celebrate the great work that Alliance members do to achieve equitable health and wellbeing for everyone living in Ontario.
This year's theme is Confronting Inequity, Celebrating Community.
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Grantmaking in Peel Region |
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Courtesy of our friends at the Tamarack Institute, we invite you to read about the impact of participatory grantmaking in Peel Region. What is it? How can you participate and why does it make sense to consider funding grants with this new and innovative thinking? |
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The link above will take you to an examination of a pilot project that was a collaboration between the WES Mariam Assefa Fund and the Tamarack Institute, a project that explored the following questions:
- What would happen if residents were able to decide what organizations and services were funded within their community?
- What would happen if funding priorities were defined by community residents instead of philanthropic foundations?
- How might this change and empower a community?
It’s a thought-provoking and encouraging read. If you’d like to engage in conversations that explore new ways of thinking about community grants, foundations and supporting non-profits and small agencies with volunteer work, we encourage you to reach out to Headwaters Communities in Action today. HCIA administers the Dufferin County Community Grants program and is now welcoming new members for the assessment team for the 2023 grant round.
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Municipal Elections Matter
Exercise Your Right To Vote October 24th
Headwaters Communities in Action values the role that engaged citizens play in effecting community change. The concept of change - positive change - is never stronger than during election time. On October 24th, citizens across Dufferin County and Caledon will head to the polls to make a choice regarding the individuals that will lead our communities over the next four years. It’s an important decision. In many respects, municipal elections have more of an impact on your daily life than provincial or federal elections do.
Here’s why:
- Sure municipal elections are about your roads being paved, the safety of the local playground and what day your garbage is picked up but they are about so much more.
- Municipal elections govern your local schools, impacting your children and our collective future. School trustees matter!
- Municipal officials govern how your taxes are collected AND spent on local resources such as the allocation of available community resources like recreation centres where your kids swim or play hockey, accessible transportation options, resources for seniors and the supports available to the social service agencies that assist those most in need in our communities.
- Road safety, policing, permits for new home construction, land use for commercial and agricultural purposes and municipal by-laws governing how you and your neighbours live harmoniously - it all happens at the municipal level. Your vote matters. Take the time to review websites, election materials and talk to the candidates at the door. Ask important questions about what matters to you, and how candidates will commit to making life better, together.
- Did you know? Dufferin County Council is made up of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor from each of the 8 lower-tier municipalities in Dufferin.
To learn more about how, where and when you can vote and to ensure you are a registered voter in your municipality, visit your town's link:
Early voting starts October 8th in most municipalities and voting day is
October 24th - See you at the polls!
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HFFA Farm to Table Dinner a HUGE Success! |
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First the sun, then the stars, it was a beautiful bright afternoon and starlit evening of entertainment, food and fantastic craft beverage pairings served to over 100 guests!
Thank you to everyone who made our event on September 15th special including our caterer Lavender Blue, our beverage providers GoodLot, Sonnen Hill, Badlands and Caledon Hills and every local business and service who provided items for our raffle and auction.
With an extra special thank you to Jamie Richards at Am Braigh Farm, Kevin Brauch, aka "The Thirsty Traveller" and Central Counties Tourism, together we were able to provide a unique Farm to Table experience and raise over $10,000 in support of HFFA's Farm to School Programming. This will be a great boost as we head into October, which is Farm to School Month!
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Dufferin Farm Tour
Back – Live and in Person!
Saturday, October 1, 2022 9am – 4pm – Rain or Shine!
Donations to support local Food Banks gratefully accepted
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Come and tour the farms of Dufferin County in this self-guided tour where host families open their farms to share “a glimpse of the diversity of agriculture in our area.” These tours are open to the public and take place throughout the day. You’ll hear first hand from farmers about their daily operations and challenges and leave at the end of the day with an appreciation for local farming and the commitment of the farm families. Admission is a non-perishable food item or cash donation for the local Food Bank.
Tips for a successful farm tour experience:
- Dress appropriately, tour goes shine or rain
- Bring cash and a cooler for on farm produce purchases
- Plan your route (there is a recommended route on the passport map)
- There is lots to see and do – give yourself lots of time if you want to visit every farm
- You are encouraged to eat local, eat healthy and support farmers.
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Dufferin County Canadian Black Association
Catalyst for Change!
Founded by Alethia O’Hara Stephenson in 2020, the DCCBA has evolved into an organization focused on working together with other community partners and established agencies throughout the area to bring value to the Dufferin community.
Their mission is:
To provide leadership for the continued development and enhancement of the Black community through civic engagement, education, programs and services and advocate for equity and wellbeing for the Black community in Dufferin County. To be a central hub for resources, tools and programs that are unique to the needs of the Black Community in Dufferin County.
To learn more about how you can get involved or support DCCBA:
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October is Love Your Library Month!
The Orangeville Public Library will be hosting an Open House on October 1, 2022. Plan to visit with the family and enjoy all that your FREE, ACCESSIBLE, DIGITAL and IN- PERSON BRANCHES have to offer.
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The Library is also supporting the Poppy Project.
Bring a Poppy with you! The Poppy Project is accepting poppies
until October 31.
The Poppy Project is a grassroots initiative that is working toward a display of poppies on the clock tower in downtown Orangeville just in time for Remembrance Day.
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County of Dufferin
Youth Climate Activation Circle
Dufferin County is creating a Youth Climate Activation Circle and is looking for youth volunteers ages 16 -25 to bring their unique talents to local climate solutions.
The opportunity to get involved is almost over. Apply by TODAY September 30th, 2022. To learn more, see the graphic below or click on the link: Youth Climate Activation Circle
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The People's Ecochallenge returns
October 5-26, 2022
This twice-annual challenge is a great way to spur action on social and environmental issues while learning and enjoying a bit of friendly competition. Start a team at work or school, share with friends, challenge another team, or just check out the categories and actions at your leisure.
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Dufferin Tourism Trails project launched by the Dufferin Board of Trade! |
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Dufferin Board of Trade proudly celebrates a new initiative designed to promote tourism in Dufferin County. According to a recent release, DBOT, in working together with businesses throughout the region, has initiated this new trail program to enable local entrepreneurs “to promote their top-level services and experiences for visitors, with a commitment to the principals and values of their customers.” To enable this, the Board has created a network of virtual trails across Dufferin that will highlight businesses in nine specific categories:
- Live + Work Local
- Black-Owned
- Women-Owned
- Pet-Friendly
- LGBTQ+ Safe Spaces
- Environmentally Responsible
- Socially Responsible
- Accessible and
- Tourism Attraction
Each of the businesses highlighted on the Trails will receive coaching and recognition “for their demonstrated commitment to the values of the category, and be part of a promotional program to help local tourism business thrive.”
Our own HCIA Executive Director Jennifer Payne will be presenting on the Socially and Environmentally Responsible session topics during the coaching sessions on October 4th.
There has never been a better reason to shop and support local. Register your business on the trail today or get out and shop the trail the next time you’re looking for that little something special.
For more on the program and how you might get involved:
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Also happening this month in business:
October is Small Business Month
October 16-22, 2022 is Small Business Week
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The Wellbeing Economy might be a phrase you’ve been hearing about recently, but do you know what it means?
Perhaps you’ve also heard about Patagonia, the outdoor equipment and clothing company who announced “Mother Nature is now our only shareholder” and who had an ad campaign saying "Do Not Buy This Jacket", promoting their mending service and second-hand market for their goods instead of buying new.
What is a wellbeing economy? At its core, the wellbeing economic movement looks beyond GDP and represents a more sustainable way to move forward in business by fostering both human and ecological wellbeing as well as economic. It is about organizations who embrace not just shareholder interests but those interests that benefit the planet and the people (us) who inhabit it! It’s about an economic transformation that redesigns economies around the concept of the shared wellbeing of EVERY person AND of the planet. It reframes the definition of the economy from one about how we buy and sell, to how we provide for each other.
A wellbeing economy - according to WEAll - believes “that it is our level of wellbeing, not our level of wealth, that should be the ultimate metric for societal success.”
Companies are jumping on the bandwagon with aggressive strategic priorities for corporate social responsibility, environment, social, governance (ESG) profiles, impact investing, social finance and more. Patagonia even "transferred company ownership to a trust and nonprofit dedicated to fighting climate change".
Such a movement is just the first step toward recognizing that we have only one planet to live on and that the wellbeing of the planet (and its inhabitants) are as, if not more important than economic wealth.
As an organization that has always prioritized community wellbeing, we might go so far as to suggest that a new definition of success might look something like HCIA’s own vision of “engaged citizens working towards a vibrant, sustainable and resilient community together.” Wouldn’t that be - in the words of Louis Armstrong - “a wonderful world”?
To learn more about the governments, businesses, youth and citizens around the world working on the transformation to the wellbeing economy, visit weall.org, a website dedicated to bringing these parties together to work towards that goal. Sign up as a WEAll citizen, and check out their Briefing Papers for sectors like Health and Business, or their Policy Guides for governments of all levels. Visit the Canadian chapter at weallcanada.org, watch their helpful introduction video and check out their resources for the Wellbeing Economy in Canada.
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Let Your Voice Be Heard
Public Consultations and opportunities to give input or take action:
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Be an Engaged Citizen
Are you interested in "Making life better together"?
If you are passionate about your community, turn that passion into action with HCIA.
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Stay Up-To-Date With Our Project Areas
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We couldn’t do it without you!
Thank you to our many partners, stakeholders and volunteers who make up HCIA and its project groups. Our primary funders are Dufferin County and United Way of Guelph Wellington Dufferin. We`re all "Making life better together"!
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Headwaters Communities in Action
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