Jasper鈥檚 Community Team received a $10,000 grant from the province鈥檚 Human Rights Commission last week to support inclusive programming in the community.
The money will be used for a variety of projects and programs to ensure everyone in Jasper has an equal opportunity to participate and contribute to the social, economic and cultural life of the town.
鈥淭he peoplescape is changing and I think it鈥檚 critical we are aware how minorities are welcomed, included and considered in municipal services,鈥� said Kathleen Waxer, Jasper鈥檚 director of community and family services.
Over her 30-year career, Waxer has been a strong proponent for the creation of a welcoming and inclusive community, arguing there is a net benefit to the community when everyone feels they belong.
鈥淵ou鈥檒l have better results and a happier community if you鈥檙e welcoming and inclusive,鈥� said Waxer, pointing to Jasper鈥檚 community dinners as a prime example.
The new funding will be divided into four areas.
The first is research to prepare a formal proclamation for town council to adopt. If adopted, Waxer said she hopes the proclamation, which will include language specifically about building an inclusive and welcoming community, will help guide future planning and decision making by the municipality.
鈥淚 think one of the steps is having council buy into this and take a stand so that all of the work done by staff and council is looked at through that lens,鈥� explained Waxer.
The second area will include incorporating the topic of diversity in the town鈥檚 collaborative action teams, which work with different life stages.
For example, Waxer said she鈥檇 like to see community action teams consider language, cultural, financial, as well as physical and mental barriers, when organizing activities and programs in the community.
鈥淗ow do we weave diversity and inclusion into the conversations?鈥� said Waxer, 鈥淚 feel like every topic needs to be viewed through that lens.鈥�
The third area will include inviting individuals who represent minority groups, such as the Jasper Pride Festival Society, the Association canadienne-fran莽aise de l鈥橝lberta 鈥� R茅gionale de Jasper (ACFA) and the Pilipino association to join the Community Team and its collaborative action teams.
The idea is that by inviting more people to the table it will help expand the teams鈥� perspective and foster greater equality in the community.
The fourth and final area, is to build on the Jasper Diversity Project.
In February, Community Outreach Services (COS) revealed the Diversity Project, a photo exhibit showcasing nearly 300 images of community members each posing in front of a camera holding a piece of paper explaining, in their own words and handwriting, what makes them unique.
With the new funding, Waxer said she鈥檇 like to add more photos, create a video montage of the photos interspersed with messages promoting diversity and develop high impact displays to set up at special events.
鈥淭his is all work that I think will add value to the community and will be pleasurable to do,鈥� said Waxer.
Paul Clarke [email protected]
