Voice of Calgary youth heard through 2010 Youth VitalSigns Report

Get the grades on how city youth rated their quality of life

Calgary, AB – The Calgary Foundation and Youth Central are releasing the first 2010 Youth VitalSigns Report.

Inspired by The Calgary Foundation’s VitalSigns Report, the Youth VitalSigns Report combines the opinions and perspectives of youth aged 12-24 with timely research to inform the public and private sectors, governments, youth funders and youth serving charitable organizations.

“We know youth have valid opinions, good ideas and a concern for the future of their communities,” said Eva Friesen, President & CEO of The Calgary Foundation. “Engaging youth builds a strong sense of community. In fact, the report highlights that youth who reported being very connected to their community tended to give higher grades then youth who reported being less connected to their community.”

"We believe that the youth in our city can, and should, have a voice in shaping our vibrant communities," said Penny Hume, Executive Director with Youth Central. "As contributing citizens and future leaders, our youth hold important knowledge and vision that can help create a city that truly is great for all Calgarians."

The Youth VitalSigns Report was funded through the generous support of the TELUS Calgary Community Board with a $20,000 donation.

“The mandate of the TELUS Calgary Community Board includes support of innovative youth projects in Calgary,” said Ken King, Chair of the TELUS Calgary Community Board. “This initiative showcases the amazing things that can, and are, being accomplished by our future leaders. It has never been more vital to hear, and take to heart, what youth in Calgary are telling us about their city.”

Not only did the youth grade their quality of life in 12 key issue areas from Employment & Training to Going Green, they also rated their top three concerns, and provided hundreds of comments - concerns, reasons to celebrate and suggestions for improvement that will be posted at thecalgaryfoundation.org and cyfc.ca websites.

A few of the many Vital facts from the 2010 Youth VitalSigns Report:

• Calgary has the lowest rate of youth cigarette smokers (grades 7-12) in Alberta, but the highest rate of youth who smoked cannabis in the past year.

• Calgary’s Youth offences decreased by almost 25 per cent since 2005.

• In 2009, 29 per cent of Calgary’s Grade 3 students were ESL students, compared to the provincial average of 13 per cent.

• In October 2009, the unemployment rate for Calgary’s youth reached 15.3 per cent – twice the rate of unemployed adults.

Full details on the 2010 Youth VitalSigns Report can be found at www.youthvitalsignscalgary.ca.

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The Calgary Foundation (TCF) – Established in 1955, TCF facilitates collaborative philanthropy by making powerful connections between donors and community organizations for the long term benefit of Calgary and surrounding area. In 2008-2009, The Calgary Foundation saw $25 million in new contributions, had an asset base of $274 million and granted $22 million to 655 charitable organizations.

Youth Central (formerly Child and Youth Friendly Calgary) aims to inspire, engage and celebrate youth through community participation. This vision is based on the firm belief that young people who experience involvement and philanthropy at an early age grow up with an ongoing sense of responsibility to their community. Youth Central believes that all youth should participate in shaping a vibrant community.

The TELUS Calgary Community Board is comprised of community leaders and TELUS team members who come together to make local funding decisions and seek out charitable partners – an approach to corporate philanthropy unique in Canada – ensuring the decision-making remains within the community. Since 2005, the TELUS Calgary Community Board has donated $2.8 million in support of 181 individual projects run by not-for-profit organizations, 32 projects were funded in 2009. The TELUS Calgary Community Board will allocate $500,000 to charitable and non-profit groups in the city this year. Nine TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead TELUS’ local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company ever to receive this prestigious international recognition.

Community Foundation of Nova Scotia makes "vital" strides

While still a relatively young foundation, the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia is quickly establishing itself as a centre for philanthropy on behalf of communities right across the province.

The foundation serves the entire province and several rural communities – Annapolis Royal, Bridgetown, Lunenburg County, Wolfville and Yarmouth – have created Community Funds within the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia. These are endowed funds created and led by those on the ground in the community and administered and supported by the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia.

For instance, the fledgling Lunenburg County Community Fund is embarking on its first Vital Signs.

Vital Signs is an annual community check-up, conducted by community foundations across Canada, including 16 in 2009.

“Vital Signs measures the vitality of communities, identifies significant trends, and assigns grades in at least 10 areas,” explains Allison Kouzovnikov, Executive Director of Community Foundation of Nova Scotia.

“The separation of fact from fiction is one of the greatest benefits realized through a Vital Signs process. Often it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, but how do we know that the proverbial squeaky wheel is the one that’s most in need? That’s where Vital Signs plays a key role: because it is based on fact, it gives local citizens an unbiased perspective of their community and a strong foundation upon which to plan accordingly.”

Project manager Lisanne Turner will begin work on the Lunenburg-area community report card in the next few  weeks. A Masters student at Acadia University, Turner has focused on rural health delivery and also headed up the 2009 Vital Signs for Wolfville.

“We need to understand our strengths and our weaknesses if we are going to work toward making a better community,” says Jim Barkhouse, chairman of the Lunenburg County Community Fund.

“Our members share a common belief that Lunenburg County has much to offer as a great place to live, work and raise a family. We believe there is much more that can be done here if we work together. Our initial goal is to understand more about the county and the quality of life here,” he says.

The Vital Signs project will involve a series of consultations with community members and area organizations.
“This is an exciting project for many reasons, but especially when you know that there are local people who are prepared to invest in finding ways to improve the future of this county,” notes Barkhouse.

The findings from Vital Signs continue to reverberate for the Wolfville Community Fund in the Annapolis Valley. The community fund produced its first report card in 2009, the same year it was founded.

“It had much to say about our community as a safe and welcoming, healthy environment, with an active art and cultural content, good schools and high-quality sports and entertainment facilities, and a good level of public participation,” says Wolfville Community Fund chairman Dick Groot.

“However, the poverty figures were far worse than we expected. In fact, they were significantly worse than the provincial and national averages.”

Adds Kouzovnikov: “Without a Vital Signs report, it is doubtful that Wolfville’s poverty issue would have ever come to light, or managed to maintain its position in the spotlight as one needing immediate attention.”

That finding led the organization to focus its fundraising efforts on the poverty issue, financing modest projects that will have a significant and long-lasting impact on mitigating poverty in the community.

The Wolfville Community Fund will soon be accepting grant proposals for projects with practical goals related to poverty, and will select recipients in June.

It has also taken a novel approach to fundraising, including a community dinner organized by the local Lions Club on April 30, and an art auction and wine-and-cheese party at Groot’s home – in his studio and his wife’s garden – in late June. He’s also in talks with the Acadia University hockey team to hold a fundraising match with a team of local celebrities.

“By the end of the year we’ll have some early results of our projects, as well as some more money in the fund,” says Groot.

Photo credit: Jim Barkhouse

Vital Youth Grants Boost Teen Spirits

A new program designed by the Toronto Community Foundation is supporting groups offering high-quality recreational activities for youth aged 12 to 18. And for good reason.

It’s a direct response to the 2009 Toronto’s Vital Signs® Report, says Rahul K. Bhardwaj, President and CEO.

“Youth from low-income families lack access to parks, school yards and recreation centres, often leading to increased health risks as shown in the report,” he says.

“We are responding to this need through our Vital Youth grants that invest in high-quality recreational programs for young people, helping them connect to their community, interact with their peers, and develop their skills and leadership abilities.”

Funding of up to $15,000 – from a $2-million endowment built with support from the Province of Ontario – is aimed at programs starting in September 2010 and available over the course of the year.

Among the interconnected issues impacting youth uncovered by the 2009 Toronto Vital Signs Report were a clear link between low income and poor health outcomes. Indeed, of the 10 neighbourhoods with the highest diabetes rates, 70 per cent lack access to parks, school yards and recreation centres.

Recreational opportunities offer positive benefits beyond health, resulting in a greater sense of belonging and safer communities, according to Mini Alakkatusery, Toronto Community Foundation’s Manager, Programs. She says the Vital Youth granting priorities include access, diversity, and developing leadership.

Recently funded programs include CultureLink Settlement Services’ Newcomer Youth Centre Afterschool Sports Leadership Program, aimed at engaging newcomer and refugee youth in sport they’re familiar with – soccer – while introducing them to winter sports such as skating, skiing and snowshoeing; and Jumblies Theatre’s In the Picture Youth Theatre Program, which brings drama and multi-media to teens living with their families in homeless shelters.

Also receiving a $15,000 grant was the Leaders in Training (LIT) Program (Growing the Future) at Greenest City, which is dedicated to growing local food and developing leaders in Parkdale.

“The support of the Toronto Community Foundation’s Vital Youth program has been the foundation which allowed us to get our much-needed Leaders in Training Program off the ground,” says Executive Director Carolyn Scotchmer.

“We knew that there was a demand for this program among 13- to 15-year-olds in this community, but even we have been positively surprised by the overwhelming response of the community and the momentum the program has gained in such a short time.”

The LIT Program aims to build new attitudes, skills and behaviours around local food and community gardening in an effort to build environmental awareness in the community through participation in an after-school program of interactive workshops and hands-on activities.

“By empowering participants to take action on local food systems and climate change, the Leaders in Training Program aims to be a transformative force in the lives of youth in this low-income, multi-racial neighbourhood,” says Scotchmer.


The deadline for applications for Vital Youth funding is April 19.

Photo credit - Bryan McBurney
Organization - IMPACT - Indian Martial & Performance Art Collective of Toronto