Discovering the S.P.I.C.E. of Whitecourt in Alberta, Canada

[Actual summary letter sent to all participants - March, 1996]

Who is the Whitecourt and Community Capacity Study Team??
We are a group of interested community citizens who gathered to take a look at the Whitecourt community in a different way. Our group began with a large number of citizens who came together to chat and plan for discovering what was great about Whitecourt. There was a smaller core group of dedicated Team members who continued working on the project, and many others who supported it.

"A great way for me to meet people and make connections in the community"

Looking at Whitecourt in a Different Way
We decided to celebrate all that is great about Whitecourt and discover what is here to enhance the Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Creative and Emotional (S.P.I.C.E.) aspects of life.

"It is nice to talk about the good things in the community - a refreshing change!

What Did We Discover??
It was fun to talk and share with 68 Associations, 76 Businesses and 149 Individual Citizens in Whitecourt and the surrounding area. The Whitecourt Associations, Businesses and Citizens that we talked to agreed that the people and the friendliness of the community was what is best about Whitecourt. Many loved the numerous recreational activities and opportunities for community involvement. For others, it was the small town atmosphere and the proximity to nature and the wilderness which was great. Whatever way we look at it, Whitecourt is a great place to live!!

The Associations and Businesses in Whitecourt we spoke with already contribute a lot, and many had great ideas on how they could do more in the future! The Asset Map on the other side of the page shows what they already do, and what more they could do, to enhance the S.P.I.C.E. of life in Whitecourt!

An amazing 115 of the 149 citizens we spoke with were willing to share some of their wide variety of talents and skills with the community! As you would expect, the large majority of these citizens had skills and experience in family and home life activities such as :

We talked with 17 citizens who have skills in sign language, and 44 citizens mentioned that they dabble in specialty cooking such as:

We have more than 79 writers who spoke with us and 66 citizens who speak a language other than English such as: French, Ukrainian, Greek, and Spanish.

Many citizens we spoke with are talented in trades such as: construction (62, automotive (48), plumbing (39), electrical (39), and so much more.....!!

"I learned that I enjoy meeting people and helping them connect with others who have similar interests!"

What is the Next Step??
We are very excited about all that we have discovered so far! We already have plans underway to keep gathering more information and to make all of it readily accessible to the whole community. We have a few great ideas of how this information could be used, and we would like to hear yours! This is not the end, it is just the beginning!!

If you, or your Association or Business have not talked to the Team yet, or if you would like more information or a copy of the full report, please call: Tina Schryvershof (780)778-5754 or contact our office.

Check out the Asset Map!!! (this is a big file, and will take a few moments to load)

http://www.cbr-aimhigh.com