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Victoria community board

List of Community Board Members

The TELUS Victoria Community Board was officially launched on May 7, 2007 by TELUS Chairman Brian Canfield.   This knowledgeable board, led by Mel Cooper, allocates funding to innovative programs which involve youth and/or technology in Victoria.  Its annual donation budget is $350,000.  Charitable organizations whose focus is in the areas of arts and culture, education and sport, or health and well-being in our environment are invited to apply using our online application form.

The following are examples of programs that the Victoria board has funded in our focus areas:

• Greater Victoria Art Gallery, Transporters: Aboriginal Youth and New Media Program. Distinguished artist Rebecca Belmore will share her work with Aboriginal youth in Victoria and speak about the artists and concepts that have inspired her throughout her artistic career. Over the course of two weeks, Rebecca will invite the youth to collaborate with her on the conception and design of a large scale sculpture of a fishing vessel. The process and the final ceremony will be digitally recorded by the students and then shared with students in the Victoria area via live web-stream. Following this two-week period, the youth will transport the experience back to their own schools to share with other students. Students at five different schools will be introduced to a local artist who will visit their school and mentor them in the creation of their own individual project over a 10-week period.
• The Story Theatre Company, "HEY BULLY BULLY!" is a theatre production aimed at elementary school aged children as a first step in promoting awareness and possible solutions to bullying in the schoolyard. The production serves as a tool for teachers to promote discussion with students about what constitutes bullying activity and what an individual might do when confronted with this activity. By using familiar folk tales with heroes and villains, the play uses a fun approach to a difficult topic.
• Salvation Army, Community Cares Breakfast Program - The Salvation Army Beacon Bus, a school bus that has been remodelled into a full commercial kitchen, travels to the two lowest income elementary schools in Victoria, once a week for the entire school year. Staff and volunteers serve hot, nutritious breakfasts to all children who would like a healthy breakfast. Numerous studies have shown that when children have access to healthy breakfasts before school, they learn at a substantially increased capacity and interact with others in a more positive manner.