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Smithers Community Vitality Project (P4HC Committee)

In 2015 the Town of Smithers, Northern Health, and the Bulkley Valley Social Planning Society established a Partnering for Healthier Communities (P4HC) Committee to explore and define a set of community vitality indicators for Smithers. Our goal is to establish, measure, and report annually on a set of local indicators that accurately reflect trends in the vitality and wellbeing of our community in all of its dimensions.

2016 Smithers Community Vitality Report Card - The 2016 Smithers Community Vitality Report Card serves as a discussion piece for the community as the first collective version of local indicators.

Healthy Community Seed Grant Opportunity - The Healthy Community Seed Grants are made possible with Northern Health funding through your local Partnering for Healthier Communities committee in Smithers/Bulkley Valley. Northern Health has a variety of granting opportunities available to community groups, however these seed grants are distributed by the Bulkley Valley Social Planning Socitety (BVSPS) on behalf of the partnership between the BVSPS, Northern Health and the Town of Smithers. $7,500 is available in seed grants of up to $2,500 to local initiatives that contribute to a healthier community in the Smithers Area. Preference will be given to those applicants that can create a link between current Smithers work on Community Vitality. Deadline for submissions is January 06, 2017. Questions and submissions can be directed to bvsocialplanning@gmail.com

What are Community Vitality Indicators?

There is an emerging understanding of the importance of creating healthier communities, yet we have few tools to comprehensively measure progress in this regard. In the absence of such tools, many rely on simplistic progress indicators (i.e. population growth or number of building permits) that have limited connection with community wellbeing. Below are project background resources, including an introduction to community vitality indicators, past community discussions and presentations.

2016 Community Vitality Forum was held on Tuesday, November 29, 2016, to review the 2016 Report Card. A summary report of the event is available here.
Introduction to Community Vitality Indicators (Think Piece)
Full Summary of the October 8th, Community Forum - A gathering of a variety of community leaders started the discussion on what we should measure as a community and who can help. A short one-page summary (After Thoughts)
October 7, 2015 Audio Link to keynote speaker Dr. Trevor Hancock - over the past 30 years, as an internationally recognized health promotion leader, Dr. Hancock has helped put health on the agenda of thousands of cities and towns around the world.
P4HC Committee Terms of Reference.