Community Mapping of the
Port Colborne/Wainfleet
Child and Youth
Services Landscape Project
(ages birth – 15)
FINAL REPORT
July 2009
(Data Collected October/November 2008, minor updates made July 2009)
Coordinated by
in conjunction with Brock University Community Health Sciences
For more information, please contact Lori Kleinsmith, Co-Chair, Every Kid in Our Community Coalition and Program Manager, Port Colborne/Wainfleet Healthy Lifestyles Coalition
905-834-4501 ext 32146
This document is available for viewing and use at
Table of Contents
OverviewPage 3
RationalePage 4
NeedPage 5
MethodsPage 6
Outcomes
Outcome 1:Org Contact List, Program Information, Positive Youth Development Philosophy)Page 7
Outcome 2: Pre-Workshop Analysis (Strengths, Gaps, Partners)Page 9 Outcome 3:Discussions, Recommendations, Action Steps from Nov. 27th, 2008 Community Map Workshop Page 14
Top 12 Workshop Participant Recommendations and Action StepsPage 20
Key Outcomes of and Since the WorkshopPage 21
Team Self Reflection – Process EvaluationPage 21
Next StepsPage 23
APPENDIX A (Workshop Agenda)Page 24
APPENDIX B (Workshop Participants)Page 25
APPENDIX C (Organization Contact Info)in additional file
APPENDIX D (Organization Purpose/Program)in additional file
Overview
From September to November 2008, Every Kid in Our Community Port Colborne-Wainfleet, in conjunction with Brock University Community Health Science students, coordinated a Community Mapping Project of the Child and Youth (ages birth-15) Services Landscape for Port Colborne and Wainfleet.
Following the data collection phase, an initial analysis was completed and on
November 27th, 2008, 34 participants gathered at Community Living Port Colborne-Wainfleet to review highlights and findings from the Community Mapping of Our Port Colborne/Wainfleet Youth Services Landscape Project. Throughout the morning, our facilitator, Kim Penwarden, led us through activities to demonstrate the need for collaboration in positive youth development and developmental asset building, provided an overview of key findings culled from the mapping project interviews and data gathering, used guided questions in small groups to discuss the findings, and ultimately created a list of recommendations and action steps to help us move forward.
Rationale
The guiding framework for Every Kid in Our Community Port Colborne-Wainfleet is:
“Children are our community’s most precious asset and represent our future. An investment in all Port Colborne and Wainfleet children is an investment in a stronger community.”
Every Kid in Our Community has developed and committed to a number of objectives and strategies that are aimed at achieving these goals and enhancing youth services in Port Colborne and Wainfleet. For the 2008 fiscal year, Every Kid has developed four key strategic areas of research and strategy, capacity building, coordination and engagement that are aligned to a number of initiatives that have been designed to reach their goals.
Aligned to a number of these strategic areas, the rationale for the current project can be demonstrated in the initiatives that have been set out in the strategic plan:
Research & Strategy
To establish baseline local data for future planning and evaluation of Developmental Assetscommunity strategies and programming
- Summarize other local surveys gathered to help determine strengths and gaps
CapacityBuilding
To increase the number of youth-serving or youth interested community organizations who understand their role in encouraging the promotion of Developmental AssetsTM through presentations and media coverage
Identify possible members to join the Coalition Network
- Determine appropriate organizations and groups to contact to conduct a Developmental Assetspresentation
Coordination
To create a database of youth-serving organizations physically located within PC/W boundaries & outside of PC/W boundaries to begin identifying program linkages and new partnership ideas
-Complete the database and continually update as necessary
-Determine the mandate for each youth serving group listed on the database and identify best fits with our coalition goals and objectives
-Create a programming list of all youth serving groups listed on the database with an emphasis on programs that can be easily accessed by PC/W youth
-Identify gaps or lags in services for local youth and determine potential strategies for improvement
-Identify possible program collaboration that could be conducted between coalition members and related community agencies
In order to achieve these objectives the initiatives were operationalized into a pre-workshop data collection project (See Methods Section Below) and workshop session (Appendix A Workshop Agenda) to discuss and further develop the core issues surrounding youth services in Port Colborne and Wainfleet.
Need
One of the key principles of positive youth development is community involvement. Young people do not grow up in a vacuum; they are surrounded by a range of social environments that influence them such as family, school, neighborhood groups, youth groups.
Through the Community Mapping of the Port Colborne/Wainfleet Youth Services Landscape process we hoped to gain a better understanding of what positive youth development and asset building strengths our communities of Port Colborne and Wainfleet already possess, what opportunities may exist to be further developed, and how we can use these effectively to address our gaps and issues.
The project is the starting point for what we hope can become increased collaborative opportunities and “think outside the box” ideas to provide our children and youth with the best possible set of conditions to thrive. Each of our organizations can’t do it alone!
Port Colborne has a total population was 18,599 (Statistics Canada, 2006) with 3985 children and youth ages 19 and under.
For more data on the demographics, social determinants of health, and the health status of Port Colborne and Niagara, please refer to the following:
Methods
The methods used to gather the desired information was two fold using a mixed methods approach of a telephone survey and focused workshop discussions to inform the project. The following will outline the steps that were taken to gather the data:
Step One- Develop the Contact List:
Brock University Community Health Sciences students, in conjunction with Every Kid in Our Community Port Colborne/Wainfleet, developed a comprehensive list of 135+ organizations located within Port Colborne/Wainfleet or who provide a regional service who have programs to support the healthy development of children & youth, ages birth-15 years. This list was developed based on a previous older list, which was updated and added to with all organizations.
Step Two- Pre-survey Contact:
Letters and e-mails were sent out to introduce the project to individuals in these organizations and they were asked for their participation in a 15 minute telephone survey. Sending the letter was seen as the initial contact point that would help to enhance the organizations awareness of the project and enhance their willingness to speak to a project team member on the phone.
Step Three - Telephone Interview:
A structured telephone survey was designed by the team to elicit information from individuals in the organizations. These questions centred on what services they provide, their missions and their ideas for strengths and gaps in youth services.
The list of organizations was then divided up among the seven volunteers and each member called the organizations to ask them the questions. This was done within six week period.
From the 135 initial organizations determined, we found that several involved multi-level programming and divisions, so it was decided to profile many of the programs independently (i.e. Niagara Region Public Health Programs, Port Cares, Community Living, Niagara Child and Youth Services) which resulted in a final list of 184 organizations and sub-programs identified to contact.
The data from these interviews was then inputted into a word document and excel spreadsheet to aid in the analysis process. The master files are located in Appendixes C & D. By sector breakdown is available in the on-line version only (see cover page)
Step Four – Data Analysis for Workshop:
98 organizations/programs were formally interviewed before the November 27th, 2008 workshop session.
The information provided in the telephone interviews was examined by the project committee who were able to highlight key themes and categories to be presented and discussed in greater detail at the workshop session.
Step Five – Workshop Session
At the Community Resource Mapping Session held on November 27th, 2008 the facilitator preview key mapping findings, the details of which are located later in this report. The subsequent small group activities focused on the review of the data, discussion and recommendations for future activities. This allowed the project team to identify any missing information from the surveys that were conducted and also to begin to develop strategies and recommendations for future action.
During the workshop process volunteers took extensive notes from all the activities to ensure that the participants viewed points informed the recommendations.
See Appendixes A and B for the workshop agenda and participants list
Outcomes
A number of outcomes have been established given the information obtained from the telephone surveys, data gathering, and the 34 workshop participants.
Outcome#1 – Community Contact List, Program Information, Partners, Positive Youth Development Philosophy:
What is it?
For the majority of the 184 organizations that were identified as having youth services the group was able to obtain:
- contact information;
- core purpose
In addition, for those organizations who responded to the telephone survey the group was able to obtain:
- their positive youth development philosophy;
- core youth and parenting programs, services, and resources;
- most beneficial contribution to the youth services landscape
Upon examination of the groups in the contact list and those surveyed it was clear that they could be divided into organizational categories, which our group defined in the following way:
Category
/ Description1. SPORTS, RECREATION, AND LEISURE / Port Colborne and Wainfleet offer a wide variety of “sporty” and “not so sporty” recreation and leisure activities to the youth in our community. Every local school offers both intramural and competitive sports teams as well as opportunities targeted at child and youth participation in various types of sports from swimming to basketball.There are various programs for youth of all ages in the areas of music, dance, art as well as the museum.
2. EARLY YEARS SERVICES / Port Colborne and Wainfleet provide a great opportunity for child and youth development placing an importance on the support and growth for each and every individual.
3. EDUCATION AND LITERACY / The many schools and libraries located in Port Colborne & Wainfleet promote a positive and active environment that encourages child and youth learning. They acknowledge every child as capable and unique.
4. ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES / Youth addiction and mental health services range from prevention to treatment and support.
5. SOCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES / Provide a wide range of support services for many of our community’s Priority Populations, such as low income and disabilities
6. EMERGENCY AND CRISIS SERVICES / Ensures that the Port Colborne and Wainfleet environments are safe by helping to avoid and control possible threats to the community that may have the potential to harm any person.
7. HEALTHCARE/TREATMENT SERVICES / Primary health care and services in a variety of settings, including the local hospital site of the Niagara Health System and Bridges Community Health Centre
8. HEALTH PROMOTION/ ILLNESS AND INJURY PREVENTION / Organizations using a variety of health promotion strategies to ensure a healthier and safer community. SafeCommunitiesPort Colborne is an example.
9. FAITH BASED / Faith community members of all denominations
The information gathered in the excel spreadsheet contact list includes:
- Primary contact
- Mailing address (street, city, postal code)
- Geographical address (if different than mailing address)
- Satellite offices (if different than mailing address)
- Phone and fax numbers
- Email address
- Website
- Key funder(s)
- Reporting/accountability mechanism
- Year the organization began
- Whether or not volunteers are used
- Whether or not the organization uses a positive youth development philosophy
- Whether or not the organization is interested in receiving development training in positive youth development (such as 40 Developmental Assets)
The information gathered in the word document additional information includes:
- Core Purpose
- Core Youth Programs and Services
- Parenting Programs and Services
- Top Resources
- Most Beneficial Contribution to Youth Services Landscape
How to access it?
This type of information that was gathered will be available to you and may be viewed entirely or by specific sector for your convenience, such as the faith community or sporting organizations. This information will be updated via Information Niagara if subject to change of address or other information. We kept you in mind while designing how each sector is displayed so finding a specific organization or group of organizations can be achieved quickly and easily.
Outcome #2 – Pre-Workshop Analysis
Our Assets, Strengths and Opportunities
By examining the themes from the telephone interviews ten main themes were evident in the responses (further descriptions are below).
- Variety of Sports/Recreation/Leisure Activities and Programs for Children and Youth - 23
- Close-Knit and Tight Community – 21
- Strong Donations/Volunteers/Community Support – 15
- Good Collaboration, Coordination, Promotion of Services – 13
- Not Sure/Unaware/Lack of Regional Understanding of Our Community - 12
- Port Cares – 11
- City Council/Staff – 8
- Schools – 6
- Cares about/Committed to Youth – 5
- Port Colborne/Wainfleet Healthy Lifestyles Coalition – 3
Figure 1Assets, Strengths, Opportunities Identified in Port Colborne/Wainfleet
Variety of sports, recreation and leisure activities and programs for youth: It is evident that the sports, recreation and leisure opportunities and abundant in the community. There are a great number of activities available to youth.
Close-knit community: Respondents outlined that they felt Port Colborne and Wainfleet were close-knit communities, which is seen as a great strength for the community members. This strength is seen to aid in the community’s ability to come together and help to enhance the life of the youth in the community, increase volunteerism and donations, etc.
Strong volunteer and community support: Aligned to the two previous themes, respondents expressed the fact that there is a strong volunteer base in the community that helps to support and drive the organizations that are currently available.
Collaboration, coordination and promotion of services: Many respondents outline that there are many opportunities for collaboration across the organizations and that communication and promotion of services and between partners is effective.
Not Sure/Unaware: 12 respondents indicated a lack of awareness of the strengths of the community, and therefore were unable to provide a response to this question. The majority of these respondents were regionally-based organizations and demonstrated a lack of regional understanding of Port Colborne-Wainfleet, despite the fact that these organizations are mandated to provide service for all residents of the Niagara region. This is an interesting finding.
Port Cares: Port Cares is a multi-faceted social service agency providing several important areas of services and programs for local residents, such as employment, OEYC, Youth Justice Program, housing, Reach Out Centre, and much more. Organizations surveyed recognized the value and significance of having such a well-established social service agency available to residents.
City Council/Staff: Port Colborne City Council and City Staff were cited eight times as being an important source of strength and commitment in our community. The support of local municipal politicians is a highly desirable asset.
Schools: Port Colborne has eight elementary and two high schools and Wainfleet has three elementary schools. Schools are important hubs in the community and offer important opportunities for sports and recreation activities, in addition to education.
Cares about/Committed to Youth: Five respondents felt that Port Colborne-Wainfleet demonstrates a commitment to youth – this is significant aspect of positive youth development and asset building.
Port Colborne/Wainfleet Healthy Lifestyles Coalition: PCWHLC is a local organization funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion to deliver programs and initiatives to address alcohol and drug abuse prevention. School-based programs have been cited as one of their strengths, as well as a willingness to partner and collaborate with others.
Selected Quotes from the Telephone Interviews:
♦Port Colborne is a great community, with great schools, spectacular parks, and special events
♦Port Colborne has great minor sporting leagues
♦Art organizations have been growing over the past three years, a great opportunity
♦Many passionate elected officials
Our Gaps and Missed Opportunities
By examining the themes from the telephone interviews ten main themes were evident in the responses (further descriptions are below).
- Lack of Sports/Recreation/Leisure Activities and Programs for Children and Youth – 23
- Transportation – 21
- Unsure/Not Aware/Lack of Regional Understanding of Our Community – 12
- Lack of Donations/Volunteers/Community Support – 11
- Lack of Medical Services/support, primarily youth mental health and addictions services – 10
- Lack of Youth Engagement – 10
- Poor Collaboration, Coordination, Promotion of Services – 8
- Recreation/Leisure Activities and Programs for Youth Unaffordable – 6
- Lack of Industry/Jobs – 4
- Old/aging Sports and Recreation Facilities -
Figure 2 Gaps and Missed Opportunities Identified in Port Colborne/Wainfleet