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October Newsletter 2010
Welcome to the October 2010 Issue of the Canadian CED Network's e-newsletter for the Ontario Region, your information resource on the latest news and projects in CED in Ontario.
Please contact us with your comments by emailing ontario@ccednet-rcdec.ca or phoning the Ontario office at (416) 760-2554.
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In this issue
Partner Profile : Myths and Mirrors Community Arts
News from the Canadian CED Network
Ontario CED News
Partner Profie : Myths and Mirrors Community Arts
Myths and Mirrors Community Arts began in 1996 as a three year project sponsored by Sudbury’s Better Beginnings, Better Futures. Grounded in the two downtown neighbourhoods that make-up the Better Beginnings’ community, Myths and Mirrors’ original goals were to engage residents in the creation of art works that explored modern myths and that reflected their own perceptions and experiences. The vision was to create innovative art, to engender a sense of community identity, to challenge the culture industry’s concept of art and culture, and most importantly, to provide a forum for the marginalized to develop a voice
Myths and Mirrors use a variety of mediums including: theatre, performance art, murals, mosaics, music and drumming, gardens, celebrations, rituals, stilting, face painting, costuming, visual arts, installations, video, film, games and popular education, that challenge assumptions, build community and inspire hope.
Throughout 2010, Myths and Mirrors have been exploring the theme ‘Transitions’ and will continue to work with the surrounding community to create collective artworks that reflect the current economic, environmental and social changes that are moving the ground from under their feet. They will also continue establishing projects throughout the community as well as at their site and use it as a laboratory for demonstrating excellence in community arts practice, experimental collective artworks; and to build on Sudbury’s capacity to engage in collectivity and creativity through community arts projects.
Myths and Mirrors also welcomes a CreateAction intern, Clayton Drake, who will work to develop a fundraising strategy for the organization, either through the development of a social enterprise, or through a series of fundraising efforts.
For more information visit Myths and Mirrors website or contact Monique
News from the Canadian CED Network
For more news from the Canadian CED Network, please visit the "What's New in CED" section on our website.
New Ontario CED Event Organizer - CreateAction
The Canadian CED Network welcomes Jennifer Muldoon to the Network's team. Jennifer will be the Ontario CED Event Organizer for a province-wide CED event in May or June 2010.
Jennifer's passion for sustainable and progressive community development has grown from her past international work experience and academic pursuits. She has recently completed a Master degree in Rural Planning and Development from the University of Guelph where her research focused on planning for more effective environmental education and evaluating environmental outreach activities in rural primary schools.
Jennifer has worked in the area of sustainable community development and education for three years which has taken her around the world to Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. Jennifer completed a year placement with the Canadian Cooperative Association (CCA) in partnership with the Uganda Cooperative Alliance (UCA) where her principal responsibility was to support and strengthen farmer cooperatives in Northern Uganda. She assisted the establishment of sustainable income generating activities including cooperative tree nurseries and fuel efficient stove training for women and youth members. Jennifer is pleased to join the network as the Ontario CED Event Organizer as part of the CreateAction program.
News on the CreateAction Program
The Canadian CED Network’s CreateAction program is the only work experience program that provides paid learning opportunities for youth involved in community economic development (CED) in their own communities. This internship program is funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada through their Youth Employment Strategy Career Focus program. The purpose of CreateAction is to offer a six month internship to young post-secondary graduates who are considering a career in CED.
CreateAction has employed 40 interns nationally across Canada. In Ontario, 9 interns are employed in the province including 4 in Northern Ontario and 2 interning at Francophone organizations.
For more information, please visit the Canadian CED Network's CreateAction website.
Ontario CED News
The Ontario Social Economy Roundtable Looks at Community Bonds
The Ontario Social Economy Roundtable (OSER) is organized as a network of independent and connected organizations interested in working with the social economy sector in Ontario. The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNET), Ontario Co-operative Association, (Onco-op) Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), Toronto Enterprise Fund (TEF) with the United Way Toronto, the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) and, Économie Solidaire de l’Ontario (ÉSO) are partnering around a series of briefing papers to the Partnership Project related to social finance issues. The recommendations of these papers are to improve access to capital for nonprofit organizations, specifically to develop the mechanisms to facilitate the issuing of Community Bonds, opening up Infrastructure Ontario, and creating a Social Enterprise/CED Tax Credit.
Tonya Surman of the Centre for Social Innovation recently gave a TEDxToronto talk focusing on her experience with Community Bonds. She recently posted an article on her blog, which discusses the importance and potential of Community Bonds and provides more information on what they could mean for non-profits. Please see the article here.
Partnership Project - Just a few days remaining to give your feedback on strengthening government and Not-for-profit relationships
The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) is looking to strengthen it’s relationships between the Ontario government and the province's not-for-profit through it’s Partnership Project.
Since April 22nd, they has been soliciting comments, opinions and feedback in four areas: changes to government structure and legislation; better partnership in policy development, research, and communication; challenges and opportunities of funding and financing mechanisms; and key elements in long-term vision for partnership. They are looking for what works and what doesn’t in terms of legislation, policies, structural issues and funding mechanisms. The outcome of the Partnership Project is to develop a strategy that provides practical, concrete recommendations to the Premier on how to strengthen partnership between governments and the not-for-profit sector.
Don’t be left out, visit the Paretnership Project website here and provide your recommendations, comments and concerns today.
The Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) has compiled a report entitled Recommendations for Renewal where they have gone to great lengths to provide the thwe Partnership Project with six evidence-based, system transformations steps for improving government and not-for-profit relationship. Read the draft document here
The Ontario CED Network has made a submission endorsing ONN's recommendations and emphasizing several others, particularly:
- Support a greater role for nonprofits and social enterprise in local economic revitalization
- Support the role of nonprofits to advocate for and with the, often marginalized, communities they serve
Canadian CED Network Staff in Sudbury for GEODE Dragons Contest
On September 2nd, Paul Chamberlain, Program Director with the Canadian CED Network, joined GEODE, a CED organization providing small business training and microloans in Sudbury, at their GEODE Dragons contest.
Contestants, made up of entrepreneurs from throughout Sudbury as well as graduates of GEODE’s Stepping Stones Entrepreneurship Program, applied to compete in GEOGE Dragons contest styled after CBC’s Dragon Den. Six shortlisted entrants presented their enterprise ideas at city hall to four GEODE judges. The winner, Pierre Laframbroise of Branch Flutes, crafts flutes from native Ontario trees. On top of selecting the winning business idea, GEODE Sudbury also collected donations on behalf of the Red Cross for flood victims in Pakistan. Read about the event here
Paul Chamberlain, congratulated GEODE on their role as an innovative organization promoting local economic development in Sudbury. He also spoke about the National Network, their work in Ontario, and particularly about their work with members and partners supporting CED in northern Ontario.
Opportunities
Application deadline extended for Co-op Management Certificate Program
Apply by October 22nd to attend the ground-breaking co-operative management certificate program.
Applications are now being accepted for the second cohort of the Co-op Management Certificate Program. Access to the first of the online e-modules begins October 22nd, 2010, with the initial face-to-face intensive session taking place Jan 20-22nd, 2011.
FedDev Ontario Currently Accepting Applications for 3 Initiatives
Scientists and Engineers in Business: The initiative will improve the success rate of start-up businesses in southern Ontario by building the business skills of young entrepreneurs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and providing targeted support to help them bring innovative ideas and products to market.
Graduate Enterprise Internship initiative: This initiative will equip graduate students and recent graduates of undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs with real-world business experience through internships with structured mentoring opportunities.
Technology Development Program: This initiative will accelerate the development of large-scale, advanced technology projects with commercial potential.
Upcoming Events
Workshop - Deep Democracy: Whole System Transformation
We know we live in times of democratic crisis- only 60% of Canadians voted in the last election, and of that number, only 37% of 18-24 year olds. We hear everyone from politicians to pundits explaining reasons why more and more people are disenfranchised with the current system. And yet, the answers are always ‘out there’. Rarely do we look deep enough to understand the root causes of democratic disengagement.
Join special guest Julie Diamond for a provocative presentation and shared imagining of a society where everyone has agency. With municipal, provincial and federal elections coming up in the next year, deep democracy offers some tantalizing possibilities of how to evolve our system at the level of consciousness that created it.
WHEN: October 27th, 2010 - 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Centre for Social Innovation, 215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 400, Toronto
COST: General - $22.60 (20 + HST) , CSI Member -$11.30 ($10 +HST)
TO REGISTER: https://socialinnovation.ca/civicrm/event/register?id=30&reset=1
Innovative Collaborations: Trends and Models that are Changing the World
Everything you think you know about collaboration is changing. New models are challenging our most basic assumptions while opening new possibilities for shared engagement. What is the essence of the new collaboration? How can we better harness new collaborative models to improve social innovation for a better world?
Join Tonya Surman at the Centre for Social Innovation for a three-hour interactive workshop that will arm you with the frameworks and insights you need to address and advance your own collaboration opportunities.
WHEN: Thursday, November 25, 9:30am to 12:30pm
WHERE: Centre for Social Innovation, 215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 400, Toronto
COST: General $100, CSI Members $75
2nd Annual Community Power Conference 2010: Power to the People
The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association is proud to invite you to the 2nd Annual Community Power Conference: Power to the People
Delegates attending the conference will have a chance to learn all they need to know to become generators of renewable energy, with workshops that begin with basics and deal with every step along the way. The enormous economic, social and environmental benefits for communities of local ownership will be illustrated and speakers who have become power producers in their communities will share their experience, passing on the lessons they have learned. Experts in the renewable energy sector will highlight the opportunities, under recent legislation, for everyone from farmers and First Nations, to church groups, service clubs, as well as individuals.
Learn the latest on the regulations and the province’s enticing feed-in tariff program that makes it financially rewarding for everyone to produce clean green energy. OSEA's Community Power Conference is this year’s best opportunity for getting the most up-to-date information and for making the right connections with those who can help you become sustainable energy generator in your community.
- Celebrate the achievements of the Community Power sector under the Green Energy Act and the Feed-in Tariff programs
- Learn how to start a sustainable energy project in your community
- Attend workshops and discuss a key issues with local associations, regulators
- Network with community leaders, government Representatives, industry captains, and experts
- Discover new market niches and the latest innovations the renewable energy sector.
Social Economy Center (SEC) Workshop : BOARD-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS
The Social Economy Center (SEC) of the University of Toronto is offereing a workshop on October 29th focusing on Board-Management Relations: Bridging the gap between the ideal and reality in the governance of community organizations with Vic Murray as the key speaker.
Vic Murray, is Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Administration, University of Victoria and Professor Emeritus, Schulich School of Business, York University. He is an internationally renowned author of over 100 books, articles and papers in the fields of organizational behaviour and non-profit management.
WHAT: An interactive workshop with opportunities to ask questions and tailor information to your own organization.
WHEN: Friday, October 29, 2010, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
WHERE: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto (St. George subway station).
COST: $140 + HST; Each additional participant from the same organization will receive a $15 discount, as will those who register for more than one workshop. Student rate available. Refreshments, tea and coffee served, but lunch not included.
TO REGISTER: Access the online registration form here or contact Lisa White at secworkshops@gmail.com, or (416) 978-0022