Comments/Suggestions from Lead Table Meeting, November 3

Hubs

  • Done except for the EKIOC web piece
  • Fantastic progress! In early stages so we’re not done. Needs to keep this as a top priority – support the projects, watch outcomes. Will become even more strategic new cultures coming to our communities
  • Ongoing raising of awareness among communities, general public, agency clients.
  • Involving additional agencies as required (being continually open to new/aware of opportunities to include new organizations
  • Continue to spread the word/promote existing hubs and build interest/excitement about future hubs
  • EKIOC website connection
  • Continue to have coalition members connecting families through the hub
  • Support Evaluation
  • Good progress this year – keep doing what seems to be working on growing interest and participation. … shared learnings from pilot… definitely GREEN… did what was set out
  • I think Rideau Hub is well on its way. Good model and very used to rural community. Also good community involvement encompassing more than formal services
  • Next step might be to identify key elements, important aspects that make Guthrie House a good family and child centre so as to guide future centre planning and development… more than a building
  • Reflect on what has worked and we may want to repeat
  • Ask – if we did it over again is there anything we want to do differently
  • Is it time to establish and electronic hub and then do a comparative evaluation in a year’s time
  • Annual check in (evaluation) with each hub looking at common variables;

Number of kids served (metrics)

Age of kids served

# of families served

# of agencies offering programs

Family satisfaction

Agency satisfaction

  • Look for opportunities throughout the region to replicate the successes already achieved with the early hub sites
  • Apply best practices
  • Evaluate success
  • Continue to build partnerships and raise awareness
  • Keep Going!! Connect those using the hubs to other resources in the community- i.e. working with funders to bus children to other facilities in the community one/week, twice/week – skating, YMCA, parks, libraries, etc.
  • Integration and collaboration other ideas; youth exchanges Canada, virtual hubs

Poverty

  • Look for low hanging fruit

Look for small things that will make a difference rather than trying huge

systematic changes

  • Get information on established programs out to services/agencies in a medium easily shared/supported
  • Share information on other community-based projects that have been successful
  • Continuous evaluation of results against work being done, adapting goals to meet new needs
  • Following the initial focus on poverty I feel this has “dropped off the map”. However, I know things are happening at the Alliance level – I believe it is a communication piece. Like the idea of all of us identifying ways that our individual organizations are addressing poverty reduction – this would lead to a more coordinated effort
  • Connections with health care such as physicians – who can see patients who are in poverty and stressed; they would know how to refer their clients to community services
  • When offering programs for families need to offer childcare – e.g. Triple P had no support for single moms/dads (support with EKIOC funds)
  • Awareness from this table on initiatives so again can even elicit volunteers e.g. helping with taxes
  • Transportation still a major issue
  • Reduction strategies
  • What is every agency doing
  • Have done what we set out to do. Very diverse group all focusing on one issue. Shows commitment and dedication
  • Could work on deepening our understanding of the experience of marginalized people – is more than needing $$
  • Poor need to engage with whole community, not just services
  • Look at best practices for poverty reduction and apply to existing service delivery models
  • Creation of Facebook media materials that all our agencies can promote
  • Keep going!! Help with Poverty Reduction strategies for each of us:

a)Savings bonds

b)Living wage

c)Investment by agencies

  • Almost a one-pager of small things you can do to make a difference  programs and services that could/should be offeredThat will help build individual capacity – with kids, youth and their parents!!
  • Expand breakfast programs
  • Provide more “under the radar” free lunches on hot lunch days at schools
  • Fund/expand existing snack programs by having fresh fruit available throughout the day at all schools on a help yourself basis.