Comprehensive Community Planning

Comphrehensive Community Planning

In July 2009 GGC Board at the GGC strategic planning session with the Band Councils gave the GGC the mandate to support the communities to start and complete the comprehensive community planning. So finally after a year GGC is working on a community development approach to assist in getting this important work completed.

GGC, Gitanyow, Glen Vowell, Gitanmaax and Kispiox have pursued a partnership with the social planning and research council of BC, SparcBc, to implement a community development approach to comprehensive community planning. A community development approach gets community members to get involved to work together to create a safe place to share ideas, dreams and create a path to realize safe community living and a clear shared vision on where the people want to focus their limited community based resources on. The outcome of this a community vision made by the community members themselves!

Key to this approach is to have community based planning facilitators in each of the four communities. Three (3) part-time workers have been hired and Glen Vowell have identified Jillane Spence as their planning person. Francine Lawlor (Gitanyow), Murphy Green (Gitanmaax) and Mike Johnson (Kispiox). We have partnered up with the Northwest Health Community Engagement Hub hosted by Gitksan Health Society working with the eight (8) Bands in the area; Moricetown, Hagwilget, Kispiox, Glen Vowell, Gitanmaax, Gitsegukla, Gitwangak and Gitanyow. Verna Howard has been hired as the Community Hub Planner and is a key part of our Planning Project Team.

A nine step planning process has been identified through community sessions, dialgoue and feedback from the planning faciltiators and presentations to community as to how this 'planning' should be done. See diagram below regarding the nine step process.

At this time we are in the midst of step 5, the most important section, do be held in the communities; talking about what community members would like to see regarding where they live. A survey (closed), elders sessions, men's wellness focus group and partnering with the Northwest Hub and the Gitksan Health Youth and Peer Mentoring program will bring a people's voice in to the planning process!

Glen Vowell won the most surveys completed! Their community members decided to spend the afternoon at the movies.