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Post-secondary institutions have a positive economic impact on surrounding communities and the province as a whole. In 2015/16, Alberta's Comprehensive Community Institutions (ACCI) reported
contributing $4.8 billion to Alberta's economy with 43,520 jobs supported. ACCI members are primarily colleges located in rural areas within Alberta. Although these data do not include university campuses, a number of institutions have conducted campus-wide assessments (U of A and U of C). As a way to provide more localized knowledge about the impact of different university campuses, an Economic Impact Assessment of the University of Alberta's Augustana Faculty was recently completed using financial and student data from 2018-19...
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Published in Rural and Remote Health
October 2020
Nav-CARE (Navigation: Connecting, Accessing, Resourcing and Engaging) is an evidence-based program that was implemented over 1 year in a rural community in western Canada. Nav-CARE uses volunteers who are trained in navigation to facilitate access to resources and provide social support to older persons living in the community with serious illness such as cancer, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Following implementation in which Nav-CARE was found to be feasible, acceptable and have positive outcomes, Nav-CARE was integrated into the local community-based hospice society program. Two years after a successful implementation, it continued to be sustainable in this same rural community. The purpose of this study was to explore the key factors that facilitated the sustainability of Nav-CARE in a rural hospice society.
Our director, Dr. Lars Hallstrom is a co-author for this paper.
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Published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
October 2020
Older persons with serious illnesses living in rural communities are an underserved population. They often live with heavy symptom burden and poor quality of life with limited access to resources. Nav-CARE (Navigation: Connecting Accessing Resourcing and Engaging) was developed to specially train and mentor volunteer navigators who help connect older persons with serious illness to the resources and information they need.
Our director, Dr. Lars Hallstrom is a co-author for this paper.
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As part of the Health in the Watershed Atlas ( ECHO Network) a series of fact sheets have been developed. The two fact sheets linked below outline climate change in Alberta and food insecurity in Alberta.
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Nov 23, 27, 30 & Dec 4th 2020
Online
Effective grant-writing is an increasingly important skill in the municipal, not-for-profit, and even corporate world. For small organizations and communities, however, grant writing can present a real challenge in terms of time, completion, budgeting and submission.
Join Dr. Lars Hallström, the recipient of over 100 research, knowledge mobilization, infrastructure and collaborative grants, for this activity-based, online workshop for people with varied experiences in the grant-writing process.
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November 16 - 28, 2020
Online
A virtual conference about the many ways to see our world.
In these times there is reason to take heart. The more chaotic and complicated the world around us appears, the more challenges we face, the more we find our purpose in our friendships across many divides. R2R20 will bring people together, once again, from across the County, the Country and beyond our borders. The R2R belief remains - that a good idea in King's County, Nova Scotia can be shared and be a good idea in Clinton, Ontario, or in the Qu'appelle Valley in Saskatchewan - or almost anywhere else.
The R2R20 is co-produced with GODERICH TO GUELPH RAIL TRAIL - and the lead partner is LIBRO CREDIT UNION as our Lead Partner.
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November 16 - 21, 2020
Online
After the Contagions will explore the complex environmental, medical, racial, economic, political and other contagions that challenge this moment - and, more importantly, what must be done to construct a future world that is more just, democratic and sustainable than the one being left behind.
Parkland Institute's 24th annual conference will be online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will be conducted via the Zoom platform. Before the conference begins, registrants will receive an email that will contain a link to join the Zoom webinars and other instructions.
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Lanie Parr, Research Assistant
Lanie Parr is a research assistant working on the ECHO Network project. This work includes building a framework for learning opportunities and community/student engagement using interactive learning models and concepts. The goal is to advance understanding of how the environment, health and wellbeing of communities is interconnected. One of the models for engagement is a series of videos based on another project currently in development ("ECHO Health in the Watershed Atlas"). The "ECHO Health in the Watershed Atlas" which examines and outlines a number of indicators of the determinants of health. The video project looks at some of these indicators and takes into account intersectionality and the inclusion of diverse community members (BIPOC and LGBTQ+). Their voices and experiences will be included in the video series. The project will also highlight the process of decision making, those who make policy, and how to promote preventative measures, and effect change. Lanie is hopeful that the findings will resonate with community members and youth in a meaningful way and provide opportunities to learn about the impact resource development has on the local environment, along with community health and wellbeing.
Lanie works collaboratively across the ECHO Network with other youth education case studies to share knowledge, progress and details around creating a platform to share completed and current youth engagement initiatives. The platform will also provide opportunities for the public to increase their awareness and access examples and tools for effective youth engagement.
Lanie holds a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science, and is the Chair of the Buffalo Trail Public School Board of Trustees, where they host a monthly student engagement session on varying topics with students across the division. She previously worked with Student Voice as part of an elected executive committee of the Public School Board Association of Alberta.
On a personal note, Lanie farms with her husband and 3 daughters. The eldest is a student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, though like many students, she attends virtually at this time. Her younger daughters are in grade 11 and 7. As a family, they love to ski, snowboard, play hockey, and enjoy anything outdoors.
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This report summarizes ten years of rural engagement and the ACSRC.
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For upcoming events, conferences and workshops visit the events calendar on the ACSRC website. This calendar holds events offered by the ACSRC and other organizations with a common goal of sustainable rural communities.
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Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities
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