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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. In 2009, the annual donation budget is $300,000.  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:

• OCTA Collective Society - artsREACH program. . Through the development of artistic skills, children also learn essential life skills. Research studies show that these skills, when applied to other subjects, can improve academic learning. This program addresses social inequities by providing free arts workshops to children who are least likely to have access to a high-quality arts education, due to lack of financial means. artsREACH workshops are delivered in 22 public elementary schools that have been identified as having a high population of children from low-income families. In these workshops, students learn arts skills and are guided in the creative process by professional artists and actors. With classroom teachers observing the workshops and receiving a teacher's resource guide for further arts-learning activities, artsREACH leaves a legacy for the creative process and learning to continue. With the delivery of 150 artsREACH workshops in the 2007/08 school year, 3,300 more children in our community were able to participate in and benefit from an artsREACH workshop.
• Victoria High School Alumni Association - Victoria High School Autotech and Environment Club Electric Truck Conversion. Victoria High automotive class students will convert a gas fuelled pick up truck into an electric truck that operates at highway speed and recharges via a household power outlet. The fifty students involved will gain experience in converting a gas vehicle to an electric vehicle. The truck will be used daily in Victoria and will be displayed at malls to showcase technology in public education and environmental consciousness.
• LifeCycles Project Society - YouthCore Education and Community Asset Mapping Project (YouthCore ECAMP). The project allows young people the opportunity to identify, document, and create awareness about youth opportunities, supports and resources in Greater Victoria. Using a tool called Community Asset Mapping, young people will build innovative and practical tools (like Pocket Guides and online databases) to help connect youth to the opportunities that matter to them. The project will work with two teams of five Community Youth Mappers to make the important opportunities and information known to other youth. The youth's findings will be stored online at www.YouthCore.ca - free for anyone to access, four hundred pocket guides will also be produced. The pocket guides will be free for youth who may otherwise not access the programs and resources available to them in recreation and leisure. The other pocket guide, the Young Mom's Resource Map will empower young parents to access important post-natal support, resources and educational opportunities. The website's resources and interactive features will break down barriers for young people who need to access support and health services, and who are interested in making an impact in their community through volunteering and leadership.